How do I choose a Vanda basket size?
 

I recently purchased a Vanda that is about 16 inches tall, 24 inches wide, with 24 inch roots. It is in a 4 inch basket plastic basket currently. How do I know what size basket it should be in? This is a plastic basket so does it ever really need to be put in another basket as this basket won't deteriorate the same way a teak or cedar one will over time? Thanks for the help.

Vandas are grown a few different ways. If your Vanda is bare root, you may find it hard to give it the humidity it needs if grown in a house. If you get a basket large enough to put the roots in [soak them first to make them more flexible] you can cover the roots with some sphagnum and lumps of charcoal, which will help retain moisture. Leave it in the basket that it is in, if the roots are really long, and plant the whole basket in the new one.
Some people use vase culture, but if the roots are 2 ft. long, that is pretty difficult.
You want your plant to dry our quickly, then soak the roots well, so don't use a basket that is larger than you need to contain the roots.

Yes, it does depend on preference. If the plant is bare root it will need to be watered often, especially in hot weather. If it is in a very humid place, bare roots are fine. In a home, heated during the winter, not so fine. I bought a bare root one in spike, and despite soaking twice a day, it aborted it's spike. It may be that it was used to a warm, humid greenhouse, though our humidity is usualy 60 to 75 percent in the winter.

Snappyguy, I've often wondered the same thing...

Your Vanda sounds like a good sized plant. I have a variety of Vandas in 4" & 6" plastic or teak baskets. (my plants seem to like the teak better), with hanging roots.

Since I've seen huge Vandas growing on nothing but a wire 'S' hook, I've come to the conclusion that the size of the basket doesn't really matter other than maybe the aesthetics of balance between basket and plant size...

You are right. As long as the roots don't dry out too much, it really doesn't matter. I find Vandas the easiest to grow, and the bigger they get, the tougher they seem to be.

Thanks for the replies. It is a bare root plant that's currently indoors. It was kept in a very dim area of the store so it's adjusting back to bright light. I mallet it spend the summer outdoors here in Texas. I bet it will like the heat and humidity.

It will love the bright light and humidity.

In Florida they are grown in high light (some protection from full sun) and watered daily (when bare rooted).

They are pretty robust plants, mine stay outside until temperatures get down to 55F.

It is often 51 here on summer nights, in fact, that's the normal night temperature. At first I was a little nervous, bringing my vanda in at night, but I found out that as long as you have one of the cooler growing vandas , those temps are fine.
I imagine that in Florida that you may have warmer growing types, though.

I'm sure most of the Vandas here are warmer types. My V. coerulea stays out down to 45 but it's the only one.

I just use 55 F as the threshold to bring them in, I don't think they'd be hurt too badly by 50 or even 45F. I do find that if night temps get much below 60 it slows root growth, after which it takes a few days of warmer temperatures to get them going again.