Vandas are difficult but....
 

Hi all,

I guess Vandas are amongt the most difficult orchids to grow in temperate climates but they are not impossible to bring to bloom. I hand my vanda on glass vase and leave some water on the bottom of the vase ( roots must not touch the water) and give it full sunshine in the summer time. here is the result. hope you like it.

High humidity does the trick. Lovely blooms you have there. Enjoy!!

Beautiful! Good Growing!

Maureen

Congratulations! You did good.

Really nice. Wonderful blue.

I've not tried the vase method although many are sold that way from the nursaries I've looked at. My sanderiana based hybrid is grown potted and it seems happy... well it developing buds at the momment so I guess something is right.

Glad to see you are having success, I might try more next year and maybe get one in a glass vase.

It's beautiful. Would you post a picture of the vase, also? How do you water and feed your vanda, and does it get direct sunlight?

Minda, with this method of growing you fill the vase with water, let it stand a few minuites then poor it out again.

I do like it...a lot. Beautiful.

I have a hard time growing them, and I live in a subtropical climate. I guess they grow for whomever they choose. :rofl:

Gorgeous plant, by the way. :)

I am curious too, whereabouts in UK are you? When you give your Vanda full sunlight is it indoors or outside? superb plant and congratulations:bowing

Hedge, I'm not sure about ajdamania but I'm in the midlands and over the summer mine was getting full afternoon sun outside.

It turned red in places on the newer leaves and I thought :yikes:. I asked someone from the nursary I got it from about it next time I saw him and he said it would be fine but would always be red on those leaves. Well actually the red has almost completely faded now.

After that I gave it direct morning sun outside and it seemed to love it and has grown well (including a flower spike with buds forming).

Thanks, Rosie

great growing:)

How wonderful that you got this Vanda to bloom so beautifully.

wonderful flower! can i get that here? most probably no :(

vandas are difficult but that maybe the plants. why i say this? my early vanda collection is mostly cuttings. after 2 years, not many didn't survive and fewer flowers. fed-up, i bought potted ones. many of those still survive and flower. one of those early ones, just recently in spike after about 7ft of height! what the @#@$@!

the trick is to find vanda that flower at lower height, and preferably a plant with plenty of old spikes - this show the plant floriferousness. i found this is a very good advise!

Excellent advice.

During the summer i gave it full sunshine put the root under the running tap water but the trick was leaving water on the bottom of the vase( roots must not touch the water). the water evaporated and created humid air. i will try put the pic of the vase. many thanks

Beautiful indeed!!

In Italy we are used to buy Vandas in glass vase, but normally they don't survive... Maybe no enough humidity even if you fill the vase.
They grow better in bark.

in here sometimes they are planted in wood shavings (as per pet hamster shavings) but i found that too wet for my liking. maybe you can give a try

Wood shaving? Interesting. I will suggest this to a friend of mine. I don't have any Vanda ... for the moment... ;)

I have "this" Vanda for almost 4 years. Not only grows "ridiculously" slow, it has not bloomed in all that time! And if you could see it now and compare the size of it when I bought it, you surely say it is frozen in time or something... Yeah... I live mad as hell with that freaking vanda. Almost hate it! >:-(

A friend of mine started having success with Vandas after reading a small article in an USAmerican orchids magazine. They suggested to wrap the roots (or better said: to use the Vanda roots as support for) Tillandsia usneoides. Since he grows his Vandas on a windowsill, he have the roots in glass vases (pretty large ones) loosely filled with living spanish moss... He had tried vase culture before, but was not very succesful, as he "had to water too often". Now he waters more or less once a week and the Tillandsia hold the humidity in the vase.

That's really interesting Ramón, I'm always interested in ways to keep Vanda's and I like the sound of that one.

I'm currently being successful with a Vanda in bark, but I want to try another one next year and I may well try something like this (I already have a good vase I was thinking of using). I have some Tillandsia usneoides hanging in my greenhouse, but would probably need more for using in that way.

that's interesting! i saw some pics of orchids with those stuff in the internet or maybe in orchidboard? i didn't know the purpose though... i have some of those and i think they are much more appealing! i'll put some at the roots tomorrow morning! maybe go and steal some more from my parents!

Interesting for my future Vanda! ;) But, please, how can you hang Tillandsie on the roots of Vanda?
Sorry for the silly question.... :blushing:

Check for Tillandsia usneoides.. it looks like an old wig.. then you will see how easy it would be to hang it around the Vanda roots :)

File:Starr 080326-3794 Tillandsia usneoides.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

I have spanish moss over the corners of one of my pergolas (That's what we call the Tillandsia usneoides locally) but never thought to wrap it around the Vanda itself. I have blue type that had flowers on it when I bought it two years ago, but has not rebloomed again. Going to have to try it. Thanks Ramon!

Angurek, that's what *I* thought too! Until in the particular case of V. coerulea, it was recently pointed out to me by Ray that that is in fact a cool grower.

I will confess, I have all kinds of humidity where I live... and I feed this more heavily than any other orchid I have.

My Vanda (I only have one) is planted in osmunda in a teak basket. I've had it about 3 years, and the plant is very healthy. It hasn't bloomed yet but I think that's because it is not getting enough light. I recently purchased T5 lights and have also been giving it some direct sunlight, so hopefully I'll have blooms next year. :D

It seems to me that blooms become all so important, but to me without plant health it could be that orchids last bloom! Early on I had this happen with a ascocenda. In this hobby of ours patience and persistence does bring rewards! The best of luck with your new T5 lights and your healthy vanda Minda.

Thanks, alsorchids. This is my first, and only Vanda, so I'm very happy that it is happy and thriving. I do want to get another one to try in a vase.