Many questions about growing vanda seedlings
 

I just got two young vandas (bareroot). Leafspan is 7". I already soaked them in sugar, fertilizer, and rooting hormone and potted them up in a 3" pot with fir bark.

I know vandas with free-hanging roots should be watered daily. But since my vandas are in bark, how often should I water them? Should I water them like I water my phals or do I need to keep the bark wetter?

Since they are young, do they require different conditions and culture compared to adult vandas?

They are called vanda coerulea, so do they need different culture compared to other vandas in general?

I do not have a greenhouse, so can I grow them indoors? Or I can have them outdoors if necessary.

Sorry for so many questions. Wow I also realized vanda coerulea is a rare and endangered species. I really want my cute lil vandas to be happy! Thanks for any help!:)

V. coerulea is endangered in the wild. It is not rare in cultivation.

If you really would like to see this species more often, when it blooms, do a self pollination, wait a year for the seed pods to ripen and send the seeds to a seed sowing lab if you're not able to perform tissue culture. But it'll be quite possibly 5 or more years before you see the first blooms.

The above is the main reason why some Vanda species are so rare in cultivation. And I'll repeat below:

1. The plants are slow growing (1 or 2 leaves a year, sometimes 3 or 4 depending on how "happy" they are, roots can just take off and are known to grow very rapidly).
2. The seed pods take a long time to ripen (up to a year, some species will take up to 1 1/2 yrs).
3. The seeds are short lived and cannot be stored (usually no more than 1 mo).
4. The seeds take a while to germinate, (around at least 3 mos, maybe more, but not over a yr though).
5. The seedlings grow slowly.

But I say who cares, you want more, you make more!

With that said, let's focus on what you do have.

You can pretty much treat this seedling like an adult.

It grows slow, so be patient.

V. coerulea can also grow a lot cooler than many of the Vandas sold. I grow mine outdoors all year round (be aware that I live in Los Angeles County though!).

Bright indirect light is fine.

Check the roots to see how often they should be watered. If the roots are in active growth, water more often than when they aren't. Even potted, they may have to be watered daily depending on the growing environment. I usually wait until they dry out, then water again (during active growth). When they're not in active growth, I reduce to once a week.

V. coerulea is a cool-intermediate grower. But most of the new seedling are selfing of, hopefully good clones and are very robust.

How tall is the plant?? V.coerulea leafs are very short and stubby, average around 4-6" and I have seen many blooming plant with only 5-6" leaf span. One of my clone has only about 7" LS like yours. I think the 'width' of the leaf will tell you if the plant is getting closer to blooming or not. If the width of the leaf is about 1.5-2", the plant is pretty much mature.

Now for growing, you can grow the seedling in warm-intermediate temperature. Once the plant is mature, you can move to intermediate condition. watering is depend on your humidity and growing condition, but normally once a day is enough. All my coerulea are more active during spring and fall months, when they make new leaf and roots. During summer, they kindda take a short break.

Thank you all for the helpful posts! :)

I watered them yesterday and today, it seems like today, the roots at the top are dry, but I'm not so sure about the roots deeper down. The pot is plastic with slits on the sides, and I forgot to mention earlier that I added some coconut fiber to create a more airy mixture. I think I'll have to experiment around to find the right watering regimen.

The two vandas are like twins, and they're about 2-3" tall with leaves that are on average 3" long. However on one plant the newest leaf is maybe 4-5" long. The leaves aren't very wide, probably only 1/2" wide. So yeah, they're pretty young. Each plant has maybe 7-8 leaves, and each has a new leaf and new roots.

Someday I want to flask my own vandas! Or at least grow 'em from flask. Baby/young vandas are just soo cute. Oh well, I don't mind waiting so long, I guess. I just hope I don't kill the ones I have know (I did that to my first vanda :( ). thanks again for the info!