Carl, you got some good advice from Steve and Jenn. I am in south Florida and I grow my vandas outside. I have some that are good bloomers and a few that never bloom. Vandas need to be left to do their own thing. Some take a long time to start blooming. My V. Cindy Banks was about 3 ft long before I saw the first spike. I grow mine under "solar" screen, but up very near the screen. Some can actually handle full sun but the leaves tend to burn and look ugly.
The sun doesn't seem to bother the flowers though. The trick is to have lots of vandas. That way something is blooming! I grow almost all of mine on wires (no basket) and let the roots grow long. That way I can fit more in the shade house. When they send out spikes I move them to other areas of the house and patio so they can stretch out (and be enjoyed). Also I make little fertilizer tea bags out of cheesecloth and Dynamo time release fertilizer. I tie the bag to the top of the wire and as it gets wet the fertilizer drips on the plant and roots. I do this because I hardly ever fertilize (too lazy).
I know they say vandas like lots of fertilizer, but mine bloom without any. So don't overdo the fertilizer, that will mess up roots for sure. The real important thing is lots of sun and water. Here are a few pics of mine.
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