Repotting vanda today spahgnum with rocks or coconut fiber with rocks

[Mercurianmad]

Hey guys :-) it’s been hard keeping this vanda moist in this house. It’s got a humidifier near it and a fan near it because everything gets too damp with just the humidifier.

Now Ive got a basket coming Today and IVe seen people line the inside of the basket with coconut fiber. I can get some of that But I’m not sure it’s going to be moist enough.

I’m thinking of loosely lining the basket with the spahgnum moss, but I don’t want it to be too moist.

I also would really like to remove the Vanda from its current basket especially since the roots are just growing over the top of the basket and not really through it. However the Vanda is zip tied into this black basket. So I’m a bit unsure as how how to cut it away.

Should I use the spahgnum moss to loosely line the basket then put the Vanda on top and fill it with lava rock? Or should I order the coconut fiber, wait for it to arrive in line the basket with that plus the lava rock? The goal is to keep the vanda moist so I don’t have to water it four times a day while not killing the roots 😌

[estación seca]

Most people who grow Vandas in containers use large chunks of bark or the like, not water-retentive things like moss. I suppose you could use a coco fiber basket liner to keep the chunks in the basket. They sell them at hardware stores. Chunks of bark or lava in a pot seem to be enough to keep the humidity up around the roots. The volcanic rock should work well, too. It's probably pretty easy for you to get, living not far from Mt. Shasta.

Just set the existing basket into the new basket, then fill in around it with new medium. No need to remove from the old basket. Too much risk of damaging roots.

[Mercurianmad]

Can I use dried Spanish moss on top to trap more humidity or does it have to be live Spanish moss?

[estación seca]

You can line the basket with anything that will hold in the medium yet let water go through. If you have Spanish moss, that will probably work. I don't know how long it holds up in use.

I wouldn't put anything on the top of the medium of a Vanda container.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by Mercurianmad

Hey guys :-) it’s been hard keeping this vanda moist in this house. It’s got a humidifier near it and a fan near it because everything gets too damp with just the humidifier.

REmember, Vanda roots NEED fresh air, and to dry out a bit (or even more than a bit) between waterings. A good through watering once a day - get the roots to the green point if you can - and then ignore it for the rest of the day. Will they turn white again? Sure. That's fine. Air around those roots is critical. It does not need to be obviously moist 24/7... in fact, it does not want that.

[Mercurianmad]

Aha. That’s good because it gets white in about three hours. Ok I’ll just water it once a day now.

---------- Post added at 03:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:35 PM ----------

Also there we mites and all other manor of bugs when it arrived so I dunked it in an insecticide/mitecide Solution to water it. Hopefully that was ok.

Like the first one, many roots broke in shipping and some I had to cut off because they were squishy. Hopefully with the kelpmaxx watering routine, some humidity and enough water it will be happy and grow new roots and leaves soon

[aliceinwl]

I have one potted in medium granite rocks and three bare root. For over a year now, I let the roots soak in a cup/container of water overnight and rehang them in the morning. They’re all doing great.

I started out just soaking them for an hour or two, but it was easier to just let them soak overnight. The only time I’ve run into trouble is if I re-use the soak water for more than two or three days so I make sure I keep it fresh.

[Mercurianmad]

Just wanted to post that I finally found a way to make the Vandas happy in my house. I was losing roots they were getting so desiccated and dry, even with the humidifier. And I was watering three times a day because they would dry out in one hour to a bone dry white. Well I finally tried the vanda baskets with the coconut fiber and the lava rock, covering the top roots with the coconut fiber. Now they are so happy! One is even growing a new roots bud. I still have to water them every other day, but this is SO much easier than three times a day. Thank you everyone for all your help and a advice with repotting them.

Now I just need to find a way to make them warmer. Because of the high humidity the temp on that sill stays at 69 during the day and 62 at night, which might be a bit cold. Since I can’t put hot lights next to my window or leave a heating pad on all the time, for fire safety, I’m still working on that part. But at least we’ve got moisture and airflow covered properly now.