Looking to get a vanda

[The Orchid Boy]

I really love vandas and I'd like to get one. I like ones like Ascda. Princess Mikasa 'Sapphire', V. Pachara Delight 'Sakate' FCC/JOGA, and V. Gordon Dillon 'Lea' AM/AOS. I really like the ones with big, full, round flowers that are blue or purple. I have a few questions...

Are there any that are easier to start out with that meet my description?

How do you grow them? Light, water, potting... I'm in Nebraska, zone 5a. I have all my orchids under T5s all year. Could the vandas grow under T5s all year or would it be good to put them outside? How should I pot them and how much water do they like?

---------- Post added at 12:23 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:23 AM ----------

I guess I should give a little more info about my conditions.
Humdidity: Cool mist humidifier running most of the time. RH around 60% to 75%.
Temperature: Day-75F-80F Night-65F-67F (Depends on how close the plants are to the lights)
Light: 4 foot, 4 tube T5 light

I am currently growing Paphiopedilums, phragmipediums, oncidiums, phalaenopsis, catasetums, masdevallias, and dendrobiums succesfully under my conditions. I'm growing nepenthes and phrags in what I think would be considered vanda light.

I'd love to grow vandas, even if outside part of the year. It would be pretty neat to have a vanda in a basket hanging on a tree or something. RH outside is usually never below 70%, summer temps range from 70F to 90F.

[FSUOrchids]

I'm not sure if you can get enough light for a Vanda in an artificial setting or not.

[SlipperGirl]

I do not have a vanda, yet, this thread reminds me that I need to get one But I don't think they would do well under lights they get so big I don't know how to set it up so the plant would get enough light. When I get one I plan on growing it outside in the summer and hanging near a south window in the winter. from what I know your conditions sound good as to what to pot it in I would put it in a basket, although some people do grow them in pots.

Good luck let us know what you get

[Bud]

You and Hannah can grow Vandacious orchids if you set your minds to it....
I live in an apartment in Manhattan and in the warmer humid days I let the plants outdoors on my fire escape and two weeks before frost I let them indoors in a south facing windowsill....
Pilot(Ryan) grows his Vandas under lights....and I saw on his thread some flowering Vandacious orchids.
I prepare a bed of coconut fiber at the bottom of the wooden basket and anchor the Vanda securely then sprinkle large media mix around the roots and hang it. I follow the Baker's Vanda culture. Fertilizer weekly weakly all year round.

[Pilot]

Originally Posted by FSUOrchids

I'm not sure if you can get enough light for a Vanda in an artificial setting or not.

I grow mine under t5, 6 bulb lamps. They grow happily and are even now in bloom.

[BradGC]

You could perhaps try a v. coerulea outside. If they're on or near a tree, the tree tends to shelter it from the cold a little.

[FSUOrchids]

Originally Posted by Pilot

I grow mine under t5, 6 bulb lamps. They grow happily and are even now in bloom.

Fair enough, I personally wasn't sure if that would work or not. I live in FL so I don't have to worry about that

[CR7cristiano]

Your conditions sound conducive to growing some vandas, especially putting them outside in the late spring & all summer; that will do a lot for them for sure.
Vandas I would suggest are V. Robert's Delight most of this vanda hybrid are very large and have great substance especially V. Roberts Delight 'Dark Red' that can have 7" blooms when mature. V. Pachara Delight 'Isabella' is a stunning plant as well. RF has some quality orchids. V. Sansai Blue 'Acker's Pride'. A potential award winner is V. Robert's Delight 'Alexander'; VERY showy spike too. Last but certainly no least is V. Coerulea; this guy can take cold weather indeed. Mount it to a tree with dappled sun at eye level and it will grow to where it wants to be.
What sort of colours do you like though?

[orchids44]

I grow my Vanda indoors under lights. 4 4 ft. T5's with one HPS 150 Watt. I bought the Ascocendrum "Sunshine" over a year ago. It did okay for a few months until I purchased the HPS. Then she bloomed in October and maintained healthy multiple flowers for 5 months!!! The T5's were on for about 10 hrs. day and the HPS for 3 hrs/day. Now that I'm receiving some natural sunlight I've decreased the HPS to 2 hrs/day. The humidifier maintains the humidity at 50 - 75%.
Michael from RF Orchids recommended this one to me after requesting a "hardy, easy to grow" indoor Vanda. I've been ecstatic with his recommendation. Michael provided an excellent lecture to our orchid society in NC. He brought several boxes of orchids to sell to us....a wonderful orchid frenzy was had by all.

[Purple_phal_gal13]

This thread contains a lot of good info. I'm also looking to get my first vanda orchid. Here soon I'm moving from my apartment to a house and I can use my parents greenhouse. I think with that I could grow a vanda.

Meanwhile I'll be using my light setup I currently have with an additional rack and T5 4ft 4 tube setup with grow bulbs and 6500k bulbs.

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