Violet Vanda Advice

[alan3885]

Hello,
I just recently purchased a baby Violet Vanda orchid (in the bag) and I've had it for about 3 weeks now and got it from Home Depot and its growing inside my home like all my orchids. I bought the orchid potting mix and it seems to be doing fine and its located on the south window in Allen, TX (Zone 8a). From my observation it seems healthy and the roots love to go wild. I water it about once a week from the bottom and fill the styrofoam bowl half way and let it soak with filtered room temp water for no more than a hour. Any advice or tips would be appreciated.

[Roly0217]

Hello alan !!! The plant itself seems to be healthy; however there are two things that I don't like. First the watering regime and second the potting style. Vandas do not have a water storing organ therefore they should be watered daily until the roots turn green. My second problem is that the medium looks like soil or of it's bark looks somewhat decomposed and the tips of the roots look kind of burnt. I would personally put the vanda in a basket and let the roots hangs. This is a more natural way of growing them mimicking how they grow attached from trees in nature. I've got close to 20 vandas and doing this have been able to bloom them with no problem. They are also heavy feeders which means fertilize weekly weakly or in a more diluted way on a daily basis with each watering. If you have any other questions just ask. And by the way to the OB !!!!!

[alan3885]

I thought since I am in Allen, TX (Zone 8a) North Texas has long hot dry summers here. I decided to not put the Vanda into a basket because letting it hang in a basket would be better setup in a tropical, humid, or greenhouse environment and since I live in North Texas were it is not humid like Florida, California, Hawaii, and Houston all the time I don't always have the tropical humidity climate. I thought watering in the winter time was not need as frequently? I was also thinking about making a small humidity tray will small polished river rocks to increase the humidity levels?

[Roly0217]

Well some plants do take a rest and some slow down their growing but overall Vandas continue to grow throughout the seasons. Some people do have them potted using chuncky bark or charcoal but for you to be able to water them daily the basket might work better. They do not like to stay wet at all. They love high light and lots of water. Like I said before some plants like deciduos Dendrobiums and Catassetinae just to mention some do go on a winter rest where water is reduced and fertilizer eliminated until new growths shows. But these babys love water and sun. In summer you might have to mist them twice a day.

[alan3885]

Thanks for your advice because I didn’t have really any place to hang it, outdoor tropical climate, and etc... So I decided that potting it and growing it indoors would be the best choice for my growing conditions (Zone 8a) and now I’m going to go and let it soak for about 30 minutes. Interestingly enough my baby Vanda didnt come with even a small basket lol. So since its a baby how long do you think this one will take to even have a few flowers?

[cb977]

Vandas have no means of storing water or food...the roots must be watered well every day...here in Florida during summer mine get soaked more than once a day.

[Roly0217]

If it's a Vanda it might take a couple of years if it's an Ascosenda as soon as next year. It all depends on the genetics of the plant. Ascosendas tend to bloom when they are smaller than the Vandas. I would still hang it in a basket. We've got members here in the forum that grow indoors in a kitchen or basement in places like Canada or Michigan so I think that you should be fine in Texas.

[alan3885]

How long should I let me Vanda soak for? Should I consider making a humidity tray with polished pebbles?

[Roly0217]

Until the roots turn from white to green which usually doesn't take a long time. They need to dry out completely by the end of they day. They don't like water sitting on the bottom of the pot or the roots for too long. Did it have a label when you purchased it??? And again remove it from the soil. They are epiphytes not terrestrials.

[alan3885]

The brown medium is orchid potting mix from Home Depot and the package says that it contains Composted bark and peat moss.