My New Vandas...mature from Motes

[early]

Last fall I ordered a Motes special of four vandas and told them to wait until it was warmer to send from Florida to New Mexico.

They arrived two weeks ago, late on PM, I found them the next morning and they were ok, the blooms on one dropped from the cold.

Bangkok Sunset
Robert's delight x mini palmer
V (Ponpimol xManuvaedeel ) x Kultana Blue
Pda. Corneels Cilliers 'Midnight Serenade'

I have followed ESs advice re fertilizer, light, water and humidity/water.

How ever they do not seem to be doing well. All four have browning lower leaves. The Bangkok seem to be healthest.

Am I doing something wrong or did they become damaged in the cold the night they arrived.

Would I damage them if I sterilize scissors and cut the brown leaves back to green or off? I always use cinammon on the wound when/if I ever cut a leaf on a Phal. I have three of mine, two with damaged leaf and doing well after removal. One had crown rot, and the leaf one one side dropped. I am trying to save her as a learning experience, hoping for a keiki.

And advice on the Vandas greatly appreciated. I am very happy with the listed ones and hoping for blooms soon or at least later or next spring. Young grasshopper is trying to be PATIENT>

[Roberta]

I think no rush to cut the brown leaves, they'll drop naturally when the plant is done with them. It could have been the cold jolt, or just the trauma of shipping. Also no matter your best efforts they will be drier than they were in Florida, and that also can cause some leaf drop. Give them a chance to adapt to your different climate, they'll be fine.

[early]

Originally Posted by Roberta

I think no rush to cut the brown leaves, they'll drop naturally when the plant is done with them. It could have been the cold jolt, or just the trauma of shipping. Also no matter your best efforts they will be drier than they were in Florida, and that also can cause some leaf drop. Give them a chance to adapt to your different climate, they'll be fine.

Thanks Roberta. That is good advice. And reassuring, I have three seedlings and the two tiny ones a yr old is finally budding some roots with a daily for a while fertilized and pH adjusted water, the larger one from NC last fall, I am treating the same way daily and now has a burst of roots finally, over 1 inch, and five of them. they are all Pachura Delights. I am being patient with them also

---------- Post added at 01:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:56 PM ----------

Question re Vandas need for more fertilizer. If I am remembering right, ES told me Motes advice is 20 20 20 and the extra fertilizer every 5th watering. Could I use less with same amount recommended devided into every roots dunking? And Do I have to change that water every day after hydrating them here in NM?

[Roberta]

I think that you can do the smaller amount of fertilizer with each dunk. You can re-use the water if you keep a separate container for each plant. You just don't want to share water between plants...if one plant catches some pathogen, you don't want to spread it.
so no sharing ever. Motes fertilizes a LOT and has great success. It's also hot and humid in his location. In your cooler environment you're not going to get growth as rapid as he does in Florida, so less fertilizer is OK too. (Higher growth rate needs more fertilizer, but it's not fertilizer that make the plant grow, it's the rest of the conditions, then it needs the fertilizer to make the best use of those conditions)

[estación seca]

It's hard to water bare-root Vandas enough with our humidity. I use a sprinkler head on my irrigation clock. Yes you can use less fertilizer if you use it more frequently. I would not save dunking/soaking water from one day to the next. We have nice warm temperatures that would help severely destructive water molds grow. Motes plants are grown touching each other. I do use the same dunking water for all my bare-root Vandas from Motes.

[early]

Originally Posted by estación seca

It's hard to water bare-root Vandas enough with our humidity. I use a sprinkler head on my irrigation clock. Yes you can use less fertilizer if you use it more frequently. I would not save dunking/soaking water from one day to the next. We have nice warm temperatures that would help severely destructive water molds grow. Motes plants are grown touching each other. I do use the same dunking water for all my bare-root Vandas from Motes.

Thanks ES...I am home most of the time, so I pay close attention to the Vandas, mature and seedlings. I am going to use the same dunking water for them, and keeping them seperated/ I think for now I am going to continue bare-rooted. Do you ever use LECA in a large clear pot for mature vandas?

[estación seca]

I've put seedlings into LECA with success. Kim here (Fairorchids) has described potting Vandas. You might use advanced search with keywords Vanda Pot and his username.