How big does Vanda coerulea get?

[Paul Mc]

Just curious how big of a basket I should put mine in. It's base is only a few inches tall with the longest leaf at about 8 inches.

[mmursuli]

I've seen monstorous ones. Check this one out:
Vanda rothschildiana 'Blue Ribbon' FCC/AOS

[Paul Mc]

So is the Vanda coerulea the same as the rathschildiana then?

[mmursuli]

Originally Posted by Paul Mc

So is the Vanda coerulea the same as the rathschildiana then?

I have no idea

[lambelkip]

Vanda Rothschildiana is a hybrid (Vanda coerulea x Vanda sanderiana) but Vanda coerulea can easily reach that size.

[Paul Mc]

YES! I'm soooo glad to hear that! Both of my new Vanda's are relatively small, the coerulea and one that was bred with korulea (their spelling, lol...). So I guess I can expect both of these to get rather large through the years. I know the flowers can be 4 to 5 inches big, so I figured as much.

I guess I will be potting it in a larger basket today then to accomadate for the years ahead.

[orchidsamore]

Vanda will keep growing and getting bigger. This applies to all varieties.

I have a friend that is one of the foremost growers in the US and he has several that are the size of small cars. One would not fit in the back of a pickup truck. He grew it from seed (35 years)

But whatever basket you use will deteriorate and fall off in about 5 years so you will be able to change later. If you use plastic baskets you just keep putting them in larger baskets without removing the old one.

[Paul Mc]

Thank you Jerry, that's good to know as one came in a plastic hanging basket. I was wondering what to do when it got bigger.

[Akewataru]

I remember reading somewhere that V. coerulea in nature reach on average about six feet tall. However, but that does not include the length of the roots and additional height gained with the mother plant putting out keikis at various heights on the plant, just the part of the mother plant with living leaves. However in cultivation they stay at about four feet tall. Also, V. coerulea is unusual in that its leaves are proportionately shorter and wider than most other strap-leafed members of the Vanda alliance, staying at about ten inches long, but more than a inch wide. That being said, there are always exceptions. Just like with human beings there are cases of dwarfism and giantism. In any case, you can top off the plant if it gets too tall or you want to keep it at a certain height.

[Paul Mc]

Top off? I'm not sure what you mean by this. Are you suggesting that I can cut off the top of the Vanda to keep it at a certain height? Of course, not that this will be an issue for years to come since mine is small at the moment, but just curious.