Vanda Kapiolea putting out multiple keikis

[vandalana]

I have had the vanda kapiolea for about a year. It was in the eastern wall (no open screen, just a wall) of a northern facing open screened lanai in south Florida. It was in bloom when I got it. The blooms lasted about 3 weeks. It kept growing from the top and the root system became very extensive, but there were no bloom spikes. I originally sprayed it every day, but later on I soaked it daily in the morning for 15 minutes in a 5 gallon pail. I later read that vandas need a lot of light, so I hung it on the backyard rear fence where it received some eastern light in the early morning and later received western light. In that situation, I sprayed it daily in the morning. Within a few days, the top leaves got sunburned, so I transferred it back to the lanai and hung it on a corner of the open screened western facing wall. Shadecloth may be a later option, but so far the leaves are not sunburned. It gets late afternoon direct western light. I cut off about 8 inches of sunburned leaves from the top and used alcohol sterilized shears for this, and then cinnamon was applied. Later, 2 new keikis (about 1/2 inch in length) appeared on the top on either side of the cut stem. I cut those off the mother plant, and after that, saw another keiki underneath. I cut that off too, and after that, I cut about 1/2 inch of the trunk off again. I seriously don't have the time or inclination to propagate new keikis and just want this plant to either form new leaves or eventually get a bloom spike. The root system is very healthy.

[estación seca]

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

Several issues here. Orchids grow slowly. Don't cut things off. Without a photo, it sounds like you may have cut off the growing tip of the plant. If that happens they will always make more growths from the base. These extra growths are good for the plant, and form flowers. You get a much better show if you leave them on the plant.

Vandas require much more fertilizer than other orchids. Martin Motes of Motes Orchids in Homestead writes he uses a tablespoon per gallon of MSU fertilizer at every fifth watering. He waters once or twice per day, depending on how hot and dry it is.

Vandas need high light but can't take full Florida sun. People succeed under some shade cloth and under trees with a partially open canopy for dappled light.

[vandalana]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

Several issues here. Orchids grow slowly. Don't cut things off. Without a photo, it sounds like you may have cut off the growing tip of the plant. If that happens they will always make more growths from the base. These extra growths are good for the plant, and form flowers. You get a much better show if you leave them on the plant.

Vandas require much more fertilizer than other orchids. Martin Motes of Motes Orchids in Homestead writes he uses a tablespoon per gallon of MSU fertilizer at every fifth watering. He waters once or twice per day, depending on how hot and dry it is.

Vandas need high light but can't take full Florida sun. People succeed under some shade cloth and under trees with a partially open canopy for dappled light.

Are those extra growths keikis? I should have taken photos of the new growths, but they looked like mini vandas to me. I do fertilize the vanda by putting fertilizer in the 5 gallon pail and soaking that in it.

[Roberta]

Those basal growths aren't really keikis - they share the same root system as the mother plant. Don't remove them, let it form a clump. ES is right, you likely cut off the main growing point, and the plant is trying to survive. Stop cutting.

[estación seca]

Keikis are growths from unexpected places, like on flower stalks or high up on pseudobulbs. Vandas normally produce growth from the base or anywhere along the stem. They eventually form clumps. Those aren't called keikis.

[vandalana]

Originally Posted by Roberta

Those basal growths aren't really keikis - they share the same root system as the mother plant. Don't remove them, let it form a clump. ES is right, you likely cut off the main growing point, and the plant is trying to survive. Stop cutting.

Are there any pictures of these basal growths on vandas? Would it take a long time for any of those growths to have flowers? I'm not familiar with them.

[estación seca]

Here are some photos of an old, multi-growth Vanda:
free Vanda offer

The lower growths start out small, then grow exactly like the central growth. They flower relatively quickly if the main plant was already flowering size, say 2-3 years after emerging. They wind up looking exactly like the main growth but are attached to it.

[vandalana]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Here are some photos of an old, multi-growth Vanda:
free Vanda offer

The lower growths start out small, then grow exactly like the central growth. They flower relatively quickly if the main plant was already flowering size, say 2-3 years after emerging. They wind up looking exactly like the main growth but are attached to it.

Thank you. Point taken. I will let the vanda do its thing with its basal growths in the future.