Can S/H be adapted to Stanhopeas and Vandas?

[ALToronto]

I have several stan seedlings that need to be potted into suitable containers (grid bottom) and likely different medium from the current sphagnum. I also have a bare root vanda that is not happy in my dry winter air, so I'm going to put it in a cedar slat basket.

I really like the idea of an inert medium, but obviously, common s/h practices are not suitable for these plants. Has anyone had success in adapting these practices to suspended plants? If not, what would be a good non-bark medium blend?

[Pilot]

The only air loving plant I've had success with in sh are tolumnia and neostylis ... Or is it styli? Lol.

I abused a vanda badly trying to find some sort of method to get the humidity and water readily available and it resented every attempt. Lol. Oh well.

I live at 6500' and with such low partial pressure, the air here simply doesn't hold much water even if I humidify it. Now, with that said, I do humidify I using a 44 gallon trash can filled with RO water with a five head ultra sonic humidifier mechanism. The can has a lid atop it with a fan forcing air into it with another hole opposite the fan hole and moist air gushes out. So much i got it to rain inside my enclosure!! Still adjusting that part...

Anyway, my air loving plants have been much much happier now with this set up but I don't know if you have that available to you.

[ALToronto]

Thanks Ryan, I had quite a chuckle picturing your trash can humidifier. No, it won't work for me, as I keep my plants in the living room of my house. I've been coveting a couple of water bottle humidifiers, which at least would fit on my plant shelf. In the meantime, I mist a lot and don't take vacations.

[Ray]

I have successfully used LECA in baskets to provide some medium around the root systems of vandaceous plants, and in your dry environment, it might sustain teh plant better than no medium between waterings.

Do not think, for a moment, that it will enhance the ambient humidity, however....

[ALToronto]

Thanks Ray, I don't plan to give up the misting. But the roots right now are coming out nice and thick, about 1/4" diameter or more, and a month later, they start shriveling up at the tip. Old roots are thinner but still very viable, and I just want to keep them moist most of the time rather than a couple of times a day.

How would Stanhopeas fare in LECA?

And is LECA the best choice for this application? I keep thinking, just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

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[Bud]

If you look at your grow zone map, you are in parallel with Boston and Buffalo, NY. The only difference is you have a lake as a body of water whereas Boston has the Atlantic sea(a big difference in humidity factors)....you have the same time zone and four seasons....
I started young with my orchids indoors inside the living room of my parents home near the commons in Boston but I moved to Manhattan and brought my collections with me....
I grow Vandas and Mokaras....some in S/H(Mokaras love this method) and some in vase culture.
I try to bring them outdoors at the fire escape in the warmer months and give them the best care in winter.
I have a constant 80F centralized climate controlled environment (thanks to my landlord=mandated by laws in NY to provide heat to tenants) I also have an oscillating fan with my 2 gallon humidifier that I got in Walmart....and a timer controlled supplement lightbulb that automatically turns off after dark....
the trick with orchids is a constant regimen of water and fertilizer....you miss a week and your plants suffer....you can take vacations as long as you have someone to water your plants at least every other day....my plants managed to survive (yet a year to fully recover )after two weeks of vacation in Europe with no water or fertilizer but I vowed never to do it again, EVER!

[ALToronto]

Bud, I'm north of Buffalo, and the difference in climate is significant. In Buffalo you can grow peaches, in Toronto, only the hardiest hybrids will survive, but won't thrive. I'm also far enough away from the lake that it doesn't have much effect. And I pay the heating bills, so 80 degrees in the middle of winter is not going to happen.

That said, the vanda isn't dying, it's just not growing much right now. I'm sure if I leave it as is, it will pick up in the spring and have a shorter growing season than if it were in a greenhouse. I only bought it in October, right after it finished blooming, so it was 1/2 price (it's a coerulea). But if there is a simple solution to making this season easier for it, I'm happy to try it.

[isurus79]

I have a feeling that the roots would dry out too quickly for the Stans. They really like to stay moist nearly all of the time, especially when in active growth.

[Vanda lover]

I lived in Fergus Ontario before we moved here. I had both the stan and vandas in baskets with sphag and large lumps of charcoal. I also had a humidifier there and I misted the roots. The air is so dry there, on those bitter, cold days. I usually only needed to water once a week in the winter, but always misted exposed roots.
Now we have very high humidity all winter and I have to use a fan so they will dry our quick enough!