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Thread: A Vanda Experiment

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  1. #11
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    Arne Schon
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    Quote Originally Posted by raybark View Post
    There is one aspect of plants that I had forgotten about mentioning: adjustment.

    If a plant has been grow under one light level - typically a greenhouse for commercially-obtained orchids - and you bring it home and place it in "lesser" conditions, such as under lights or in a window, it may very well still bloom, but it will likely take a growth cycle or two off, have fewer and/or smaller flowers, and will likely rebloom less frequently going forward.

    In addition to whatever environmental triggers the particular plant relies on to bloom, it also has to have the energy reserves to do so - those sugars and amino acids (among others) that it produces itself through photosynthesis and subsequent processes. A change in lighting may cause the plant to "wait and see" what the future may bring, and may slow the rate at which those reserves are accumulated.

    So, while we should try to give the plant what it expects in nature, the inability to do so does not absolutely mean you cannot grow and bloom them.
    Very well said, Ray. I have a friend in Sweden who grows Vanda of all kinds successfully (Tommy Ljunggren). He always stresses the need for adaptation of the plants to his conditions and they always seem to bloom, maybe not immediately, but after some adaptation time.

  2. #12
    My Grow Area
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    Quote Originally Posted by MattWoelfsen View Post
    How is your experiment growing? Judging from the photo of your subject plants, they do look too dark green. Neofinetia require bright light. You can tell if Vanda Alliance plants are getting enough light by how green the leaves are. The closer to light green--the better. I grow my Vandas under 4 foot long, two tubed, 5400 lumens, LED lights, about 12" above the leaves for 10 hours.
    The Vandas under the 2 tube T8 with sunlight tubes are doing well! Vanda miniatum is in bloom, the some of Neos are in spike. The foliage are light green now. Thank you for your comments.

  3. #13
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    That is a good reminder, raybark, regarding new plants and their introduction to their new environment. This is a lesson learned a long time ago. I cannot emulate the plant's environment before I purchased it, that wouldn't impact its acclimatization to my environment. Often times, if the plant is in bloom, flowers and flower buds terminate. My experience with Neofinetia in my environment is that it usually takes an entire year for it to resume what I expect.

    A side note, it seems that new plants acclimate quicker when they are purchased in the Spring time when harsh winter weather has passed. At least that is for my geography: Fort Wayne, Indiana.

  4. #14
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    Ray Barkalow
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    When I lived in Louisville KY, a grower there - anyone remember Ward Helphingstein? - recommended that you only buy plants from growers north of you, as the conditions will improve, coming to you farther south.

    I'm sure there was something to that, but I have found it not to be universally true.

  5. #15
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    I noticed that your leaves look on the dark side. Usually that is a general light-level indicator.

  6. #16
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    Arne Schon
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    Quote Originally Posted by DoreenVDT View Post
    About 17 months ago I start this experiment. I would see if I could bloom vandas under T5 fluorescent tube. The vandas are approximates 8 inches under the tube. The light is on now for 15 or 16 hours, I started it off at 12 hours - the tube was new.

    I have yet to get a bloom from this experiment. Though conditions were good enough to develop bloom stems from the vendors I bought the vandas from. I have 10 Neofinita falcatas, a Vanda miniatum and the lone Tolumnia Pink Panther under this tube.

    The Neofinita falcatas that were potted in moss all need re-potting in moss now. Some of them are potted in the Japanese style pots, which I hope to continue. To do that is a interesting challenge.
    Attachment 84038
    So Doreen, how is this going? We are interested.

  7. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by Arne View Post
    So Doreen, how is this going? We are interested.
    I moved the Neos. to the 48 inch 2 tube fixture with daylight bulbs, the Neos. have been blooming all summer. I will take a photo of the new set up.

  8. #18
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    Geoff Hands
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    The trigger for blooming in Vandas - and many other vandaceous plants too - e.g. phalaenopsis, is temperature drop.If they are growing well, then take some to a cooler place - a drop of 10 degrees C would be fine - 5 might work, too. A few days ( or nights for example) is usually enough to initiate the flowers, then take back to the warmth and stand back and wait. But not many of those I can see in your pic look big enough. I had a couple of hundred large flowered Vandas at one time, and really big strong plants capable of doing two spikes at once, were 40 or 50 cm high. They did not flower from any of the top 3 or 4 pairs of leaves , so my practice was to pick out plants where the last spike was 5 pairs down, and hang outside for a week - not in the UK winter, but any time when the night time temperature was expected to be in double figures - above 10 C. 3 out of four would respond with a spike visible within a month. Hope this helps !

  9. #19
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    I have the set up in the dinning room, it gets cooler than the rest of the house. I have no trouble blooming cattleyas and Neos. in that room.

  10. #20
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    It looks your Vanda trees color too dark Green. For blooming it require light Green color leaves I suppose.

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