my first Vanda - advice needed

[Hirschy]

hahah, well when the temp drops here i may be doing that as well! nnoooo idea yet what i will do with mine in a couple of weeks.... hm

[RenéeS]

Gives you something nice to look at when you're in your tub aswell ^^

[stefpix]

Stephen,
how long have you had your Vandas in hydroton?
Also it must be hard to accomodate long roots in the vase without damaging them...
but it is an idea that it may be really good if i need to go on a trip.
The thing is that the roots that way never really dry out.

Also regarding hanging Vandas... sometimes I see them in a small basket with roots overgrowing it and hanging freely.
what in this case would be the sense of having a basket? the roots may just be hanging freely without it. just a hanger would do.

[Brenda Aarts]

Originally Posted by RenéeS

Gives you something nice to look at when you're in your tub aswell ^^

Only problem Renee is that I have too many orchids and very seldom have the time to lie and relax in my tub!!! Guess I did it to myself!!

[cambridgestephen]

only a few months in clay pellets, you need to be careful they don't get too wet (usually just mist surface rather than water), when you start to see a few white bits on the green roots then can re water, only fat roots survive, thin ones tend to rot as they are the wrong type to survive, long fat ones will start to wrap inside pot. Is a bit of an art wetting the roots and fitting them in the pot without damage and having air spaces and access to light seems necessary for the root to survive, but it seems to work, have had good leaf and root growth after initial shock (don't wet too much until adjusted to new surroundings). When they get used to it new aerial roots will actually start growing into the media to seek water, as long as some light penetrates the beads.

[Blueszz]

Stefano, that is what wonders me too. The German woman that owns so many Vanda's lines the baskets with fabric to avoid the majority of the roots grow out of the baskets, then keeping them in baskets makes sense to me, because she also stuffs them with huge chuncks of bark.
Mine came in plastic baskets which I think are realy ugly and I removed them. If I hang them, it's 100% bare root, but have to see it works for me this way.

I too wondered about the existing roots and the hydroton. On one of the pictures I think I can see roots that are rotting? I tried hydroton in a wooden basket in a young Vanda (Trudelia) cristata as it had only 4 short roots, not longer than the basket was. When I looked 2 weeks later I decided to remove the hydroton as I thougt one root suffered from some kind of infection. Glad I did. I grew it the entire summer bare root (in the basket) and it did very well. I got new a new roots and the other roots branched. I dunked it twice a day and during a very hot period sometimes a third time.

Nicole

[stefpix]

Yeah
I find the plastic baskets ugly and I wonder why people use them when anyway they are not needed to support the plant.

Blueszz/Nicole
2 small Vandas I got from Royal Orchid club had very dry roots - I put them together in a small wood basket with some bark and hydroton [so they not tip over] and they are forming new roots.
wonder if it would be better just to hang them with no media - but since the roots are tiny still i feel keeping some media that can keep more humidity may be better.

the issue is that sometimes i knocked the basket and
those plants moved - does that affect root growth?

regarding travel I was wonderinng for hanging Vandas if it would be a good system to enclose the roots for 2 weeks in a clear plastic bag and put a lot of damp paper towel or newspaper in it [not in contact with the roots] and poke a few holes in it for air circulation.

would it provide enough dampness for a couple of weeks?

[Blueszz]

I do think that if plants woble in the media it can affect root growth negative as root tips might get damaged. At least it's said about Phal's that wobly plants won't grow roots as well as plants that are firm in their pots. I assume it's because of possible damage to the root tips and maybe also because the plant grows roots in other places because it wants to get a grip on something? I'm not 100% positive if this all is true.

When I bought my Trudelia cristata it had wire aournd the lowest part of the stem and that wire was fixated at the wooden basket. It kept the plant upright. This summer I could remove that wire as the plant grabbed the basket with it's roots and holds up itself now.

About using media or not, I think you have to try what works best for you. It all depends on the growing conditons you have to deal with. I used hydroton in the basket because someone else said it worked miracles for him, but obviously not for me. I think his climate is a lot dryer than mine.

About a bag around the roots, with some moist/wet tissue... It wouldn't be my choice. After I've seen how much neglect these plants can take I would opt to give mine a cooler spot without sun and lower light levels. Depending on the season I would ask a friend to dunk the plant once in a two week time span, which wouldn't be enough... but I'm sure the plant would recover from being dehydrated and lack of light faster than from root rot/fungus on roots. That is what I'm afraid of if I would use a bag, even with holes in it.
I'm in doubt if using a bag would provide enough humidity to avoid dehydration and you riks rot/fungus on the roots, fresh air can go in thanks to the holes in the bag, but Vanda's need good air circulation and you'll never get that with a bag. At least it wouldn't work were I live... I even can't bag an ailing Phalaenopsis LOL, I wouldn't have the guts to try it with a Vanda.

Originally Posted by stefpix

Yeah
I find the plastic baskets ugly and I wonder why people use them when anyway they are not needed to support the plant.

Blueszz/Nicole
2 small Vandas I got from Royal Orchid club had very dry roots - I put them together in a small wood basket with some bark and hydroton [so they not tip over] and they are forming new roots.
wonder if it would be better just to hang them with no media - but since the roots are tiny still i feel keeping some media that can keep more humidity may be better.

the issue is that sometimes i knocked the basket and
those plants moved - does that affect root growth?

regarding travel I was wonderinng for hanging Vandas if it would be a good system to enclose the roots for 2 weeks in a clear plastic bag and put a lot of damp paper towel or newspaper in it [not in contact with the roots] and poke a few holes in it for air circulation.

would it provide enough dampness for a couple of weeks?

[s.kallima]

Originally Posted by stefpix

i like the idea of the sphagnum and vase. do you just use distilled water for live sphagnum? would drops of fertilized water from the vanda roots kill it?

anyway where do you get live sphagnum?
i have some carnivorous plants i may want to grow in some live sphagnum, as long as it does not outgrow and suffocate them...
somehow seems easier to water Vandas than potted Phalaenopsis and Cattleyas. you just need to do it everyday...

I wake up and i can do it while waiting for the coffee to brew on the stove.

wonder if heavy handed misting is enough or the soaking in the bucket has to be done more than once a week

I just use brita filtered water, but my water here in Vancouver is really good for plants ! No the sphagnum does not die even if the Vanda roots touch it after soaking in water+ fertilizer, but most of the time I spray the roots with clear water after taking it out of the fertilizer solution.
I get the sphagnum moss in a nursery selling carnivorous plants.
I have some carnivorous and some Masdevallia in live sphagnum. All you need to do is trim the top of the sphagnum when it gets too big, because yes, it would outgrow the plants (sphagnum grows fast !)