Tired OLD Vandas - recovery possibilities?

[mykl]

A group of rather neglected vandas were brought into our last meeting, and I opted to purchase a few. On closer inspection, I realized I did not see ANY new root growth, and the leaves are quite pale compared to other vandas I have.
The roots do not green up at all when I soak them.

I was thinking the paleness might be from too much sun, or some mineral deficiency. These are very old- two or three of them have stems that are easily four feet long.

the pictures are really just for the comparison of the leaf color of one of my orchids and the 'new' ones in the background.

[Roberta]

Patience, patience. A kelpak soak may help jump-start root growth. Beyond that, just keep them in a nice warm, humid space. (The Vanda that you have had for awhile is clearly getting what it needs, so just give the new ones a chance to settle in ) Eventually, the new ones may produce some new roots closer to the leaves. Once you have some good strong roots coming from the upper part of the plant, you will be able to "top" it and grow that top part as a separate plant, maybe and maybe not get a basal growth from the lower part. But until you have those new roots, you don't want to be cutting anything.

[estación seca]

Agree, and I bet they make more roots. I would soak as much of the entire plant in Kelpak as possible. You could put the bottom into a bucket for a few hours, then the top. You could wrap a towel soaked in Kelpak around the middle for a few hours.

[mykl]

Kelpac it is then!

Thank you both.