Mini Vanda repotting advice and other recommendations

[Roberta]

I love the wood baskets from Green Barn, but for Catts (think of them as a 3-dimensional mount) more than Vandas. If having them too big is a problem for you, those baskets are actually bigger than they indicate - a 6 inch wood basket from Green Barn has the same useful space as an 8 inch wood basket from anybody else - and the slats are close together so the bark doesn't fall out.

For Vandas I'd lean more toward plastic. For mini-Vandas a 4 inch net pot is about right. Remember, Vandas are monopodial - they grow upward more than sideways. Roots may escape the pot - which is fine - but the plant doesn't have that tendency so you don't need to allow for future growth as much as you would with, say, a Catt.

[avian]

My mistake. Should have been more specific. Was considering the plastic square baskets.
Plastic Vanda Orchid Basket 3.5" or the slightly smaller 3.2" one.
Would those work?
If you think the octagonal would work better I'll order a few of those. Chula Orchids also sells those as well as hangers. The Ultimate Orchid Basket - tropical, hanging, flat bottom

[Roberta]

I prefer the octagonal baskets - with the extra depth, you can use sphagnum or other medium, with very good aeration. The square Vanda baskets work better if you are going totally bare root - more appropriate in a very humid environment. I'd go with the 4 inch octagonal baskets - it's a good size until they get outgrown (I use them a lot)

[avian]

Thanks Roberta. I will go with your recommendation and get a few 4" octagonal pots. Am going to leave the 2 that are in LECA alone for now and use the octagonal for the ones that have no media. Should I add sphagnum or just leave them without media/bare root. Was told that those 3 were potted with little or no media because that's the way the grower (or whomever packaged them) felt they should be potted. However they came from FL where it's probably generally more humid than here.

Maybe I'll get a combination of types of baskets/pots. Can always use them for other orchids. Been using air cone and slotted pots for my Cattleyas. Need to order more of those, too.

One last question, need to repot my Zygonisia. What type of pot would you recommend for that? Right now it's in a plastic pot (no slots) but it needs to go into something larger.

[Roberta]

I would use sphagnum (loosely packed) for the ones with no medium. Florida lends itself well to growing with no medium - very humid, lots of rain (like the natural habitat for Vandas) Southern California (especially inland) ranges from dry to desiccating. And forget rain... not going to happen until maybe November if we're lucky. So you do need to give them a bit of help.(That's where the spaghnum comes in) Along with watering every day, especially as the summer heats up. A friend of mine who lives a bit south of me, also coastal Orange County, sums it up... "Outdoor orchid growing is easy... just add water and subtract sunlight." Inland you need to add a bit more water and subtract a bit more light.

For that Zygonesia, I'd just go for a larger pot - allow for about 2 years' growth. I'd go with small bark or other moisture-retentive medium, they like to stay on the moist side though well drained. (And it's OK outside, somewhat shady, in warmer weather but bring it in for the winter, the Aganisia part of its parentage is a warm grower)

[avian]

We had some rain today here, but very little.

I'll see what I can find when it comes to pots for the Zygonisia. Should I stick with a solid pot or get something that is slotted or has holes? I was thinking of getting a ceramic orchid pot if I can find something I like in the size I need. If it doesn't need an orchid pot with holes then I'll just get a solid pot. Will repot in Orchiata and it will probably have to stay indoors since I don't think I have any space remaining in shaded areas.

It's a Murasakikomachi that I actually found at Trader Joe's.

Thanks again for your guidance.

[Roberta]

Drainage is critical... slits in the side aren't important but holes in the bottom of the pot are vital. I would not use a fancy pot... once the plant grows a bunch of roots, they sometimes adhere to the pot, requiring cutting or breaking the pot to get it out when you repot. Much better to sacrifice a pot than to sacrifice roots. So if you want "pretty" you can use an outside decorative pot, put the plastic pot inside.

I looked up Zygonisia [Zns.] Murasakikomachi ... it is 3/4 Aganisia cyanea, a warm-growing (and very pretty) species. So the hybrid definitely wants to be on the warm side. Grow like a Phalaenopsis, except that it needs to never dry out, maybe just a little more light.

[estación seca]

Let me jump in with the Zygonisia. I and others here didn't have success until we started standing them in dishes of water. Don't use a slotted pot. I used sphagnum for small mericlones; others here used fine to medium bark. Its ancestor Acacallis/Aganisia cyanea from the Amazon basin is often submerged during flowering season with only flower spikes above the water.

[avian]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Let me jump in with the Zygonisia. I and others here didn't have success until we started standing them in dishes of water. Don't use a slotted pot. I used sphagnum for small mericlones; others here used fine to medium bark. Its ancestor Acacallis/Aganisia cyanea from the Amazon basin is often submerged during flowering season with only flower spikes above the water.

Thanks for that information. Interesting about the Aganisia cyanea being submerged. I've had it over a year and it seems to be doing OK but definitely needs a larger pot. I will try your suggestion of standing it in a dish of water. I keep it indoors and it is located near a north facing window. It hangs out with 3 Zygopetalums.