Growing vandas in conventional pots

[ArronOB]

I haven’t had much enthusiasm for growing vandas because of their heat requirements and their crazy looking root systems.

Now I’m interested in them. Basically anything which is a bit cold tolerant - so cultivars of V. coerulea or any hybrid with coerulea dominant, or any other intergeneric hybrid that will tolerate winter temps down to about 45-50 degrees for a few hours several times each winter.

Not falcata types - I want the large-flowered things that actually look like vandas.

I don’t want to do vase culture - nowhere to put them.

Plus I don’t want the long naked root system and multiple daily waterings. It just won’t fit in with the rest of the collection. I have limited space and none of it is really easy to configure for orchids that don’t fit in with the pot-grown cattleya and Oncidium types I have.

So really, I need to grow in a pot, water 2 out of 3 days in summer, and sit the pots on a bench. I know this is contrary to normal methods of vanda cultivation.

So is there a way around this. Does anyone have vandas growing successfully in pots?

I should point out that I already have 5 vandas. One is some type of ascondendra/vanda hybrid that has been growing very well (but very slowly) for 3 years in a pot with medium bark and polystyrene chunks. The other 5 are small coerulea hybrids in hanging baskets with no media. They grow ok but looking after them is a pain. First thing I’d like to do is move them into something which will allow me to put them on the shelves along with the cattleyas.

I’m guessing maybe large mesh pots with big bark chunks or maybe polystyrene chunks (like 2 inches square) might work - but I’d rather hear other people’s experiences first.

Cheers
Arron

[fishmom]

I have an Ascocenda Princess Mikasa 'Blue' that I have had in a pot for 15 years, possibly more. I use big chunks of bark, nothing else. The blooms are not as big as ones on vandas grown properly, but it does bloom 2 or 3 times a year, faithfully. It doesn't carry as many leaves as a really well-grown vanda either. It is my avatar.

[Roberta]

I have grown Vandas in baskets with large bark. I live in a fairly dry climate, so they do benefit from the extra moisture-holding capacity of the bark, they still get lots of air around the roots. This goes for both the warm-growing ones that live in the greenhouse, and the cold-tolerant ones that live outside (there are quite a few of these!)

[Ray]

How about suspending a basket inside of a large pot? The roots still get lots of air, the moisture will evaporate more slowly - you might even us a semi-hydro pot concept with a drainage hole or two in the side to maintain a reservoir for more humidity - and the entire thing will be hidden.

[Fairorchids]

Another option (which I have used for 40 years):

• Use the larger octagonal Vanda baskets (6" or 8" size, depending upon plant size).
• Wet the roots, so they are pliable.
• Use a spaghnum/bark mix (3:1), pack between the roots and wrap around outside, then place in basket.
• Add mix (finger tight) so that plant is stable in the basket.

Plan on watering every 3 days in summer, and about once a week in winter.

If you can't hang baskets, then place on top of an inverted tall pot.

[ArronOB]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I think what I’ll do is try all three of the methods mentioned here, and see which one works best in our climate. As I see I have 7 vandas, not 5, I can pot two in each.

I have another question.
I notice that the best-grown vandas are bare-rooted and have very long roots. Copious, and up to 2 metres long. Obviously, when I confine them in pots and grow on a bench top I don’t want 2 metre long roots. Do you think that barerooted plants grow long roots because they need long roots to absorb enough water and nutrients, and if confined in a moisture-retaining microenvironment (like a pot) they would need less roots and hence grow less roots. Or do you think they are just genetically programmed to grow very long roots?

And another question.
Is there an inorganic substitute for sphagnum moss?

Cheers
Arron

[Roberta]

Over time, I have found that the roots in pots don't get so long.. or even necessarily live that long. My Vandas tend to do aerial roots too. The ones in the pot just give them an extra moisture boost. In time you may find that there's not all that much in the pot, but the plant is healthy.

[Fairorchids]

It varies some from plant to plant. Some stay mostly in the mix with just a few aerials. Others still do significant aerials.