I'd like to pot my new Vanda tessellata, what's the best way?

[WaterWitchin]

Originally Posted by Wilder

Oh, I completely understand! I thought pumice was working well in the first month but after a while the leaves dried up. So yes, these are all experimental and I, too, am waiting to see how they turn out.

My humidity has been extremely variable this year so far. It ranges between 50 and 70%. Based on an app I have, my kitchen windowsill fluctuates between 2000 and 2800 foot-candles in the daytime.

I water them twice to thrice a week. Once with mild fertiliser, other times with RO drinking water. I dunk them in take-away boxes (like the fertilising photo in my last response) and keep them there for about 10 minutes, which is usually enough for everything to soak up. This way, I can adjust the water level to ensure it never pools in places it shouldn't.

Since you mentioned you like seeing new potting techniques, here's a photo of my friend's Tolumnia from this morning. She's had it for a year or so. She keeps the earthen pot filled with water and sprays the roots outside once a day or so.

Yup, your humidity is higher than mine in my winter months. I do like that friend's technique! I have a few in S/H where they just lay on top of the LECA. They get an automatic mist of 1 minute three times a day, and have indirect air movement on them. If they want to grow roots down into the LECA they can, or just sit on top. Couple of others are in those orchid-type ceramic pots with all the decorative holes in the sides, filled with LECA, sit in saucer of water. Otherwise same thing. All seem to be doing well after a year, other than one which just slowly shriveled up regardless of where I placed it. It frankly wasn't doing great to begin with. That one likely went through too many "experiments," which I'm sometimes prone to doing.

[Wilder]

Originally Posted by WaterWitchin

Yup, your humidity is higher than mine in my winter months. I do like that friend's technique! I have a few in S/H where they just lay on top of the LECA. They get an automatic mist of 1 minute three times a day, and have indirect air movement on them. If they want to grow roots down into the LECA they can, or just sit on top. Couple of others are in those orchid-type ceramic pots with all the decorative holes in the sides, filled with LECA, sit in saucer of water. Otherwise same thing. All seem to be doing well after a year, other than one which just slowly shriveled up regardless of where I placed it. It frankly wasn't doing great to begin with. That one likely went through too many "experiments," which I'm sometimes prone to doing.

I think you had mentioned your Tolumnia potting on one of my Tolumnia posts last year. LECA seems to be a popular favourite with many people online. It's usually unavailable or very expensive where I am, but today has been extremely serendipitous. Just one day after you mentioned that my Vanda might like LECA, I found clay pellets being sold at the supermarket on my block. What luck!

How did you automate watering your Tolumnia? The reason I want to pot every singly orchid I have in something more water-retentive than bark is that my work makes me travel frequently each month. While I'm more than alright putting in the time to tend to my ~100 plants in the best way possible, I need to be considerate of my plant-sitters' time. I wouldn't impose multiple heavy-care plants onto them and expect them to put in the care that I can. If there were a way to automate watering, my life might become a lot simpler.

Thank you for telling me how you tend to your Tolumnia! They're my favourite orchids and I want to fill my house up with as many variants in as many different potting techniques as possible, some day.