New Vanda merilliis

[AussieVanda]

Thinking about a basket on account of it clumping, would look nice in a slat box.

[nikkik]

Originally Posted by AussieVanda

Thinking about a basket on account of it clumping, would look nice in a slat box.

Very cool! I'm excited to see ours grow and bloom! I will say though yours is a nicer specimen.

Seeing other people's vandas make me long to live in a more tropical location. Maybe, in 30-40 years, fingers crossed!

[smweaver]

Congratulations on your new V. merrilliis, Nikki. It's such a great species--and you're to be commended for growing it in Michigan (here in Indiana it's probably just as much of a challenge to grow such a warmth-loving species, so I can sympathize with your efforts).

I have no idea what the dwarf variety looks like, and since my two standard V. merrilliis are giants, perhaps "dwarf" in this case might be a relative term. Hopefully the smaller-statured plant you have will also share the same fantastic fragrance of its larger-sized brethren. Good luck!

Steve

[nikkik]

Originally Posted by smweaver

Congratulations on your new V. merrilliis, Nikki. It's such a great species--and you're to be commended for growing it in Michigan (here in Indiana it's probably just as much of a challenge to grow such a warmth-loving species, so I can sympathize with your efforts).

I have no idea what the dwarf variety looks like, and since my two standard V. merrilliis are giants, perhaps "dwarf" in this case might be a relative term. Hopefully the smaller-statured plant you have will also share the same fantastic fragrance of its larger-sized brethren. Good luck!

Steve

Thank you so much for your kind words, Steve. I'm lucky to have a heated solurium off of my house, so my vandas live there in the winter. So far, the dwarf form is much smaller then my other two plants. The vendor said the flowers are exactly the same as the standard form, but only time (and flowers) will tell.

[AussieVanda]

Hey Nik, just seeing how your vanda is growing.

[nikkik]

Originally Posted by AussieVanda

Hey Nik, just seeing how your vanda is growing.

They are all doing very well. They are adjusting to their new winter spots indoors. Thanks for asking! How is you V. merrillii dwarf doing?

[AussieVanda]

That's good to hear! Mine seems to have stalled a little. It is does have some new leaf growth and a new keiki which are ever so slow growing but apart from that it's just....well...existing. To be fair though, it's gone from a gh to the outdoors and it is still pretty much the dry season here so keeping water up to it is a challenge.

[nikkik]

Originally Posted by AussieVanda

To be fair though, it's gone from a gh to the outdoors and it is still pretty much the dry season here so keeping water up to it is a challenge.

I totally understand!! We got a new heater in my solarium for the winter and it sucks the humidity right out of the air. I can water and 5 minutes later the plants will be dry as bones! We put three humidifiers in there (already had them so it was economical), most of my plants have their own humidity trays. Since the vandas hang they get extra soaks and spray downs. So I get dry!!! Lol!

[AussieVanda]

At the moment it's bare root in a slatted pot. I'm thinking I may need to add just a few pieces of chunky charcoal or similar, just to retain a little moisture for just a bit longer. The roots really are thin so do dry out quite quickly.

[nikkik]

Originally Posted by AussieVanda

At the moment it's bare root in a slatted pot. I'm thinking I may need to add just a few pieces of chunky charcoal or similar, just to retain a little moisture for just a bit longer. The roots really are thin so do dry out quite quickly.

Great idea! Many of my vanda baskets have some kind of media in them. The type of media I use depends on their location in my solarium and their exposure to the sun/ humidifiers.