Vandra and Cattaleya

[mrsb102]

Hi,

I bought a Vandra and a cattaleya from Lowe's last weekend. They were the mini bag babies. I have them sitting in a southeastern window sill. Will this be enough light for them or would a west window work? It not, will a light be better? Also, since they are still babies, how long before they bloom?

Thanks,
Kim


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[estación seca]

Maybe... Where do you live? The farther south people live, the stronger is the light throughout the year.

Even in spring, seedling orchids that have been in shipment and on the shelf of a dark store inside a bag may burn if put into sun in a window. Acclimate them gradually, or put a sheer curtain between them and the sun.

Cattleyas might bloom in 2-4 years, depending on their size now. Vandas depend on the nature of the parents. Some are large before blooming, and others smaller.

[mrsb102]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Maybe... Where do you live? The farther south people live, the stronger is the light throughout the year.



Even in spring, seedling orchids that have been in shipment and on the shelf of a dark store inside a bag may burn if put into sun in a window. Acclimate them gradually, or put a sheer curtain between them and the sun.



Cattleyas might bloom in 2-4 years, depending on their size now. Vandas depend on the nature of the parents. Some are large before blooming, and others smaller.

I live in Virginia, but am moving back to Arizona in October.


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[estación seca]

Vandas and Cattleyas prefer high light, as you've read. Their leaves should be a yellowish-green for best blooming.

The west window in VA might be too hot. A sheer curtain would take care of that problem. I always push the light on my plants until they complain a little. Also, you will probably need to water more often if in a bright, warm window. If your Vanda is bare-root, it needs watering every day.

If both orchids are in pots, water whenever they get dry again. That might be every other day.

Other people disagree, but I think it's a good idea to fertilizer younger Cattleyas and Vandas at almost every watering during warm weather - 1/4 teaspoon of 20-20-20 per gallon of water should be fine. Once a month water with plain water.

[WalkingHorse]

Agree with everything estación seca stated. What type of Vanda did you buy? How big is it? Is it bare root? People tend to apply a monolithic culture to all Vandas but this is not necessarily the best way to go. Some prefer more light and heat than others. Most prefer bare root with the caveat of a small subset that enjoy a little something around the roots. All this hinging on your environment.
Congratulations on your new orchids!

[estación seca]

Oh... there are two orchid societies in Phoenix and one in Tucson. All the clubs have members from pretty far away who share rides to meetings.

[mrsb102]

Originally Posted by WalkingHorse

Agree with everything estación seca stated. What type of Vanda did you buy? How big is it? Is it bare root? People tend to apply a monolithic culture to all Vandas but this is not necessarily the best way to go. Some prefer more light and heat than others. Most prefer bare root with the caveat of a small subset that enjoy a little something around the roots. All this hinging on your environment.

Congratulations on your new orchids!

Here are the orchids I bought. They are in 2" pots. I've watered it once a week so far. The vandra has barely any bark ( actually looks more like charcoal) in it. It even looks like it is starting to get a new leaf in the middle.





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[Roberta]

Originally Posted by mrsb102

Here are the orchids I bought. They are in 2" pots. I've watered it once a week so far. The vandra has barely any bark ( actually looks more like charcoal) in it. It even looks like it is starting to get a new leaf in the middle.





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Vandas (no "r") do put out new growth from the middle, they don't spread like Cattleyas do. Vandas want very little medium, but they need to be watered much more often (they require lots of air around their roots, to get wet and then dry quickly) They come from climates that are very humid, where it rains nearly every day. Cattleyas also need that wet-dry cycle, but they can stay more damp than Vandas and so do better with some bark. How often you need to water depends on the size of the bark (small less often, large more often) and humidity. The Cattleya, then,needs water when the bark below the surface is just dry. (a wood skewer is a good way to find out what is going on below the surface)