Vanda orchid roots dry and cracked

[kteo]

Hi everyone,

I bought this vanda orchid about 2 months back and this is the first time I've bought an orchid. I live in Singapore (hot and humid), the orchid sits on my patio, so no direct sunlight but it's bright. I was told to mist the orchid twice a day, which I've been doing.

I distinctly remember the orchid's roots looking much healthier and greener when I bought it but as you can see, they appear really dry and cracked now. I've even been soaking the roots periodically in a small fish pond that I have. Since owning this orchid, it does not look like new roots are appearing, but the flowers you see in the photos are the second bloom.

To the experts on this forum, could you please give me your assessment of how this orchid looks and if the prognosis is poor, please advice on what I can do to make it healthier and happier? Thanks!

Kevin

[pedidiva]

looks kiinda dry. Do the roots green up after soaking? If so, you may need to dunk the roots & let them soak a bit more frequently or you could spray with water hose daily.

[kteo]

Thanks for the quick response pedidiva. Yes, the roots do green up after soaking.

How long should I dunk the roots each time? So far, I've been putting the roots into the pond for about 1 minute each morning.

[Vanda lover]

Give them a good 20 minutes to half an hour. Most people who are using vase culture soak them for that long every 1 to 7 days.

[Gage]

One good trick is to drape spanish moss around the roots to increase humidity. Whenever you water it will stay moist for a little longer. My V. Pachara Delight loves it. I water it thoroughly with a spray hose every morning. I'm not sure how easy it is to find spanish moss in Singapore, but just make sure it's bug free before you start putting it on your Vanda. By the way, what beautiful blooms! Good luck, hope this helps.