Vanda Help!! Leafs falling off.

[kaarthiik]

Hi,
My Vanda, was doing fine from last few months, until suddenly, it started dropping leafs, one for every 2 days. I am worried.

I inspected the plant, i do not find any rot/spots. I lost 4 leafs this week, and the new leaf growth is almost 0.

I use a orchid fertilizer weakly weekly. And from last week I did not used any fertilizer

I water with sprayer every day twice in morning giving 2 hours gap.

Pics are shown here. All other vandas are doing good, but the growth of others are slow.

[neb]

It is hard to see the roots in you pictures. What do they look like? What do they look like befor and after you water the plant?

[kaarthiik]

They turn Very Dark green and few brown. When I water.
Other Vanda roots turn to Light bright green when waterd.

They are same from the day I brought, as Its night picture was not so clear, I will try to take one more picture.

[tucker85]

It sounds like you're doing a good job on water and fertilizer. Two other elements would be light and humidity. If there is a way to give the plant a little more light and increase the humidity some, that may help. Good luck.

[Vanda lover]

I agree that it could be light and humidity. You might try putting them in vase culture for a while if the roots will fit, and put them in a good, sunny spot.

[kaarthiik]

Thanks all for your replies.
When I purchased, I kept it in a sunny spot and had burnt few of its leaves (4 months back, at that time I was novice to orchids).
With the help of OB, I learned that it was sunburn and kept in shade, and it was doing good until new leaf grown few centimeters.

I have a 15w CFL at a distance of 1 meter from Vandas in addtion to indirect shade.

And suddenly, the leaf drop.. What could be the reason?
Its summer here, and too much hot, from today I started running a aircooler for few hours.

Normal humidity in air is 30%. I am trying to achieve 50% to 70% in orchid corner with fountains, bricks and clothes. From today the air cooler was able to maintain 70%.

Please help me with any more suggestions to stop this. And If it is a disease I want to stop it from spreading to my huge Vandas

[Vanda lover]

It looks like humidity is your main problem, but vandas do need sun. They only need to be shaded through the hottest part of the afternoon. If you can give morning sun, that would help. I don't know if you've heard of vase culture, many are using this method in areas that don't have enough humidity.

[kaarthiik]

Hmm.. Thanks for your quick reply.

Humidity I can try Vase culture for this vanda, but If it happens with my huge ones, I cant put them in Vase. because, the roots are almost 40 inches, and many in number.

I am not quite sure about vase culture, Is it similar to put Vanda over a glass vase with roots just above water?

[Angurek]

Actually, I don't think it's a humidity issue like everyone else is saying - I think you might be underwatering your plant. I say this because most of the roots look dead and dessicated. Vandas grown bare-root in baskets need to be watered every day (and sometimes twice a day if it's hot enough). I've had vandas that did just fine with low humidity, as long as I kept them well-watered. Likewise, mine didn't drop leaves unless I failed to water them for extended periods of time.

Another possibility is sudden changes in lighting regimens. If you're growing your plant in some shade, it's not a good idea to brighten the atmosphere suddenly or you'll stress the plant. It's just as bad if you take the plant from bright sun to full shade.

[nenella]

I'm not sure about what exactly is wrong. There is something that no one has yet mentioned that strikes me.
You say that you have been spraying them & also that you have put it into a shadier position. I think a possibility of your vandas leaves just dropping off is that water has accumulated where the leaf is joint to the plant and has not dried out & rotted.
I also agree with what Carl says above. Your roots look too dry and there's no new growth. I water all my Vandaceous plants by giving them a good long soak every day. I would also soak in rooting hormone to get it to grow new roots. I don't think growing in a vase in your climate is a good idea. Unless you are growing it indoors?
Hope this helps.