Vanda Miss Joaquim care

[estación seca]

Now that I see the medium, it is very large, and would dry out rapidly. Consider replacing the medium with something more water-retentive. I have seen landscaping beds of this in Florida and Hawaii, and photos of the same from Asia, planted in the soil.

[Bud]

I use half potting soil and half orchid media. Even if you water twice a day that plant will wither because it doesn't retain moisture on the roots by using those charcoal for bbq (the orchid charcoal are smaller in texture). And try to find a smaller pot.

[Ben_in_North_FLA]

I believe you have a challenge in your hands in hoping to bloom a Vanda Miss Joaquim on a balcony in Manhattan. It's ok to test and push boundaries as long as you know what the requirements are and also understand that plants have a RANGE of requirements that they can survive in and eventually bloom.
The challenges are sunlight and humidity. This plant needs as much sunlight as you possibly muster, feeding and watering has to be done according to how much sunlight it gets, and as a vanda, it needs to dry in between waterings... so... IMO keeping roots wet is likely not going to work long term.
In subtropical sun it can be watered daily and then rained upon several times daily as well and fed heavy 1 TBSP weekly or even twice weekly and when big enough it will explode in bloom. As an aside other note, plant needs to be several feet tall before it blooms. All the ones that I have grown and seen would bloom only after they have grown above whatever support they were trained in. I like to think they like to have their heads swaying in the breeze before they give you flowers. I am not trying to discourage you... but the facts are what they are.
I have seen picture of a ghost orchid bloomed in a basement in Chicago, so... where there is will there is a way...
Here is a picture of a cluster of my Vanda Miss Joaquim from the days of living n South Fla, plants are clustered inside a wire mesh tube without any media, not needed for that climate.

[Geraldq]

Originally Posted by Ben_in_North_FLA

I believe you have a challenge in your hands in hoping to bloom a Vanda Miss Joaquim on a balcony in Manhattan. It's ok to test and push boundaries as long as you know what the requirements are and also understand that plants have a RANGE of requirements that they can survive in and eventually bloom.
The challenges are sunlight and humidity. This plant needs as much sunlight as you possibly muster, feeding and watering has to be done according to how much sunlight it gets, and as a vanda, it needs to dry in between waterings... so... IMO keeping roots wet is likely not going to work long term.
In subtropical sun it can be watered daily and then rained upon several times daily as well and fed heavy 1 TBSP weekly or even twice weekly and when big enough it will explode in bloom. As an aside other note, plant needs to be several feet tall before it blooms. All the ones that I have grown and seen would bloom only after they have grown above whatever support they were trained in. I like to think they like to have their heads swaying in the breeze before they give you flowers. I am not trying to discourage you... but the facts are what they are.
I have seen picture of a ghost orchid bloomed in a basement in Chicago, so... where there is will there is a way...
Here is a picture of a cluster of my Vanda Miss Joaquim from the days of living n South Fla, plants are clustered inside a wire mesh tube without any media, not needed for that climate.

Thanks for sharing. I get what you mean. Thing is, I am not even trying to get it bloom. At the moment, I am just hoping it will grow healthily.

---------- Post added at 10:50 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:34 AM ----------

Originally Posted by estación seca

Now that I see the medium, it is very large, and would dry out rapidly. Consider replacing the medium with something more water-retentive. I have seen landscaping beds of this in Florida and Hawaii, and photos of the same from Asia, planted in the soil.

Hmmm... planted in soil? I think I saw that before too. But the nurseries in my country all planted them in either charcoal or something that look like coconut husk. I wonder if planting VMJ in soil will risk root rot?

---------- Post added at 10:51 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:50 AM ----------

Originally Posted by Bud

I use half potting soil and half orchid media. Even if you water twice a day that plant will wither because it doesn't retain moisture on the roots by using those charcoal for bbq (the orchid charcoal are smaller in texture). And try to find a smaller pot.

Will it work if i break the existing charcoal into smaller pieces? Or is orchid charcoal a different kind of charcoal, more than just size difference?

[Roberta]

Definitely don't pot it in soil! Perhaps in Hawaii's volcanic soil (which I would expect to be very porous) it might work, but not dirt in a pot. Charcoal could be broken into smaller pieces to give more surface area, or bark if available, or perhaps add some chopped sphagnum to the current mix. Humidity is high in Singapore, so that certainly helps. But it would certainly benefit from frequent watering (or a good soak under the shower if it has aerial roots)

[Geraldq]

Originally Posted by Bud

I use half potting soil and half orchid media. Even if you water twice a day that plant will wither because it doesn't retain moisture on the roots by using those charcoal for bbq (the orchid charcoal are smaller in texture). And try to find a smaller pot.

Will it work if i break the existing charcoal into smaller pieces? Or is orchid charcoal a different kind of charcoal, more than just size difference?

[Roberta]

I think just smaller pieces (to give more surface area for water). There's nothing special about the properties of charcoal, I suspect that it is being used because of availability and price. And it would not break down in moist conditions as bark probably would. Those big chunks would be great in your climate if it were outside and getting the frequent rain. Since it isn't in that situation, you just have to adjust a bit to manage the difference.

[Geraldq]

Originally Posted by Roberta

Definitely don't pot it in soil! Perhaps in Hawaii's volcanic soil (which I would expect to be very porous) it might work, but not dirt in a pot. Charcoal could be broken into smaller pieces to give more surface area, or bark if available, or perhaps add some chopped sphagnum to the current mix. Humidity is high in Singapore, so that certainly helps. But it would certainly benefit from frequent watering (or a good soak under the shower if it has aerial roots)

Ok, I shall break the charcoal into smaller pieces and try. Yes, humidity in Singapore is high. Rainfall is high too. And so is the sun/temperature.

My plant doesn't have any aerial roots yet.

So if breaking of charcoal into smaller pieces works, I should see the wrinkles on the leaves disappearing soon, right? Or are the wrinkles permanent and I can only see normal leaves on the new grown?

[Roberta]

With enough water, some of the newer leaves may lose some wrinkles, but the older ones probably won't. However, the new growth will look better.

[Geraldq]

Originally Posted by Roberta

With enough water, some of the newer leaves may lose some wrinkles, but the older ones probably won't. However, the new growth will look better.

Thanks a lot for your advice.