vanda coerulea (V. coerulea K. silp x coerulea 4N)
i have finally gotten a vanda coerulea. they have been hard to find, and usually are not affordable, but i found a seller who had a few at 40$ including postage. not in blue, near blooming maybe? i'm in southern california, and it is very dry, i have had several orchids die from dessication more than anything else over the years. i have kept a mokara alive many years in a plastic pot with large redwood bark chips. and i have learned before not to mount things to cork unless i want to water at least once a day every day. i'm not that diligent. vanda coerulea is supposed to be able to take my winter temps and be able to stay outside all year. it came recently tied to cork with fishing wire, which seemed to be cutting the roots. the plant was not otherwise attached, so i cut it free, and soaked it in water for a little while, then dropped it into an 8 inch fernpot with just a little charcoal and sphagnum moss int he bottom, then tucked the roots around a little, they had come pretty much balled up in growth already. i sprinkled in loose fern fibers and medium hydroton and a bit of shredded moss. the fern fibers of the pot are pretty loose, and should allow the roots to grow intot he pot, becoming the medium, with good air exposure. i am hoping the fibers will trap enough water to provide a more humid environment for the roots in the heat of summer. the plant is held in place by the hydroton, and i have the base of the stem sitting about and inch and a half above the media line, so the base of the plant stays dryer than the roots. this will hang on my south facing balcony (southwest corner) with shade cloth and a bit of trellis for protection, where i am growing epiphyllum and other orchids, like epidendrums and a cymbidium. we get some sun until about 10-11am, then bright light all day, some dappled sun as the sun goes down. the plant tag says: V. coerulea K.silp x coerulea 4N so i think it will be one of the more 'perfected' flat strains, but i truly am hoping for the old twisted petal coerulea.
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