vanda tesselata dropping leaves

[Oscarman]

In my limited Vanda experience.....
Growing under, metal halide in my case.
No media in the plastic baskets
Misted daily
Humidity in plant room 40% up to 60%

I agree that the moss should come out of the basket and switch to something much more breathable. Larger bark, LECA, chunks of cork even!

What are the roots looking like?

Yes Vanda's do like loads of air around the roots, but I do have a Vandopsis lissochiloides which is also experiencing leaf drop and I have read that it grows more in a terrestrial habit, with it's roots in rocky cracks and whatever organic matter collects.

Are your other successful Vanda's species or hybrids which are growing under the T5 lights? Hybrids can be more adaptable to our growing conditions.

[Edward Brookes]

just a suggestion, try feeding a very dilute root stimulant such as fish emulsion feed to initiate some root growth. Improve air circulation, mist as often as you can but never allow water to remain in the leaf axils. Possibly your plant is reacting to the change in environment & you will need to be patient. Perhaps a wooden basket would be a consideration.

[desertanimal]

I am no expert, but if you want to try vase culture you could get it into a plastic jar by cutting the top of the jar off, threading the leaves up through the jar throat, and gluing the jar back together.


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[orchids44]

I have had success with 10 Vandas under artificial light - 4 4ft T5's with an HPS 150 Watt. The vandas are about 10 - 12 in. from the HPS.
My vandas are outdoors in the summer, central N.C.
Just my experience, vandas are very sensitive to cold drafts and constant wet roots, especially in the fall and winter. One of mine developed a fungal infection which looks like the beginning of fungus in your moss and roots.
I sprayed with Cleary's fungicide, opened the roots to air and increased air movement (oscillating fan). That was 3-4 months ago. I now have a 1/4 inch spike!
If it was my chid, I would remove all the moss and let the roots breathe, they look like they're being smothered. I would go for the systemic fungicide rather than topical (cinnamon). I would spray only a couple of times per week since you have added a humidifier. Once you see some progress I would then treat the roots with KelpMax or fish emulsion.
You have a beautiful display or orchids. Good luck.

[DelawareJim]

I agree. It looks way too wet. I've rarely seen a happy Vanda in anything other than an empty basket.

Cheers.
Jim

[hanzy08]

Originally Posted by Oscarman

In my limited Vanda experience.....
Growing under, metal halide in my case.
No media in the plastic baskets
Misted daily
Humidity in plant room 40% up to 60%

I agree that the moss should come out of the basket and switch to something much more breathable. Larger bark, LECA, chunks of cork even!

What are the roots looking like?

Yes Vanda's do like loads of air around the roots, but I do have a Vandopsis lissochiloides which is also experiencing leaf drop and I have read that it grows more in a terrestrial habit, with it's roots in rocky cracks and whatever organic matter collects.

Are your other successful Vanda's species or hybrids which are growing under the T5 lights? Hybrids can be more adaptable to our growing conditions.

I took out the moss in the pot today and the roots underneath the moss were dead. When i did put the moss, it was airy but with the watering and misting, the moss was pushed down eventually and got concentrated at the bottom. So the bottom roots died and i guess that was the culprit. No moss now and i had cut off the dead roots and will mist it daily or 3x a week since the humidity around it is high. I have hybrids and species both such as pachara delights which i just posted in the vanda section a month ago. Sanderiana, coerulea, renanthera, and several more hybrids.

---------- Post added at 10:33 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:26 AM ----------

Originally Posted by Edward Brookes

just a suggestion, try feeding a very dilute root stimulant such as fish emulsion feed to initiate some root growth. Improve air circulation, mist as often as you can but never allow water to remain in the leaf axils. Possibly your plant is reacting to the change in environment & you will need to be patient. Perhaps a wooden basket would be a consideration.

I have been feeding kelpmax since spring of this year and gave me great results! I took out all the moss too and found that the roots had died underneath of it. So now im just waiting if it improves.

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[Greenthumb.5]

I use orchidata bark or lava rock (the red landscaping kind from Lowes) for my vandas with a spanish moss covering. Your tessellata likes it warm and humid. Dropping of leaves indicate root loss or too dry of the conditions. So I would just recommend you to take all of the moss and replace it with lava rock or orchidata bark.

[OliverSparrow]

V. tesselata is from monsoonal climates and, from the look of the roots, it's trying to rest. Indian ones get no rain October-March/April, with extremely hot temperatures in the run up to the rains. The ones that I have seen in Sri Lanka have a double wet season but with dry periods in which time they bake.

You might want to try it both drier and hotter for a few months. Mine grow on bare bark, with roots dangling, in total dryness for the dates indicated above. (Actually, I mist them in March onwards. This *is* Britain.)

[Greenthumb.5]

You can just use lava rock or orchidata as a medium. As for watering and that plant is young, just keep it a wet and dry cycle. Watering every three or four days in the winter and every two days in the summer. Living Spanish Moss also helps in terms of humidity control. My tessellata looked like yours until I did so. Also keep heat even and not too high or low. I will post a picture of my vanda this weekend to show what it looks like. My tessellata is young.

[OliverSparrow]

Odd. I posted a message here and find that it has vanished, even though this web site notified me of a follow on. Am I doing something wrong?

Anyway, V. tesselata is a monsoonal species from India and Sri Lanka, and lives in environment that is dry October-April, with up to 40C temperatures in March. Yours looks over-wet, and as the roots are not growing, this will cause it to rot. You need dry warmth.