Deflasking Vandas, advice needed for their care please

[czayta]

Does anyone have any advice for growing Vanda seedlings? I just purchased a flask with little vandas in it.


It wont arrive for a week or two, but I'll be sure to post pictures when it does. I'm curious as to how others have potted/planted/arranged their Vanda seelings once they deflask theirs. Any advice for raising vandas from seedlings would be appreciated.

Some additional info: They will be living inside. Temperatures 77-82 degrees F during the day, down to 68-70 degrees F at night.

They will be under a Hydrofarm/Envirogrow 4ft, six bulb T5HO light fixture.

Should I buy a room air humidifier for them?

I currently have one Vanda which has its roots all swirled inside a clay pot. I water it ever day and it seems to be doing alright.




I have considered trying the vase method for my larger vanda and I would also buy lots of little vases for the vanda seedlings if recommended.


I also saw a picture of a bunch of seedlings all put together in a compot, but I was worried their roots might get permanently tangled that way.

I also had another question about Kelp/Seawood extract to enhance root growth for Vandas. Is iron beneficial for that process? I have this product, but I haven't used it yet.
Amazon.com : Maxicrop 2002 Liquid Seaweed Plus Iron Fertilizer, 1-Gallon : Fertilizers : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Btw, my Vanda flask is a cross between Aerides lawrenceae x Vanda Udom gold. I'm so excited!


Any advice at all is appreciated. Thanks!

[WhiteRabbit]

[RosieC]

Another

[czayta]

Thanks for the bumps. I decided to pot my main Vanda in a vase. I over estimated its root size though and bought a pretty large vase lol. The little plastic basket it was in was only 3in big. I thought it would be like 4 or 5 inches big.







The Vanda only gets late afternoon/evening sun. I know its not optimal, but all of my front windows are covered by trees. I'm going to try growing the vanda in a vase for the next 4-6months and see how it responds though.

Evening sun:

[czayta]

Good news: So my larger Vanda that I put in the vase culture seems to really be liking it. It is growing a new leaf and all of its roots are budding off new roots/thriving.

Bad news: My flask arrived from Thailand yesterday and it was in horrible condition. It was so jumbled during transportation and also way over due to be de flasked that none of the seedlings survived. All of the leaves had fallen off of the seedlings, it was covered in mold/fungus, and the roots/leaves were yellow and see through/dead looking. I was so disappointed.

This is what I was promised:


And this is what I received:


I deflasked them hoping some would be alive, but none survived. So in order to get my Vanda fix I noticed that Carmela's is having a special on Vandas. I just purchased 8 Vandas from them and I'm very excited.

Vandaceous Special: Carmela Orchids - Come and enjoy our orchids

I have had a wonderful experience with Carmela's orchids so I am much more hopeful in this transaction than the last one.

[MattWoelfsen]

You are courageous venturing into acquiring flasks from overseas. You are not the first person I have seen to have received a flask with this result. A friend of mine and I purchased a flask from a grower in Taiwan, similar to your flask. Ours arrived looking like yours with an added horror of broken glass.

As reputable as the vendor was, the only thing they could say was sorry you had such a mishap, but...needless to say, I do not order flasks from overseas.

Carmella is an excellent vendor, Mid-Pacific Orchids, Tropical Orchids Farm, and Kawamoto Orchids are about as overseas as I go.

[Fairorchids]

I have had a similar experience with two vendors from Thailand (ordered from No. 2 before I received from No. 1). Apparently they wash out the agar before shipping, so contents do get very jumbled.

I received some tips from The Orchidphile on how to start freshly deflasked seedlings. The trick is to keep humidity very high. You can do that in a plastic storage container with lid (since I grow in a greenhouse, I use an open lid with shade cloth).

No. 1, drill holes on both sides, abt 2" up, so you can stick bamboo sticks through to carry an 'egg crate' shelf (or a mesh flat).

No. 2, drill a drain hole about 1.3/4" up, so excess water can drain out.

No. 3, place seedlings in compots (best), or individual pots if they separated by themselves, on the shelf inside the tub. Water and let water accumulate in the bottom. Place lid on top.

If you go away for a while, add an electric micro fogger with a timer, so it goes on for 5-10 min each day. That is good enough for 2-3 weeks.

If possible, keep tub slightly warmer than your adult orchids, and under slightly lower light.

My choice for potting freshly deflasked seedlings (all genera):
5 parts chopped spaghnum (cut with scissors, 1/4" cuts).
2 parts seedling bark
1 part seedling charcoal
1 part perlite

I have some 20-25 flasks worth going at the moment, and most of the Paphs need to get out of the compots after 10-12 months.

[czayta]

@Fairorchids This is fabulous information. Thank you so much! I am going to set up a box like this for my Cattleya seedlings this week. Do you have issues with fungus gnats in the sphagnum at all?

Originally Posted by MattWoelfsen

You are courageous venturing into acquiring flasks from overseas. You are not the first person I have seen to have received a flask with this result. A friend of mine and I purchased a flask from a grower in Taiwan, similar to your flask. Ours arrived looking like yours with an added horror of broken glass.

As reputable as the vendor was, the only thing they could say was sorry you had such a mishap, but...needless to say, I do not order flasks from overseas.

Carmella is an excellent vendor, Mid-Pacific Orchids, Tropical Orchids Farm, and Kawamoto Orchids are about as overseas as I go.

Well I guess I had to learn from experience. It was my first time ordering abroad and I didn't know any better. Thanks for the advice on which venders to choose from in the future.

[Fairorchids]

I have not noticed fungus gnats in the greenhouse. We do spray from time to time, so pests are kept at a minimum.