Hi all!
I recently acquired a Vanda coerulea!! And it's in spike!! I'm so excited! I'm a tad confused about its size, though. It seems VERY small compared to my other vandas. Is that normal for the coerulea species?
Here it is next to my Vanda sanderiana var alba. Both are recent acquisitions, and the seller of the sanderiana said that it would be 3-4 years before it would bloom. Is that estimate way off or is the coerulea just a tiny plant? The sanderiana already has a bigger leaf span than the coerulea, so I find it hard to believe it will be 3-4 years before it will bloom. Here's a pic of the two of them:
Also, here's a pic of the coerulea next to my Vanda Pachara Delight, which recently bloomed.
The Pachara Delight looks absolutely monstrous compared to the coerulea!
Anyway, I'm trying to figure out where to place this plant, and I know that it is more cool-tolerant than other Vandas. Does anyone know if it is less sun-tolerant? I don't want to risk blasting the spike by oversunning it...so right now I have it on a table with my large NOID phals. It does get some direct sun during the afternoon, but it is quite far from the window, so even though the sun is shining right on it, the heat is very low. My phals have adjusted to this brighter light and seem to like it just fine, whereas my catts and dends are much closer to the window and get much more heat.
I accidentally sunburned an Ascocenda by putting it too close to the window, so I'm trying to be really careful about not oversunning the coerulea. Would it be happy in Cattleya light, do you think? Or should I place it by my Oncidiums? Or keep it with my phals who don't mind the afternoon sun from a distance?
Or do you think it would do well next to the other vandaceous orchids?
Here's a pic of the little spike:
I'm SOOO excited to see this plant bloom! I feel like a little kid waiting for Christmas morning!
Okay...so what do you guys think? Is it just a smaller plant in general, and how much light should I give it? Oh, and I should probably add that this is a true species plant, not a coerulea hybrid. It's a Vanda coerulea #28, whatever that means. Don't know if that makes a difference.
Thanks, friends!!







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