Watering Vandas In Baskets

[Orchidreamer]

When they're outside I hang them from the tree and hose them with a fine spray. When they're inside I water them using the kitchen faucet, which has a removable nozzle so I can spray all the roots thoroughly.

I'm not sure what to do with them during winter. I don't have a greenhouse and I know vandas don't like low humidity. Their roots are too long and all over the place, so they can't fit into pots or vases. Oh well...I'll figure something out.

Those are my two "giants."

I have 2 more smaller ascdas in a small glass fishbowl, which I fill with water and fertilizer every now and then.

I also have 2 small vanda coeruleas in a 2" pot with bark. I water them just like how I water my other young orchids and they're happy.

[cneos]

what's your temp zone? you can continue to water at the sink for plants that are kept indoors. Or bring plants to the shower.
Another technique I've seen for wintering vandas (without a greenhouse) is to put you vandae on a clothes rack (in the brightest light possible), put the rack into a kiddie pool, and water away. The kiddie pool collects water as it drains from your plants, also keep humidity around the plants. May not be the best solution but workable (and a real conversation piece!).

[cneos]

Anyone that what healthy, robust vanda ROOTS look like, take a look at the photos that are posted in this OB thread ...
Siam Paragon Bangkok Royal Orchid Paradise 2010

[RosieC]

Well mine is still potted in course bark and it is actually doing suprisingly well.

There are masses of roots growing just now, both visible through the sides and on the top starting to dive down in to the bark.

It is in high light (almost too high, got a tan on a couple of days) and there is a lot of air movement arround the pot (and plant). I have found that the air movement arround the pot means the bark dries very quickly. Most of the time I just spray the surface of the bark every day but I dunk the pot about once every two weeks (the bark inside looks dry within a couple of days, but some of the spray drips through it each day).

The plant is also growing leaves at about the speed I would expect from a Phal (2-3 a year), not sure if that is normal for a Vanda or not.

[cneos]

Would you post a picture of your vanda? What kind of pot do you use? Does it flower often?

A few of my vandae from Hawaii came in plastic mesh pots with a mix of lava rock and bark. As they've grown, I've potted on to a slightly larger wooden basket, sometimes adding cork or bark.

Our watering schedule is different from yours ... our vandae get watered / drenched at least once a day, except on cloudy days.

Leaf growth depends on how well the species adapts to the conditions that we can provide but typically our vandae throw two to four pairs of leaves a year. Exception - terete types are very slow growers for us.

[britbloke]

Rosie, I'm glad your Vanda's do well in pots and bark. I've never grown orchids in England, but when I've been to shows there I'm always impressed with the quality of plants and the different growing methods/mediums.
I read somewhere recently that the quantity of Vanda roots depends on how many they need to support themselves, so growing like the attached picture takes more roots than it would if they were more confined.
Another example of how different conditions effect how we grow and what is successful.
Tony

[RosieC]

I'll try and dig out a pic of the plant, if not I'll try and get one taken.

It's just a standard (very large) clear plastic pot, not a net one or anything. I was very very dubious of growing it this way but it was sold to me in this pot and I was really pleased to find it's acutally doing well so far.

I'm not sure how it will cope of the winter when I will have to bring it inside. When I had it outside in early spring it was drying VERY VERY slowly, taking almost a month for the bark to dry which seemed far to long to me. Since it's been outside in the brezzy spot it has dried far more quickly and I think that is helping a lot.