My mother's Vanda pictorial - get a bib for that drool!

[orchid_killer]

Hi all -

Here are a very select few of my mother's entire Vanda collection. Shown are some waling-waling hybrids (vanda sanderiana, my favorites) and some unusual colors. I can't tell you what they are. I guess this will be a good way to get your input on identification.

Now you know why my mother calls me the orchid killer. None of my vandas survived past one blooming season...

[Orchidzrule]

Oh, Tess! What an act you have to follow! They are stunning plants & blooms. I must say, though, you shouldn't beat yourself up too hard for failing with vandas--they are a challenging group of orchids for most of us.

Wiping off drool from keyboard,
Rob

[eaglssong]

I am definitely drooling.

What beautiful specimens these are. But hang in there Tess..... everybody here is going to soon have to change your name to orchid grower extrordinaire!! You'll see!!

[wetfeet101b]

Those are wonderful. The golden vanda flowers are awesome.
It looks like they got quite a tropical setup going there.

If it makes you feel better, vandas dont fare well under my care either.
So I'm starting with seedlings . I figured that if I start them young they will learn to obey my will hehehe.

[Cjcorner]

I want to know her secrets! I only hope the most recent batch of vandas do well. I have been giving them everything I can think of (including tomato plant food!) to keep them growing and healthy...and watering them whenever I have a cup in my hand. So far so good, one is showing new root growth! I hope someday I will be able to grow mine like that.

[Becky15349]

x500!!!
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[ischel1]

So where did you say your Mom lives? I thoought I might sneak over there some night and.......hehehehehe. Great Vandas

[Tednz]

I have had more flowers this year than I have had before, but nothing like those one's there they look great.Can you stand back and get a shot of them together or have they come out at different times.
Tednz

[delphiguy]

the first one is my most favorite one... its a vanda sanderiana, locally we call it waling
waling, I have a hybrid one, but the original form is really expensive locally as it is one
of the most sought after orchid here.

I love vandas, they're the most easiest to grow for me. You can put them in direct sun
especially for those terete and semi terete type, but the strap leaf type like sanderiana
should be in a shaded place. You dont even have to put them in pots or mounts, you
can just let it hang and watch the roots grow crazy.

the only thing difficult with vanda is that they require plenty of water, so you have to
water them throughout the day, especially if they are just hanging bare root. just water
them until the roots turns green, I do it 2x a day, some i know even dip it in a bucket of water.

[orchid_killer]

Delphi, you're right. My mom doesn't put her vandas in any medium. A lot of them are stuck to bark/driftwood using a bit of spanish moss and pantyhose. When the pantyhose disintegrates from watering, the roots are usually already stuck good on the bark so the vanda doesn't fall. Are you familiar with that bark that is very dark brown, almost black and looks like a bunch of tiny sticks woven together... almost like rice krispies? She has a bunch growing on those.

The really big ones she has mounted inside regular square slatted baskets (I think you can see it in the pictures). But she doesn't put anything in the basket. So, the basket is just there to hold the wire used to hang the vandas. The roots get really crazy looking and it sticks to everything - including the concrete wall and the chicken wire.

She lives in Cebu, Philippines, south of where you are. I know she got most of her vanda sanderianas - the waling-waling, tons of hybrids, and the alba - from the forests of Davao. The waling-waling she got at least 20 years ago - maybe even more - and she just splits them off into new plants (some form of marcot? I know the new plant starts to root off the old one, she just puts moss on it and it starts to root, then she breaks it off. Not really sure how she does it.)

She does put that screen fabric over all her orchids so it only gets filtered sunlight. And yes, she waters the vandas a lot.

These blooms are just what she has on 1/3 of one wall TODAY. The wall covers two sides of the yard. The other wall has unique dendrobiums.

Here's a panoramic of 1/3 of the wall. See the arch of the concrete wall? The whole wall is comprised of 3 of those arches.



I soooo missed these orchids. I just can't seem to grow vandas in Jacksonville, Florida!