STANHOPEA tigrina & VANDA coerulea!

[ShannonH1984]

Hi Everyone,

I just ordered a few new plants and there the first of their kinds for me, so I'm curios about a couple of things.

First off, it is true that STANHOPEA tigrina blooms only last three days? and at what size do they usually start blooming?

Are VANDA coerulea semi-rare? Everything I've read say's there hard to find, but I kinda find that hard to believe since I found one so easily. I've noticed some people grow there vanda's in a vase, exactly how is this done? Will any tall glass vase do? How do you suspend it? How do you water it(soak it)? And how large does a vanda have to be to bloom?

[hksin]

Shannon,

I don't have STANHOPEA but am told that it takes long time (6 to 7 months) to form the bud and the flowers are short life (few days).

If I am correct, vanda coerulea is one of the blue vanda species from Asia. I believe that it is hard to get if it is from the wild since many countries have the law to protect the wild species. However, I guess that most of these plants we got are mericlone from the lab.

I don't think vanda can do well in water culture. I guess the people can plant the vanda in an empty vase if it is big enough to support the plant and has lot of air movement.

It is hard to say what is the blooming size for an orchid. It really depends lot of factors. I am not a vanda expert instead of a killer. I would say blooming size vanda usually 5 years old and usually vanda grows 2 to 3 leaves each year, so if your vanda has 5 pairs of leaves, it should mature to bloom. Of course, it can bloom sooner or later.

Good Growing.

Hau

[isurus79]

For the Stanhopea, the flowers dont last long, but as the plant gets larger it will throw spike continuously for the growing season. So each flower only lasts a short time, but there is a succession of flowers that bloom over the course of some weeks or even months. As for how long it will take your plant to bloom.....it depends!! How big (pot size) is it now? It depends on the number of mature pseudobulbs. If you plant has 3-4 mature bulbs (couple of inches across) then it should bloom, though growing conditions can affect this. Barney Greer has a very inexpensive Stanhopea handbook called "The Astonishing Stanhopeas" which would be a great place for you to start and is a must have source of info for any Stan grower. Good luck!

[ShannonH1984]

Hi Hau & Steve,

Thank's for the reply's. I not too sure just how big these orchids are yet. I just ordered them (and a few others), and I haven't actually received them yet, but I'll post some pics when I do. There both seedlings(2.5 pots) so I think it will probably take a few years yet. I will definitely look for that book. Thanks again.

[Don Perusse]

Most vandas should bloom not by the size of the plant but how old it is. If you get a seedling I think it will take the vanda 3-5 years before it blooms. Good Luck~

[Suresh Kalyanpur]

Shannon vandas grow best when they are placed in hanging pots or baskets. They like a lot of air to circulate. As the plant matures you will find the root system cascading down from the basket.
Wishing you success with your plants.
Suresh

[ShannonH1984]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all the great info. I do intend to place the vanda in a hanging basket. I was just a little curious about the vase technique.

[isdaojon]

Well i have to say that the vase technique is an exellent one if your are growing your vanda inside your home. My neighbor put his vanda in a large vase and it flourished! If youdo decide to do this, you have to mist it daily in the morning. Remember,they like high humuddity warm temperatures and bright light.