Vandas in Glass Vases

[telipogon]

As I do not own a greenhouse, I thought i would share with you guys the methods i employ to grow Vandas...................

Vase culture does seem to be succeeding for me under my conditions. I have upwards of 70 Vandacious orchids growing in a variety of assorted vases (i guess jam jars would work well for some species but i'm too much of a snob to do that !).

My window faces roughly southeast and gets a LOT of sunshine, especially on summer mornings. For this reason the 'classic' culture for Vandas (bare root and contstant spraying) would have resulted in a repetative strain injury for me and a barely damp enough plant. There is no shading on the window and the plants get the maximum amount of sun possible (referring to Vandas here, of course), along with what can be extremely warm temperatures.

I decided to attempt to grow Vandas in vases after obtaining a large Vanda from Burnham Nurseries about 3 years ago (V. Kasem's Delight x Pompimol). I was not expecting the plant to be as large as it is, so i started to realise that i needed to act so as to not allow the plant to dessicate. I bought a vase from my local garden center (the shape of the vase is important, i will come to this shortly), and simply allowed the black slatted basket that Vandas often come in to sit in the neck of the vase with the roots dangling inside. No moss, no pebbles, nothing. Within about three weeks, the root tips of the Vanda had re-activated and started to grow. During the spring just gone, a lot more root tips branched out from the roots the plant already had, and has now flowered twice for me. It is also growing much bigger leaves now and is looking remarkably healthy.

In terms of watering, this depends very much on the weather and the time of year. The vases never magnify the sun and cook the plant, despite the very warm temperatures and bright light they receive. During active growth, i fill the vase with water when i remember, maybe weekly (usually in the morning) and let the plants roots soak for around half an hour (sometimes, if i remember, i add a little feed), then empty it again. If its a particularly hot day, i might spray in the afternoon, but i rarely need to. During the winter, i find that spraying 2 or 3 times a week is all that is necessary.

Vanda at watering time.......



the same Vanda at flowering time.......



Vanda Sansai blue blooming happily in a vase...



As i mentioned earlier, the shape of the vase is
important. It needs to be nice and wide at the base (so there is plenty of space for roots), with a neck that is just wide enough for the black pot to sit in comfortably. In this way, the plant itself holds the humidity in the vase, and support is only an issue until the plant is established.

For plants of a smaller stature or baby plants, i have found that wine carafes or hyacinth vases for small species seem the perfect shape, and the black pot is not needed for support.

In terms of the stability of the plants, it is worth remembering that a glass vase is a lot heavier than a plastic pot, and will prove much harder to tip over, either through carelessness or through weight of flowers.

Any more questions, don't hesitate to ask. I hope this little essay will provoke some more discussion on this issue

[Neverend]

Very interesting... seems to defy the common knowledge that the roots need good air circulation...

[Buds!]

Hi telipogon,
Thank you for sharing! Your Vandas are beautiful!
What you are doing absolutely fascinates me!
What is your day and night temperature/ humidity? How is your room ventilated?
My brain is working overtime thinking about growing Vandas in my house.

[telipogon]

No idea what the humidity is. Low. Hence the vases, they hold on to the moisture.....remember the leaves don't need the humidity, only the roots do. temps i guess it goes down to 12 or 13 in winter. I don't open the windows in that room because it faces the road and it is too noisy. I do, however, have a fan going 24/7 and the plants have grown noticeably better this year as a result.

This coming winter i am considering providing some supplementary lighting as they go to sleep in November and wake up again some time in March. This does not impede blooming in the more complex hybrids (especially if V. coerulea is in the mix, indeed the species itself blooms in winter while its asleep) but some of the more outlandish plants might bloom better with heat and light all year round. I grow every single vandaceous plant in a vase (and im starting to experiment with Phals as well), and all grow well.

[shakkai]

Neverend, regarding air circulation, telipogon stated that:

During active growth, i fill the vase with water when i remember, maybe weekly (usually in the morning) and let the plants roots soak for around half an hour (sometimes, if i remember, i add a little feed), then empty it again.

So the roots are not submerged all of the time.

One nursery that I've ordered from in Europe specifically sells 'vanda vases' to grow them in this way.

http://www.shop.schwerter-orchideenz...wei%DF.htm
(NOTE: text in German)

I have been trialling out growing Phals in a similar way - though I have added rockwool cubes to the bottom to help with water evaporation and humidity - the roots don't touch the rockwool (yet). I keep about an inch of water in the bottom which gets wicked up the rockwool and eventually evaporates raising the humidity around the roots above. All of the roots are green, healthy, and growing - though they have only been in the vase for about 1 month. I like being able to see the roots and keep an eye on them through the glass vase.

[Neverend]

Hm, I thought the roots also required good air circulation, not the 'stagnant' situation they get put in a vase, guess I was wrong.

[smweaver]

Hello, Teli, and welcome to the site. Glad to see that you're sharing your vanda-growing methods with everyone over here. And yes, I agree with one of the previous respondents: your vandas are beautiful. Hopefully you'll make some converts with your growing methods.

Steve

[Tindomul]

Wow!! Great method. Perhaps I will attempt this in the future. However I still would have the lighting problem. Thanks for sharing!

[gmdiaz]

I would NOT have thought of this!

What an interesting idea~

[telipogon]

Neverend, the vases are open at the top so air is allowed to circulate. Also, the evaporating water from the vase draws fresh air down around the roots.

Lighting problems ? NY is much further South than birmingham, UK !