Vanda too difficult

[orchidaddict789]

My vanda had six leaves, it lost one bottom one in the half year that I had it. Then it grew another new leaf, but it's really small and only 2 inches, and had been growing since July of this year. Now it's in a standstill, apparently.

I took it out of my "greenhouse box" because with all the phal seedlings inside the 1 ft by 2 ft box it's getting quite crowded. And the phals require a LOT less light than vandas need. So out went the vanda several weeks ago.

Don't have any other box or anything to keep the humidity up. So the vanda looks sad. Can't stand to see plastic bags (ugly in the house). And am getting tired from watering the roots everyday. Winter's coming and it'll get very very dry in my house. Don't know if my vanda will make it. It's already sulking now!!!

Should I give up or something? Am losing patience, really. Vanda isn't like the other orchids I grow.

[Tanya]

I don't know if you have heard about it, but I have seen a pic of a Vanda growing in a glass vase. The vase have a narrow neck allowing the top part of the plant to sit comfortably on top of the vase while its roots dangle and curl inside. The vase get filled with water, leave it for sometime (I don't know, maybe an hour) and then emptied leaving only just a little bit of water.

I thought about trying it, just for fun, see if it works, but considering the heat here during summer, the roots would probably end up boiled instead...lol. But I think it might work for you, because you live in a place with a cooler climate. The guy who grow this Vanda in a vase lives in UK.

Oh I forgot, if you are interested PM me and I will give you the URL.

[WolfinKW]

One of the guys down here who is a major orchidholic puts HUGE chunks of charcoal in with his vandas. He says that it helps with humidity... we do have occasional days with lower humidity LOL

[Gilda]

Lily,
We grow our vandas in sphagnum moss..yes, I said sphagnum moss ! Hubby wets the roots till they are pliable....winds them around the basket, sets the vanda in a larger basket....tucks wet sphagnum moss in and around the roots...they love it ! There is no way I would be a slave to watering vandas everyday in the home !

[Tanya]

I also grow my vandaceous orchids in sphagnum moss including my only Bulbo . I use wire mesh rolled into a cylinder shape. I then cover the mesh cylinder with the moss by pushing them through the holes of the mesh, of course I soak the moss first until its sopping wet. I leave the inside of the cylinder empty. The result is a 'sphagnum moss mount' thing.

But even with the moss, outside during dry days the moss mount still end up crispy dry by the end of the day. I still hose them down every morning . I haven't grown any Vandas indoors so I don't know how long this thing stay moist if its keep inside the house.

I think I posted a pic of the moss mount here before.....got to go find it.

[Tanya]

OK, I am too lazy to do the search so I took a quick snap shot of the the Bulbo growing on a moss mount instead. The Vanda moss mount is too big and heavy for me to carry it downstairs..LOL.



This is the inside of the cylinder moss mount. With Vanda this part will be filled up with their massive roots.



You can use a pot as a base for the mount, fill half the pot of broken crockery and put a layer of moss on top them for added moisture if you want. This one here is an Aerides.



I hope you find these and the Vase culture informative, Lily. Wish you luck. Please let us know whatever you decide and please post a pic.

[orchidaddict789]

Thanks everyone, for the info .

Now the vanda is in a little plastic pot filled with bark/charcoal on the bottom (for drainage improvement) and sphag on the top. I think it's still too small to try anything fancier--say baskets (they do look so cool! I'll try that in the future). It has too little roots, so no goodies for now. I tried fitting it inside a glass vase to increase humidity, with some water on the bottom of the vase and the pot suspended above it.

Okay, this was my vanda before I potted it. Don't have a pic yet of the current vanda...this is old. It looks sad in that pic--actually has 4 leaves left and the little one has been that size for a long time...roots weren't that great...Now: not much change since the sphag treatment, perhaps a tiny bit "more alive".

I'm trying to rescue my vanda! Do you think it'll be okay? I mean, I'm certainly not doing that great with vandas...

[Lore]

Lily, what kind of vanda is that? Looks like a v. sanderiana. I have one that's doing great, but I know what you mean about vandas being a bit of a pain. My vanda miss joaquim has given me LOTS of heartache. I can't even believe it's still alive. I do have a lot of charcoal in the medium of my vandas. I have never tried hanging them yet. I will though if I ever purchase another. Good luck with yours.
The cylinder idea looks great Tanya!

[orchidaddict789]

It's actually a vandaXascocendaXrenanthera. I just noticed the poor thing's roots are dying (too dry, I think). I got it during the summer so it has not survived a winter in my home yet and hopefully it will. Darn it, that plant.

Tried my best but the heated air in the house makes humidity go straight down. I should have known better to fight my curiosity when I got the vanda in the first place...oh well, I hope it recovers.