Soaking vandas - Orchid Board

patrickj · #1 03-22-2008, 07:02 PM

I have a pakchong blue vanda with a spike growing! Pretty excited with that. Its mounted in a plastic basket with just a little course media with some long fiber moss to hold in some moister in between soakings. Up to this point I've only soaking it in RO water for about 30 mins a day.

So should soak it in fertilizer once a week? and a bloom solution once a month?

I find that my packchong likes ALOT of sun. alot more than my pink vanda plant. Normal?

razka3 · #2 03-22-2008, 08:15 PM

I would definitely soak it in fertilizer - I put mine in for 30min every day. I might be wrong, but I think bloom solutions should be administered BEFORE flowering. I bet it wouldn't hurt to give it some, but it is probably not needed. Fertilizer of some sort would definitely help though.

jrhennek · #3 03-22-2008, 10:22 PM

Soaking for 30 minutes seems long? I soak my vandas 2 time a day for only a couple of minutes each time. Mine are in plastic net baskets with no media. I use a diluted fertilizer every time I soak. Ascda. Princess Mikasa finished blooming on 11-16-2007 and 2 new spike spotted on 12-24-2007. Plant bloomed on 1-30-2008 and is still in bloom.[IMG]

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razka3 · #4 03-22-2008, 10:27 PM

I only put them in a few inches of fert... so I have to let the roots soak it up (you can watch the water level rise in the roots!). I have mine in plastic net baskets as well, with a couple inches of LECA to stabilize and hold a little moisture. Seem to like it so far.

Beautiful bloom! I didn't know they would bloom that quickly after the last bloom... You must be doing a whole host of things right for them! Congrats.

patrickj · #5 03-22-2008, 10:53 PM

Hey thanks for the replies. I suppose you just fertilize with the regular vegetative grow fertilizer otherwise despite of the spike?

shams · #6 03-23-2008, 01:24 AM

I soak my vandas every other day for an hour each with diluted fertilizer. They also get weak fertilizer with every misting (twice daily).

Living in Canada means you have humidity issues

LOTS of misting and soaking. They seem to really like it, so who I to tell them no?

Ray · #7 03-23-2008, 10:00 AM

I doubt Patrick has a humidity issue in New Orleans!

For what it's worth, I feed all of mine every rime I water, and for those in no mida at all, that's about every other day at a minimum.

GreggC · #8 03-23-2008, 01:29 PM

as to what Vandas like. I cannot imagine that fertilizing can hurt for the most part with Vandas as they are very heavy feeders. Good luck!

Grandma M · #9 03-23-2008, 04:10 PM

I have a question.

How do you manage to soak your vandas? Mine have long roots which would be damaged if I set them in a pail. I can only soak a couple of them which do not have long roots. PLEASE, tell me. I would like to soak mine if I knew of a way without damaging anything.

jrhennek · #10 03-23-2008, 04:44 PM

I soak my vanda's in a 5 gallon pail. The roots are just shy of 3 feet long and I have know trouble placing it in the pail to soak. I have seen some vanda's with allot longer roots and I think that those people just spray them. I allow the leaves to hold the plant up in the pail and just lower the plant in slowly.
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Hope this helps.

Jayme