Moss on Vanda Roots

[Clawhammer]

Hello! I am wondering how folks prevent / control / remove moss that grows on bareroot Vanda roots?

[estación seca]

There shouldn't be any moss if they dry between waterings. Can you describe it better, or show photos?

[Clawhammer]

Thanks ES.

I have 25 vandas in this setup. I water as much as possible, (basically everytime I go to the bathroom). I am likely overwatering the ones that are getting moss, but that is only a handful, ones that have had a lot of moss in the past and came from my moss infested basement orchid growroom.

I could water less to control this moss, but then the majority of the plants wouldn't be getting optimal water. I was thinking about treating all vandas with a baking soda or light dish soap solution on a regular basis may control the problem. Any risk with this approach?

[IMG]Untitled by Eric, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]Untitled by Eric, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]Untitled by Eric, on Flickr[/IMG]

[Lil Duck]

If the humidity is over 80% then even drying out the mossy vandas might still not clear the moss. I would try to shade the roots with something.

[estación seca]

I wouldn't keep the humidity quite that high. You shouldn't need to water more than once a day in high-humidity conditions.

[DirtyCoconuts]

that is odd, can you up the air circulation? it might just be a really good growth chamber for that moss and if you can tip it slightly it might not do so well. either lower the humidity, increase the air movement or something similar

[Clawhammer]

Thanks to everyone for weighing in. The moss indicates areas that stay too damp, and then it makes the situation worse by retaining even more water.

I keep the humidity target at 75% but I bet it averages around 70. I have a fan directly on them that runs about 50% of the time (whenever the heater is on).

I think I just need to water the ones with moss less. I am going to to a manual removal and then group the mossy ones so it is easier water them less.

[Roberta]

Definitely no baking soda - High sodium (bad!) and quite alkaline (also bad)

[Ben_in_North_FLA]

I admire your dedication first and foremost... that shows commitment to your vanda orchids!
About the moss, I would try some algae control like RD20 or other. I used to use pool algaecide with similar chemicals (much cheaper). Do you think the moss on roots is affecting the plants? your plants look great to me and I think it builds orchid character.

[Clawhammer]

Originally Posted by Ben_in_North_FLA

I admire your dedication first and foremost... that shows commitment to your vanda orchids!
About the moss, I would try some algae control like RD20 or other. I used to use pool algaecide with similar chemicals (much cheaper). Do you think the moss on roots is affecting the plants? your plants look great to me and I think it builds orchid character.

Thanks Ben! I reduced the amount I was watering and it has slowed down the algae growth to a crawl, but nice to have a product I can use if I need to get a little more aggressive. I like the look of algae, but in my previous setup it absolutely took over and resulted in much slower drying. The algae is only affecting a handful of plants, so my concern was that those plants would increasingly stay wetter than the others, making it hard to properly water the lot of them.