Vanda root problems
 

Hello

New to the forums :)

I'm in Miami (Zone 10) and it's very hot and humid here

I love Vandas and I have recently started to grow my small collection.
I currently have 5 including a seedling.

- Gordon Dillon X Pakchong Blue
-Aranda Jairak Heartthrob "Red Spot"
- Somsri Pink x Kulwadee Fragrance
-Pakchong Blue
-(Siam Ruby x Ascda Leenakamolphan) X Ascda. Leenakamolphan x Betty May (SEEDLING)

Problem: My Gordon Dillon x Pakchong Blue's roots are not looking very good. I had it together with my Aranda Jairak Heartthrob Red Spot in a water culture and the both seemed to like until the Gordon Dillon roots started to rot.

I removed both from water and put them in a wooden basket with some wet moss. My yard is facing West and I'm not sure that will be a problem for all of them since I keep reading that Vandas should be facing East.

I just recently started using a Fertilizer (19-4-23) from rePotme and a Probiotics as well.

How often should I use both Fertilizer and Quantum-Orchid Probiotic on them?

I have added pictures of both Gordon Dillon and Aranda Jairak to see what you guys can recommend.

Thank you guys

One alternative is to pot the vanda into 10 to 15 mm average diameter scoria (lava rock). Use a pot that is very free draining (very good drainage).

Also, how long roughly have those plants been growing in that 'water culture' environment?

These following pieces of information may be useful.

Click Here and Click Here and Click Here

i grow about 25 miles north of you. my vandas are all loosely mounted to drift wood (or live trees) or a plastic or clay basket on a metal hook....I drape Spanish moss over them and i grow mine under the north eave of the house.

are you able to grow them outside and can you water them daily? if so, put them all in plastic baskets ( add lava rock for stability or) tie them to the side of the basket and they should flourish

SouthPark: They were both in water for about a week because they were previously hanging from my avocado tree but got extremely dehydrated so I decided to put them in water culture, changing the (filtered) water every day. I currently have them is the wood baskets (with some sphagnum moss) which have a lot of ventilation so we'll see if they like it.

DirtyCoconuts: So great to know we are in the same zone :) I want to buy driftwood to mount a few on my orchids and save space but they are so expensive :(
I do have all my orchids outside and I can water them daily. Can you show me pictures of your setting?

Thanks for those good details SFO.

The question that I asked was well answered. I asked how long they had been growing in the water - only because there are some general observations that people encounter with existing roots of orchids (from non-water-culture growing) often die when presented to the water. Not necessarily a bad thing, but is an often expected thing. And then roots that are not initially touching the water, and which keep growing down into the water ------ somehow have a chance for their cells or something to become adapted to or tolerate living in water. So those roots keep extending and grow into the water, and are able to survive.

And these 'adapted' roots are said by some people to be able to handle environments with significantly less oxygen than what normal roots get. They say all roots require oxygen to survive. But adapted roots can survive with reduced amounts - to some extent.

Anyway - I haven't done water culture before. But in general, the roots usually need to grow and 'meet' the water on its 'own terms'. Otherwise putting regular roots into water is generally known to result in oxygen starvation followed by rotting.

But - if the orchid is somehow able to survive by growing new roots (while the orchid grower keeps cleaning and removing dead roots etc and continually renewing the water to keep it relatively clean) to grow into the water, then it's possible to grow these orchids in water culture.

I don't do water culture because I prefer to just have my plant in a regular pot so that I can just water it without needing to touch anything (plant and/or pot) or move anything ------ except for my watering device.

And I also having a feeling that it's possible to get more things wrong with water culture than classical growing techniques. And if there's lots of plants, the amount of work/effort with water culture (emptying water, handling pot, refilling, scrubbing algae, fertilising etc) will probably end in tears, or growers eventually reverting to regular growing methods.

On the other hand ----- it certainly is a novel/novelty way of keeping an orchid alive.

Greetings. I've had vandas for only about 1 yr. and for me the "vase culture" has been successful. Two of the 6 are still on hangers. Recently,I subscribed to a YouTube channel "Orchid Diva" and she lives in south FL. Her backyard is filled with orchids,many tied to trees and more under tent structures. She said it's been very hot and hosing them all has been done more frequently. Her climate may be similar to yours. If you see her channel I think you'll be impressed and get good insight for growing these beauties.

Hi DeaC: I do watch her videos and I'm obsessed with her huge yard. She must own about 1000 orchids!
Tbh, the water culture for me is not practical but I did it with those 2 vandas because they were very dehydrated and they barely have roots.

SoFla-
Here is my vanda bar.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e03348e_4k.jpgVanda zone by J Solo, on Flickr

and i have them all over too..here are the two sides (east and west) of my lath house.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f97bb07_4k.jpgVanda zone by J Solo, on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...64012e4_4k.jpgVanda zone by J Solo, on Flickr

[QUOTE=DirtyCoconuts;919152]SoFla-
Here is my vanda bar.

That is nice setup! Those vandas are very nice and the flowers are stunning! How old are they?
I also see tomato plants :) I used to grow them when I had dirt in my yard

hard to say...a few are mine from a store, purchased mature, one from whole foods and two from Bhan Jong down in the Redlands.
I was gifted the two on the left from a friend as large plants and shes a LONG time grower so they could be 5-20 years old. i have no idea as they grow at such different speeds depending on culture.

the semi terete ones are all ancient, literally older than i am. A person who i used to talk about plants with a lot had a tree in the front yard that her grant father had planted and put an orchid on...she used to estimate that she had taken over 45 keikis off and sold them over just her lifetime and that was learned from her mom.
anyways, she was moving and was scared that the new owner wouldn't appreciate the plant or worse would kill it so she sold it to me for $20...more of a token than a sale.

We removed 30 + feet of vanda with the longest contiguous piece at 12 feet. I have it EVERYWHERE lol.

The ones on the east side of the house (shaded picture) are from a different rescue situation and they are a mix of semi terete and strap leaf..the really fun thing there is a few of those had tags in the dirt around them so i have a chance of a long lost ID (their previous owner fell into bad shape (old age) and his shadehouse had dilapidated with neglect...i was turned on to the situation by a friend with an estate liquidation business and i did a lot of cleaning and rescuing that day too)

I also a few mounted on clay jugs that i think are from home depot bag babies