Getting Ramasamyara Jairak Blue & care of

[sharon lynn]

More orchids in mail today😁[ATTACH]
[/ATTACH]http://www.orchidboard.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=140531&d=1573076604
Roberta, good news is I actually have a large gallon size plastic pot ! I bought a palm tree once & promptly killed it 😠😭... so now just need to go get bark etc for Ramasamyara Jairak Blue ...hmmm my pot is way bigger then gallon can I still pot Ramasamyara in it ? It’s probably at least 5 gallons 🤔 I measured it’s 13”across x 14 “ downhttp://www.orchidboard.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=140532&d=1573077452 what else besides bark do I plant Ramasamyara in? Can I use bag of “orchid pro mix? “

[Roberta]

I think that orange pot is too big. You want to be able to cover the roots on the lower (bare) part of the plant but not the rest. Depends on potting medium... if you use lava rock as suggested by DirtyCoconuts the pot size probably doesn't matter much, since it will drain very well. That would also be a good medium because it has surface area for moisture but also has a lot of air space. I am not familiar with the specifics of "Orchid Pro Mix" but it sounds to me like it is something that will stay 'way too wet. I can't read the labels on your other plants, but for any of them you will want to be very careful if you use a potting medium that tends to stay wet.

[sharon lynn]

Hi ,...ok I got a gallon plastic pot for my Ramasamyara...unfortunately I can’t get lava rock here, but I live on 10 acres with lots of trees so can I get bark that’s fallen off trees ..pine ,fir .& use that ? Also can I use charcoal from wood fire ?

[Roberta]

Hmmm.. I don't know about bark falling off trees... Orchid bark is well washed, and graded as to size. Also I don't know about the charcoal... Back to what we're trying to accomplish with that plant... keep some airy moisture around the lower roots. Provide some weight so that the top-heavy plant doesn't go over. How about small (around 1 cm) gravel (or even larger gravel) from your local home-improvement store? It will provide surface area and air space, and certainly weight. Vandas really don't care if there is organic material (like bark) or pure inorganic (like lava rock or gravel), they just need to get the local (right near the roots) humidity up so they want surface area. If you lived in Thailand, that little black basket to just provide a way to hang the plant would be fine growing roots exposed to the breeze. However, you don't, so you're just trying to get the plant conditions as close to what it wants as possible.

[sharon lynn]

Can I pot my Ramasamyara in this?http://www.orchidboard.com/community...3&d=1573085026

[Roberta]

I wouldn't.. some kinds of wood may have sap that is unfriendly to orchids. (To find out what other people in your area do, the best way is to join an orchid society... meet people who are familiar with your growing conditions (and materials available) I just don't know... And that mix won't either hold it very steady or provide plentiful surface area for moisture.

[sharon lynn]

Hi Roberta , I have a friend here who hopefully has lava rock & bark! 😁 she’s checking to make sure tomorrow..she is a flower seller so I hope she still has some ..meanwhile..what do I do for tonight with plant?? Do I wet the roots ? Or leave them dry until I can pot the plant? If she doesn’t I may have to order proper medium from amazon so it would be probably 7-10 days before I get stuff .. so now I’m wondering what do I do if I need to wait for medium “?

[Roberta]

Just get out that spray bottle... Vandas don't have a particularly intimate relationship with any medium... all they want is to have their roots moistened. (When they are saturated they'll turn green... they are even capable of photosynthesis) Then the air surrounding the roots is humid, until they dry out (and the roots turn silvery-white). A good heavy spraying once a day until you get everything settled should do the job. (Once you get some medium around the lower roots you won't have to be quite so attentive but you'll still be spritzing the roots higher on the plant because you don't live in a rainforest)

Orchids have evolved to tolerate drying out between waterings since in nature they grow on trees with roots exposed to the breeze.... in fact that's what they need (especially Vandas)

[sharon lynn]

Roberta, thank you so much for all the help today, I appreciate it 😁.. I am following your advice & will be spraying roots until I get it planted . I also got 3 other orchids today..1 is a Howeara Lava burst that has flower spike on it ..she’s pretty! Beautiful red flowers ..thankfully potted ! Another 1 I got is a Rlc.Jairak Kiku..also in pot 😁..and a Odctm. Everglades Elegance ‘Nancy Lee ...in pot ..they all look nice & healthy with fat bulbs & green leaves.. according to what I’m reading I have good light & temperature for them so hopefully they’re going to do well. Again, thank you ..I’m sure I’ll be asking lots more questions 🤔🤓

[Roberta]

Good growing!
Once you get that big boy potted up, you should be able to water every few days (just watch those roots, see how long it takes to get from green to silver, that will give you an idea of how fast they're drying)