Potting a mounted Vanda?

[gdupont]

I have a large Vanda seedling from Andy's, it's in great shape. My humidity runs low, though, and mounted plants dry out quickly for me.

I would try to take it off the mount, but that's always risky, and the roots of this plant are particularly engorged in the crevices of the stick. It's also only a large seedling/NBS.

I'm thinking of potting the entire thing -- the plant on the stick, right into media. Less risk of damaging too many roots. Is that an okay idea? I like to use sphagnum, but would bark be better for this? Small/medium/large?

Thought maybe the stick would eventually disintegrate and I could peel the roots off easily then.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by gdupont

I have a large Vanda seedling from Andy's, it's in great shape. My humidity runs low, though, and mounted plants dry out quickly for me.

I would try to take it off the mount, but that's always risky, and the roots of this plant are particularly engorged in the crevices of the stick. It's also only a large seedling/NBS.

I'm thinking of potting the entire thing -- the plant on the stick, right into media. Less risk of damaging too many roots. Is that an okay idea? I like to use sphagnum, but would bark be better for this? Small/medium/large?

Thought maybe the stick would eventually disintegrate and I could peel the roots off easily then.

Putting the whole thing into a pot, mount and all , is precisely what I would do (and have done on occasion). I would use large bark. Vandas do need lots of air around their roots, the pot will just let you add more moisture than you can in the open air. You don't want it to be too wet - you likely would rot the roots before you rot the mount. So potting the mounted plant in coarse mix lets you compromise between the ideal situation for the plant (mounted with high humidity) and the conditions that you can provide which will still give the roots lots of air, just a bit more moisture.

[Clawhammer]

Surrounding the mount with sphag will kill the vanda roots slightly slower than cutting the plant off the mount. Vandas and sphag are not friends.

[DirtyCoconuts]

i would pot the whole mount in very large to large bark.

note, i dont actually do this but this is what i would do in your shoes.

i would then use the soak method to get the bark wet so it can release that good humidity in the microclimate of the pot

- this will lead to pretty rapid degradation of the media so watch for that...maybe 2 years with ace quality bark


do you have access to #4 perlite?

[gdupont]

I do have perlite, would that help? I worry that the large bark would dry out too quickly -- would perlite help with that? My home humidity is only around 30-50%!

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

i would pot the whole mount in very large to large bark.

note, i dont actually do this but this is what i would do in your shoes.

i would then use the soak method to get the bark wet so it can release that good humidity in the microclimate of the pot

- this will lead to pretty rapid degradation of the media so watch for that...maybe 2 years with ace quality bark


do you have access to #4 perlite?

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by gdupont

I do have perlite, would that help? I worry that the large bark would dry out too quickly -- would perlite help with that? My home humidity is only around 30-50%!

#4 perlite is big and chunky. I don't know that it will do much that bark alone won't do. With the extra surface area of the bark, you'll maintain humidity within the pot while also allowing plenty of air around the roots. (a mini-micro climate) Lava rock would also work - again, lots of surface area but won't hold too much water. A Vanda is a bit of a balancing act. It needs air as much as it needs water in the root zone. Your goal is to provide "humid air" within the pot. So the ambient humidity isn't particularly important as long as the roots get their humidity locally.

Out of curiosity, what species? (From Andy, I assume "species") That info will also give me a hint as to where Andy has been growing it. (I live near the nursery, and have spend a fair amount of time wandering around in it ) Some areas within the nursery are more humid than others... Encinitas, CA is coastal but can experience low humidity and high heat sometimes.

[Ray]

Vandas, in my experience, do much better mounted or basketed, with coarse- or no medium at all, and they do need to be watered heavily and often.

This may simply be a case of wrong plant for the environment, but with a little extra effort and some ingenuity, it can still do well.

[DirtyCoconuts]

the only plus of the perlite over the bark is longevity.

if you are gentle and dont crush the perlite it should hold up forever. while that is only theoretical, it will outlast bark by orders of magnitude

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

the only plus of the perlite over the bark is longevity.

if you are gentle and dont crush the perlite it should hold up forever. while that is only theoretical, it will outlast bark by orders of magnitude

In a hot, high-humidity environment that's true. I find that it crushes too easily, pots blow over because it has no weight, and doesn't hold as much moisture as bark... With lower humidity where I live, good bark (like Orchiata) lasts years.

[DirtyCoconuts]

Originally Posted by Roberta

In a hot, high-humidity environment that's true. I find that it crushes too easily, pots blow over because it has no weight, and doesn't hold as much moisture as bark... With lower humidity where I live, good bark (like Orchiata) lasts years.

all totally true- as you know, i dont use either for my vandas and i dont use it as a medium without lots and lots of lava rock and wood coal.

it is one of the things i rarely like to mention because most people find it annoying and difficult to use or work with and get frustrated - i lucked into a great company (mother earth, i think) that has really large, probably actually #5 size, and the large bags are mostly prewashed. i only handle it once when i am actually filling a pot and i just pour it to avoid crushing. i spray the bag with the hose before pouring so no dust.....

most people hate it but it is a good tool for me.



for the OP, given the fact that you are in LOW humidity....use high quality bark, the larger the better