Vandaceous end of House. - Orchid Board

Roy · #1 10-20-2009, 08:24 AM

Steve mentioned in the Dwarf merrilli post about my Vandas etc getting it cool. They do but they don't seem to mind it. Here is a couple of pics taken recently. BTW, just out of shot to the right in the first pic are 4 Rhyncostylis plants hanging up, growing perfectly well also.

Two of my Aerides.

mollycart1 · #2 10-20-2009, 10:16 AM

Very nice collection, Roy.

Roy · #3 10-20-2009, 04:46 PM

Thanks Naoki, there are lots more plants not shown also.

Gin · #4 10-20-2009, 07:24 PM

Looking very happy !

smweaver · #5 10-20-2009, 09:04 PM

Roy, do you know what kind of light levels your plants are getting in your set-up? Clearly, since many of them are blooming, they're getting adequate light. But I'm trying to figure out whether or not I can get away with giving my vandas the same light as the cattleyas get and still expect to see blooms. During the summer the V. merrillis get accustomed to taking lots of sunlight (after being slowly acclimated over a period of a few weeks to higher amounts of light and more hours of it, they usually handle direct sunlight between 7 A.M. and 2 P.M., with very bright indirect light for the remainder of the day). Probably not quite as much as the truly sun-loving terete vandas can handle, but quite a lot more than most of my other (non-vanda) species take. During the winter they get their own large window in one of my bathrooms. Do you give your plants any more light than what they look like they're getting in the pictures you posted, or is that about as bright as it gets in your shadehouse (or is it a greenhouse?)? What are the average low winter temperatures that they experience in your location (and are those lows consistent or just periodically experienced by the vandaceous plants)?

Thanks very posting your pictures--and sorry for the long-winded response. :-)

Steve

Sandy4453 · #6 10-20-2009, 09:27 PM

Beautiful, healthy looking collection you've got there!

Roy · #7 10-21-2009, 04:06 AM

Steve, the light in the pics appears brighter than it is. I've never measured it actually. I want to give them a lot more but haven't had the time to do it. Cattleya light to me is the right amount, depending on what one considers Catt' light also, I call it quite bright. Its the winter here that causes problems for me. Cloudy days on end and little actual sunlight. This is why I have to improve things. The Aerides love it, spikes everywhere. The Vandas not so. I don't think its my fault entirely as many plants you see should have flower multiple times before I got them and they haven't. Not sure why. Minimum temp here this winter was -2c that I know of, the house got to as low as 10c on 5 or 6 occasions, held 15c all other nights.
The light you are giving your plants sounds good to me.