Euanthe sanderiana stops growing roots

[Bud]

You may use seaweed mix together with the fertilizer all year round to help with the roots= although I still don't see any problems with your sanderiana roots; the Mindanaw environment doesn't have winter rest (not that I know of) nor drought....it is a constant paradise like tropical weather with high humidity. Weekly feeding with fertilizer is good for Vandas. Witholding fertilizer is like starving them....
I have my sanderiana on very bright shaded light on the south facing window in winters= in the summers I put it outdoors on direct sun.
Do not let your sanderiana feel dry nor feel cold(under 50F)
water it every morning if outdoors ( Mindanaw has morning dew or fog that moistens the roots every morning) and sometimes there is an early evening rain weekly.
Don't envy the other Vanda roots you see in pictures....who knows others envy your sanderiana roots it is thick and robust even if it is not long

[Sak_ikim_lol]

Originally Posted by Bud

You may use seaweed mix together with the fertilizer all year round to help with the roots= although I still don't see any problems with your sanderiana roots; the Mindanaw environment doesn't have winter rest (not that I know of) nor drought....it is a constant paradise like tropical weather with high humidity. Weekly feeding with fertilizer is good for Vandas. Witholding fertilizer is like starving them....
I have my sanderiana on very bright shaded light on the south facing window in winters= in the summers I put it outdoors on direct sun.
Do not let your sanderiana feel dry nor feel cold(under 50F)
water it every morning if outdoors ( Mindanaw has morning dew or fog that moistens the roots every morning) and sometimes there is an early evening rain weekly.
Don't envy the other Vanda roots you see in pictures....who knows others envy your sanderiana roots it is thick and robust even if it is not long

OK!!! Bud, thanks a lot for your advices. My concern is because my Vanda schedule is fine with all the other ones and this is the only one that doesn´t have a vigorous growing. Even my Sansai Blue (with coerulea blood) that I purchased with a few roots, now has good roots, is growing a thick root and developing those secondary roots that I like to watch how they are sprouting from the main root (pic attached) and the Pat Delight developed nine new roots from stem in a few months, growing longer and healthy ones, it has bloomed last October and developing a keiki (pic attached) But my sanderiana, that it seems to be the most suitable for hot Merida it seems to me that don´t feel at home ... I have new roots, keikis, from 5 to 7 new leaves in each other vandas and this just only 3 leaves since is here at the garden. I must to admit that the new ones are much longer and that is the only vanda that it has not drop any leaf. I will keep the humidity level and indeed watering and fertilizing as you wrote.

So well... I will still growing it, knowing it more and better...

Salamat po, Bud.

[MeDeL]

I have this species of orchid, yeah it grows very slow and takes years to adapt, mine 3 years! At first 2 years, it doesn't respond well with all the care I'd given. You know, it shows black dots on its leaves, the roots are actively growing at first but the green tips will rot and stops growing which is disappointing. I thought there's something wrong with my care but it is really the plant that doesn't respond so don't worry. After 3 years, it felt at home and is growing normal. It just needs to be acclimatized with the unfamiliar temperature, humidity, sunlight, etc. though it takes long time, and this is the drawback of this species. Mine is spiking now. I bought it last September 2011 in flowering size. Since then I had waited for the blooms but still unsuccessful. In less than 3 years last month, a small bud spiked! Hope the spike send blooms this August or September. The plant doesn't like direct sunlight like the terete Vanda enjoys. The surrounding area should be bright but the plant itself needs to be lightly shaded. I planted mine in a driftwood covered with coco husks shaded by tall a coconut tree. It also surrounded with some papaya and small spanish plum tree. There are minutes (not hours) the plant was exposed to direct sunlight but most of the time, it wasn't. There are parts of the plant beamed with sunlight and but the light changed position as the earth rotates. But most part still lightly shaded by the leaves of the nearby trees. Take note the trees I mentioned don't provide heavy shade and this orchid loves that. This orchid really like humidity wherein I used to install a mini pond just behind the driftwood. The fat roots linger with the coconut husks I also mounted in the driftwood because this medium retains much moisture every after watering and I think Euanthe sanderiana loves that. The leaves are in perfect shape and color and are wider straps with no dark spot or blemishes. You need to water the coco husks again when it became slightly dry, so don't water every day. But your orchid in that small plant basket requires regular watering when its not rainy. Most of Waling-waling here in our country were grown in a small plastic pot and let the roots hang down exactly like that one you had posted above. But I achieved best result with mounting it in the driftwood with coconut husks. The base of the plant where the roots originate must not be wrapped with coconut husks though because the roots need aeration. Just let the plant with its roots hang or sit in the driftwood with coconut husks, then one day you will see that the roots will dig and hide beneath the coconut husks by themselves, which proves they really like moisture. Of course tie the plant in the driftwood so that it will not struck by the wind and fell down It also don't like strong fertilizer, so use about a half or one-fourth of the recommended strength because the roots is very sensitive!

[Sak_ikim_lol]

Originally Posted by MeDeL

I have this species of orchid, yeah it grows very slow and takes years to adapt, mine 3 years! At first 2 years, it doesn't respond well with all the care I'd given. You know, it shows black dots on its leaves, the roots are actively growing at first but the green tips will rot and stops growing which is disappointing. I thought there's something wrong with my care but it is really the plant that doesn't respond so don't worry. After 3 years, it felt at home and is growing normal. It just needs to be acclimatized with the unfamiliar temperature, humidity, sunlight, etc. though it takes long time, and this is the drawback of this species. Mine is spiking now. I bought it last September 2011 in flowering size. Since then I had waited for the blooms but still unsuccessful. In less than 3 years last month, a small bud spiked! Hope the spike send blooms this August or September. The plant doesn't like direct sunlight like the terete Vanda enjoys. The surrounding area should be bright but the plant itself needs to be lightly shaded. I planted mine in a driftwood covered with coco husks shaded by tall a coconut tree. It also surrounded with some papaya and small spanish plum tree. There are minutes (not hours) the plant was exposed to direct sunlight but most of the time, it wasn't. There are parts of the plant beamed with sunlight and but the light changed position as the earth rotates. But most part still lightly shaded by the leaves of the nearby trees. Take note the trees I mentioned don't provide heavy shade and this orchid loves that. This orchid really like humidity wherein I used to install a mini pond just behind the driftwood. The fat roots linger with the coconut husks I also mounted in the driftwood because this medium retains much moisture every after watering and I think Euanthe sanderiana loves that. The leaves are in perfect shape and color and are wider straps with no dark spot or blemishes. You need to water the coco husks again when it became slightly dry, so don't water every day. But your orchid in that small plant basket requires regular watering when its not rainy. Most of Waling-waling here in our country were grown in a small plastic pot and let the roots hang down exactly like that one you had posted above. But I achieved best result with mounting it in the driftwood with coconut husks. The base of the plant where the roots originate must not be wrapped with coconut husks though because the roots need aeration. Just let the plant with its roots hang or sit in the driftwood with coconut husks, then one day you will see that the roots will dig and hide beneath the coconut husks by themselves, which proves they really like moisture. Of course tie the plant in the driftwood so that it will not struck by the wind and fell down It also don't like strong fertilizer, so use about a half or one-fourth of the recommended strength because the roots is very sensitive!

THANKS MeDeL!!! I really appreciate your long reply explaining how you grow this species. As you say I have seen that is a slow growing plant. Less leaves than my other vandas, but indeed the plant is stretching, I mean it isn´t growing taller but wider, having long leaves. So I stopped worrying about. I just watering and fertilizing in the same way as the other vandas and I see that is growing -slow- but reactivating root tips and having new root from the main stem.

I will take a picture to show you the plant nowadays.

By the way I love Philippines. When I have the opportunity I wear my barong tagalog with pride.

Regards

Mario