Vanda noid growing more root.

[FL_Orchid_Collector]

This is my mom's vanda which started with two leaves and bad roots in a 2" pot (I did unpot it immediately after purchase from Lowe's, it's a Better-Gro but the bag was in low light, constantly getting misted so I should have known.) It has lost those first two leaves which were tiny and dark purple, and grown four 3" leaves which are green with some purple freckles and purple darkening almost to black on the upper surfaces close to the stem. Unfortunately the tag has been lost.

It must read orchidboard because I wrote about how annoying its slow growth is and that it seems to only extend two roots very slowly forever - well, it decided to start growing faster - but only one tip on the longest root, and the other root started branching! No sign of a new leaf this year and I don't think it added any last year either

Anyone have any tips to stimulate leaf growth? I recently started using ferts and I think that's what triggered it to start expanding its roots again.

[Clawhammer]

Rhynchostylis gigantea

[estación seca]

Yes, Rhynchostylis as Clawhammer wrote. They grow somewhat differently from most Vandas. Less light, higher humidity (you have that!) They don't like being repotted.

Fertilizer is necessary. Use a low dose regularly, or a higher dose at longer intervals.

[FL_Orchid_Collector]

I guess I'll keep doing what I'm doing with it, and hopefully now that it's getting food it'll finally start moving along

[RJSquirrel]

vandas grow from 2 places. the crown and the root.

water the roots 1st before you fertilize.

never fertilize dry roots.

vandas dont like stress.

thats all I know.

[FL_Orchid_Collector]

I've only recently started using ferts and I wish I had years ago. The first application I don't remember if I watered first but the Dendrobiums suffered some root tip burns. Within a week, though, they grew roots about twice as thick as they were before, and existing roots began branching which I hadn't seen before.

Now that rhynchostylis has starting branching its roots, there was one active growing point for more than a year and now suddenly there are seven growth points that I've seen and there may be some I've missed. I also started watering in the evening as per Roberta's suggestion, and I don't know whether that's contributing, and if so in what proportion, but I started that a few days ago and I started fertilizing about six weeks ago and I saw new root growth before I changed my watering schedule. And don't worry Roberta, I didn't fertilize at night, I watered again this morning just to be sure and then fertilized. I'll water again on the evening schedule to be sure the salts are rinsed away. I haven't read any advice like that but to me it seems if the high concentrations and built-up salts are responsible for burns that will happen as the water evaporates during the day just as much as on initial application right?

[Roberta]

Hey, you can fertilize any time. Think of how epiphytic orchids get their fertilizer ... When it starts to rain, nutrients from the detritus up in the canopy starts to wash down onto the plants. So, a few things to consider in that scenario:
1. Fertilizer is EXTREMELY dilute
2. The plant gets its maximum nutrients right when the rain starts - so they aren't wet first. But back to (1) - what they are getting is very dilute so it won't burn roots. If you're burning roots by fertilizing a dry plant, the fertilizer is much too strong.
3. It gets those very dilute nutrients each time it rains.
4. In the tropics it usually rains in the late afternoon or evening so that's when the plants get both water and fertilizer (but it is warm).

Also, your fertilizing might have contributed to the root growth, or it might have been just the right time of year for that growth to happen. (I have new roots all over the place and fertilize very lightly and sometimes not at all) Correlation does not equal causation. And you can't draw conclusions from 6 weeks of anything, much less a week of a treatment... orchids respond to cultural changes sloowwwwly. But if it was getting less than ideal water and now is getting more often, it could respond fairly quickly. Vandas do like fertilizer, but not likely to get instant response.

And remember, fertilizer is "vitamins" not "food". "Food" comes from photosynthesis, a daytime process that the plant takes care of all by itself.

Just for the record, I fertilize about every couple of weeks, very lightly, about 1/2 teaspoon (2.5-3 g) per gallon (4L). Sometimes I don't get around to it that often. (So not quite like nature...) I do it with a power sprayer, so some of it doesn't get into medium so they're getting even less. Fertilizer is the least important cultural factor... get everything else right, and it gives the finishing touch.

[FL_Orchid_Collector]

That makes sense - in nature they get fertilized slightly every time it rains which is likely not in the morning. I was reading a St. Augustine society article about watering in the evening and they were adamant that you should be sure to fertilize early in the day even if you switch to night watering for the summer. I'm getting a feeling there's a lot of stuff that's just "tradition" - the article certainly didn't bother to explain why fertilizer must be applied during the day!

As to the effectiveness of the fertilizer, In my case I've been keeping the same routines for three years for the Rhy. and Den. and they have kept the same slow pattern until I started the ferts. The Den. were the first to respond, and the new, larger roots aren't getting damaged. I'll make a post with some pics, it's an obvious difference comparing the new growth with the old. I've been using Better-Gro label-recommended strength and haven't seen any damage since that first week. I'm certainly open to cutting the strength if problems come up but I like what I'm seeing so far.

[Ray]

I think the primary reason growers feed and water early in the day is so the plants can dry out by nightfall, lessening the likelihood of rots starting in water collecting in the leaf bases and crowns.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by Ray

I think the primary reason growers feed and water early in the day is so the plants can dry out by nightfall, lessening the likelihood of rots starting in water collecting in the leaf bases and crowns.

And it totally makes sense when nights are chilly. So this is one more bit of advice that needs to be tempered with "why". It does no harm any time to water in the morning, but IF nights are warm it also does no harm (and might even do some good) to do it in the evening.