Roots shrink/dry out on Vanda hybrid (strap leaf type)

[anderslu]

Hello all,

We're a couple that for the last three years or so have become more and more enchanted by the beauty of the
different orchids out there.

About a year ago, we fell for the temptation and acquired a Vanda of unknown origin, all we know is that it's a strap-leaf type hybrid, probably with blue flowers (we never saw it bloom). The P.O. believed the plant had once been used for harvesting and selling cut flowers as it was quite large, approx 14 pairs of leaves and two shoots, approximately 15 cm and 10 cm respectively.

Already when we bought it some of the roots were dark gray and wrinkled, and didn't seem to swell when watered. The indoor climate in Sweden tends to be very dry and dark so we use supplemental lighting (60W CFL) and water every other day during winter, almost every day during summer. Half strength orchid fertilizer in every watering during summer, quarter strength during winter.

We have cowardly kept most of the roots but over time more and more of the roots have taken on the gray, thin
and wrinkled appearance, and the mother has lost seven or so leaf pairs, rendering it quite ugly. There are a
few roots emanating from the younger shoots that seem healthy enough, but we don't know whether they would
survive being cut off from their mother already.

There is also a thin, light green tangle of new roots that have grown from the mother, they look almost like
some sort of emergency response in order to provide the plant with water despite the unhealthy root system.
Does anybody know what these are, will they eventually become thick roots as well?

To top things off, we just returned from a two week vacation during which it turns out that the Vanda shoots and roots has received a lot of direct sunlight, and the watering system somehow failed. As a consequence, our dear plant looks worse than ever! (see photos attached to this posting).

Sorry for the long post, we have so many questions and just hope that we can save our dear Vanda!