Operation Vanda Rescue

[AaronM]

I have an older vanda that I am trying to rescue for my brother in law. It is around two feet tall and the bottom two thirds appear completely dead. The roots are all dry and brittle and no new roots are forming. There are only three leaves remaining and these are dying.
What can I do to save this orchid and get some new roots forming?
This orchid is my brother in laws favorite and is almost irreplaceable.
Please help.

[bitis78]

So sorry to hear about that! I've had this happen before and no matter what I tried, I lost the plant - however, I didn't have the equipment/means I have now and I think you should try saving it. Can you tell us what conditions you have it in? It will help in figuring out where to go next.

Cheers!

[AaronM]

I keep the vanda in my orchid room near a NW facing window. It is hanging bareroot in the original basket. I mist it daily alternating between superthrive and plain water. the room is warm and humid and I frequently run a humidifier to increase air circulation.

[AaronM]

Here is a little more info. about this orchid in case it helps.
It apparently grows large purple flowers which have a faintly mothball-like odor. This odor triggers old memories for my brother in law of his grandfather. That is why it is his most prized orchid and why I must save it.
The reason that it is in such dire straights is because my brother in law took a job out of town and left all his orchids at the mercy of his wife and our mother in law. Needless to say, much of his great collection ended up in terrible condition and several died. I rescued maybe 15 that were in bad shape but this darn vanda just keeps getting worse.
Someone please help me save the "Grandpa Orchid"!

[bitis78]

It is important not to fertilise when there are no new root growth tips - so take that out of the treatment. Keeping the humidity is good, as is the air circulation, but allow the existing roots to dry between misting/watering. Mist the leaves occasionally too. Are there any healthy roots?

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[AaronM]

[IMG]Photo-0033.jpg (287KB)[/IMG]
A new root was forming when I first received the the orchid at the beginning of the year but that whithered and died while I was on my honeymoon.

[AaronM]

Here is a photo of the orchid in question. (I sure hope this works.)

[bitis78]

I'm not overly optimistic, having seen the pic - but persevere - your vanda may repay your kindness with some growth! Stranger things have happened!

Any chance you know the name of this vanda? Hybrids are produced "en masse" and there's every chance it will be in existence and available for purchase somewhere...

Wishing you the best of luck!

[Don Perusse]

My advice would be to soak the orchid to get out of the basket it's in. If the roots are really dry I would trim back to about 12-15" then soak with KLN (rooting hormone) Then secure the orchid in a new basket with a little charcoal. It likes to stay warm and watered daily. Cold weather will inhabit growth. Anything is worth a try.....good luck and keep us posted.

[Ocelaris]

Here's my surefire method for saving any vanda... it's the glass vase method. basically, just stick it in a glass vase up to it's leaves. Everyday, soak the entire plant in a weak fertilizer solution (if you have hard water, RO is preferred). Soak for about 30 minutes or so, everyday, and keep it in a decently humid >50% humidity, in moderate light (not high, as it will dry out with limited nutrient reserves). No need for KLN or other fancy stuff, and I definetly wouldn't cut anything back! You don't want the plant to go into shock! Keep what you have, and start the daily soaks, and in a week or two you will have new roots starting, and you can work from there.

I have personally seen what was otherwise a dead branch, and dead roots sprout wonderfully lush, chunky roots, so don't despair, it looks a LOT better than the species vanda I got, and mine is doing great.