Vanda Sansai Blue with cracks in multiple roots

[Marianne Decker]

Hello!
I am on eastern Long Island, NY (USA), and am pleased to reach out to you for some help. I have a small but wonderful greenhouse, and many varieties of orchids. Vandas are so magnificent, and I am usually very successful with them. But one of them is showing a number of cracks along its extensive root system, and - it seems not to be taking in water. There are new, healthy green root tips at the ends of only several roots. One leaf has dropped off after turning yellow, and the others are becoming less turgid and increasingly weak. It is a fairly large plant, and has bloomed twice since its purchase. I have tried hydrating, and have added micro-nutrients to the water, and treated with Physan 20 for disease. It is not improving!

This vanda has been happily hanging in the greenhouse since last summer. At the end of the summer, I treated it successfully for thrips, which had caused raised rings in limited locations. The roots showed no further symptoms, and has been growing in healthy fashion since then. The present symptoms shown in the pictures have been in evidence for about two to three weeks.

This plant is growing simply in a basket, with no bark mix or sphagnum. They splay out in dramatic fashion, and were it not for obvious cracks in the roots and weakening leaves, it would be a glorious orchid.

Can anyone tell me what is happening here? No book shows pictures of this.

Many thanks!
Marianne

[Daemos]

I have the leaf problem as well but it didn't go as seroius as what I see in the pictures. What is the temperature inside the greenhouse and relative humidity??

[Marianne Decker]

The relative humidity varies from about 35% at night (when the fogging system does not go on) to an average of 50% - 60% during the day. The heat right now is lower (as it is very cold outside), and over the past couple of weeks has reached lows of about 60. During the day it averages about 72 - 74. As soon as the cold "snap" passes, it will be more like 65 - 78 in there.

[Daemos]

Sounds all well. Aren't the leafs getting too wet?
In a very bad case some sap sucking bug infected that plant with a virus. You stated that you treated the plant for thrips. Maybe the bastards left you a bad surprise. Maybe check the whole plant thouroughly for nasty insects. Check well between the leafs especially in the middle part cause thats where they hide. Inspect the root look inside gaps and cracks for small red mite looking creatures. I have seen caterpillars too having perfect rootlike colors and shape, check for them as well.
The plant looks like having enough light as well. If the problem persists and you find nothing we may be in big trouble
For the good part There are a lot of orchid lovers around and someone is bound to know the awnser.

ps: Im so jaleous. i want snow too!!!

[Marianne Decker]

Dear Daemos,

Thank you for your very kind reply! I have checked, but will check again! On your very good advice. Hard to know, since I have three others that are perfect! So don't know, but will persist! Yes, we have snow! It's beautiful! But the temp. has gone up to 35, so it's turning into slush.

Yes, if it's mites or something like that, that's bad. I'll inspect carefully when I am back in several days. We go into Brooklyn, NY, where we also live! Thank you again.
Marianne

[christina waines]

Marianne it seems to me that your conditions are too dry. This particular Vanda was stressed due to the thrips and treatment and needs a lot more humidity than it is getting. It needs an average of 70% 24 hrs a day. I would suggest soaking it once daily for 15 mins or so in a bucket with KLN and water and raising the humidity as high as possible to get it rehydrated

[Marianne Decker]

Christina, hi -
Thanks so much for your reply and suggestions! You make very valid points. I think the humidity level has - on average - been about 40% - 60%, and three other vandas are thriving. (One is huge...) Since I have a number of phalaenopses, I have not wanted to let the fogging system produce too much humidity, as the crowns of those plants fill somewhat easily with water. But certainly something is causing this stress, and the leaves are withering and look dehydrated. Thus you could well be correct in your observations. What is KLN? (I have used various "organic" fungi/bacteriacides, and Physan 20.) Our little greenhouse is only a year+ in actual operation, so I am still balancing a number of factors affecting the growth of these plants.
Thanks greatly for getting back to me!

[caseydoll]

Hi Marianne! I'm sorry that you haven't had more responses on your Vanda problem. But maybe some Vanda experts will chime in after awhile. I definately am not an expert since I just have 2 pathetic seedlings but I thought I would post a link to a thread on KLN and superthrive. http://www.orchidboard.com/community...-who-wins.html KLN is a rooting hormone and works great for kick starting root growth. If you read the entire thread it gives you some idea on what KLN is and what it does. Hopefully that helps a bit and I personally think that soaking it in some water w/ KLN would do some good. It can't hurt to try! You can get it on various orchid sites on the web including First Rays. Welcome to First Rays Orchids That site is great and includes a ton of useful info. Ray is a member of the board too.

[Ocelaris]

Not that I am by any means an expert having just a few Vandas... but some questions I would ask... what is your watering schedule like? Nutrient strength? Did it have a rebound phase after the thrips? I mean, it would take a while to recover... Do I see a short stunted leaf on top and a second one already coming out? i.e. like a very short leaf compared to the past 10 leaves? It may just be going through a state of pouting... after having used up it's reserves to fight off the thrips and medicine. BTW how did you determine you had thrips and/or what did you use to cure it?

I mean, it just looks to me like it's going through a tough time and could use some more heat and humidity...

How are the root growths on your other Vandas? Do you have strong root growth on all of the others? Are they located close? i.e. can we compare the root systems to this one as opposed to others?

Here are some pictures of my Vanda Roots which I consider very healthy. Some had just been watered if their vellum is green, but the white vellum one you can see it has a very large brown trunk coming out which I think is a sign of plenty of humidity...

I keep it between 68-75 (just household temps) and humidity varies between 50-75% but normally 60-70 during the day and 70-80 at night with my lights off...

[Daemos]

Marriane Im starting having the same problems with my roots since yesterday. Small cracks are forming on the same orchid specie as yours. It started happening since I am growing the plant with some help of extra light. Guess Ill have to try this superthrive/KLN.