Vandas in semi-hydro?

[Hedge]

My plant can also be seen here http://www.orchidboard.com/community...ect-plant.html

Regards


Heather

[Sammy]

Wow this is a really interesting thread.

I have a lovely Laeliocattleya Drumbeat 'Triumph' and was thinking about moving her into the same media, (hydroleca). When i bough her she was in a horrible soil/stone mix. Like nothing i had ever seen an orchid in before.

She was in full flower when i got her, but every time i watered i felt the medium was too compact and dense. I have re-potted into CHC's and hydroleca and am finding that the CHC's hold soo much water.

I know that catt's like to dry out between waterings and was thinking that this might be a good medium to try... what do the experts think?

[cambridgestephen]

You can try large bark + hydroleca mix, but can get a bit wet if you are not careful but would dry out faster than husk, you can also put a little plastic basket inside the pot to provide more air circulation underneath.

[Sammy]

Thanks Cambridgesteven

where do you get your bark from? I ordered my chcs from orchid accessories. Just bit of a pain in the bum having to order a load just for one pot!

ho hum. gotta do it.

[cambridgestephen]

orchidaccessories-co-uk have Large Douglas Fir Bark, they have cool 10" Octagonal Black Plastic Baskets that you can put inside a 10" clear pot to create an air space around the media to keep your vanda roots ventilated

[cambridgestephen]

Oh Orchid Bark Coarse For Reptiles 7.5l costs about 3 quid and would probably be an identacle product?

[SilverShaded]

Sorry to resurrect a very old thread but it's one of considerable interest.

Has anyone really had good success with vandas in semi-hydro?

We really can't grow vandas very well, some of that is down to temperature and a lot is down to lack of humidity. I recently tried aerides plants that were struggling in Leica and so far it looks promising but early days. Have today switched some vandas into Leca and growstones, (different plants).

Many years ago I had vanda seedlings growing rather well with permanently wet roots in a terrarium, but these were roots which grew into the water as young roots, that experiment came to an abrupt end but it lasted over a year.

Any recent updates for vandas in semi-hydroponics?

[estación seca]

Originally Posted by cambridgestephen

...Hopefully the roots will detect the moisture and grow/cling to the beads. You can then remove some of the beads to encourage roots downwards and keeping them in the light so the clorophyle will provide energy for root growth. They wont rot this way and will be naturally attracted into the moisture, but as the roots know they have to behave in a semie terrestrial fashion, they will be thick and shouldnt rot like thin aerial roots. An important thing to remember is that if vanda roots are kept too wet, they will not form new root buds, in which case it is better to concentrate on watering the leaves and leaving the media drier until root buds form, there is no golden rule except drier is better, it is very easy to rot vanda roots or inhibit root tip formation, but be carefull not to rot the leaves...

I think this may depend on ambient temperatures. My growing room is probably warmer during the day, and summer nights, than many in England. I grow my Vandas in otherwise-empty glass vases. I fill the vases and soak them every few days for 6-12 hours. Sometimes I will spray the roots in the morning instead, if I don't have time to fill the vases. I frequently see new root nubs in the morning when emptying the containers after an overnight soak, nubs that were not there the previous night when I put them to soak.

My plants are also making huge pencil roots now that the growing area is warmer at night. These are aerial roots in the vases. I think the root formation is more dependent on temperature and adequate moisture than anything else.

I have wondered whether Vanda roots really need light to be healthy, and that is why people often struggle with them in pots.