Growing Vandas outside in the summer, and in the house in the winter

[JScott]

I love Vandas, and I've always wanted to try one. But I live in a climate that is not really the best for them. I could put them outside in the summer. We get hot temperatures and plenty of humidity in the summer, but I'd have to bring it inside in the winter, and that's what worries me. I couldn't put it under my T5 fluorescent lights in the winter, because of all the dangling roots, plus a larger plant would be too tall to fit under the lights anyway. What do you guys in temperate climates do with your vandas in the winter? I have a south window, but the hanging space by the window is taken up by my two Stanhopeas in the winter, and I don't really have room to hang a third plant, plus the humidity is low. Would misting the roots every day compensate for low humidity? What do you guys do with yours in the winter?

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[Fairorchids]

Try growing it in a vase (roots inside, leaves outside). After each soak, there is adequate humidity in root zone from residual water. See more details at:

Fair Orchids

[WaterWitchin]

I had one growing in a vase. It came that way from the grocery store... big cylinder. Same set-up as Kim's talking about. I got tired of the dumping part. Drilled a 1/2" hole in side of vase about 3" from bottom, filled with beach glass just to above the reservoir hole. Had a rubber plug. Take to sink, put in plug, fill with water, let sit. then pull plug, let drain down to reservoir hole, stick back on shelf. It was a good setup. Water in reservoir kept humidity higher, glass kept roots from actually touching the water.

Worked like a charm. Not using it right now, because one summer while hanging the roots got too crazy and I couldn't get it stuffed back into the vase. Now it just hangs.

[DirtyCoconuts]

i will also throw out a shower setup as a workable solution

if you are looking for a good large cylinder- look for toilet paper holders, they are cheap and strong and i have one going for a SH container for a cymbidium

[aliceinwl]

Mine don’t seem to mind the low indoor humidity. I soak them overnight and rehang them in the windows in the morning. I may try a vase eventually but I have the opposite problem: room to hang, but the sill is full ;-)

Even in summer, nights get into the low 50s by me. I left my temperature tolerant Vanda ‘Santa Barbara Fizz’ outside initially but it got a pretty bad case of mesophyll collapse after a cold fall rain so I brought it inside. I didn’t put it back outside this spring and it seems happier in the house.

I second the issue with them out growing containers if removed. I have to keep getting ever wider soaking containers for my biggest, even though I put it there every night, it keeps shooting out big these big fast growing roots that rapidly exceed the diameter of the container. I guess it’s a sign it’s happy :-D

I love Vandas too. I just got 4 more little ones. I have no idea where I’m going to squeeze them in once the get big, but I have a year or two to figure it out.

[estación seca]

I grow them in my sunroom now. When I'm home and have orchid time on any particular day I soak them in a 5 gallon bucket of weak fertilizer. Sometimes it has KelpMax too.

I'll repeat something Martin Motes says: To be sure they're getting enough fertilizer, there should be a paler green section at the very base of the emerging leaf that is about a centimeter long. Shorter than that and you should fertilize more. Longer and you should fertilize less.

And realize Vandas are prone to magnesium deficiency. It shows as tiny dark red spots in cool weather.

[Keysguy]

We used to have a member of our NH orchid society who grew phenomenal vandas in a closet. She had it lined with heavy plastic, a pail of water on the floor, fans blowing and big grow lights. Can't believe she never burned her place to the ground.