Vandas in Bloom Nov-Dec 2013

[denvervet]

What is Gaviota 67 and 63 that you fertilize with? I have a tri-color Vanda which I got two years ago and it was tiny, only had two leaves, this is it now, do you think it is large enough to flower now? I have only two Vanda's but need to buy more. I have them where they get morning sun until about 11:30 behind a sheer curtain as I am a mile high and the sun is very hot here. It's a dry climate and I water them 2 X a week and mist them at that time. They are in a bark and charcoal mixture, I use Miracle Grow Orchid plant food full strength 2 X a month.

[braveall]

Originally Posted by denvervet

What is Gaviota 67 and 63 that you fertilize with? I have a tri-color Vanda which I got two years ago and it was tiny, only had two leaves, this is it now, do you think it is large enough to flower now? I have only two Vanda's but need to buy more. I have them where they get morning sun until about 11:30 behind a sheer curtain as I am a mile high and the sun is very hot here. It's a dry climate and I water them 2 X a week and mist them at that time. They are in a bark and charcoal mixture, I use Miracle Grow Orchid plant food full strength 2 X a month.

Hi Denvervet,

I assume that you are living in Denver Colorado??

Gaviota 63 is NPK 21:21:21 while Gaviota 67 is NPK 13.5:27:27.

I use them diluted (1 teaspoon to a gallon of water) and alternate them (2days of Gaviota63 , then 1day of Gaviota67, and then repeat). Im in an equatorial climate with >90% humidity and I still water them daily as my vandas are staked in a pot with sawdust which will dry out in the hot sun. The vandas like to dry out between waterings, or they will be susceptible to rots and fungal attacks.

I think your tricolor vanda needs to get bigger before it will bloom, probably when it is 2 feet or more in height?

Considering that you have a high altitude climate, you have probably given your plant the right conditions to grow. In order to bloom, vandas need 6-8hours of sunshine, and in your case it is a good idea to put them behind the sheer curtain!

Hope that this information is useful to you!

Eugene

[denvervet]

Originally Posted by braveall

Hi Denvervet,

I assume that you are living in Denver Colorado??

Gaviota 63 is NPK 21:21:21 while Gaviota 67 is NPK 13.5:27:27.

I use them diluted (1 teaspoon to a gallon of water) and alternate them (2days of Gaviota63 , then 1day of Gaviota67, and then repeat). Im in an equatorial climate with >90% humidity and I still water them daily as my vandas are staked in a pot with sawdust which will dry out in the hot sun. The vandas like to dry out between waterings, or they will be susceptible to rots and fungal attacks.



I think your tricolor vanda needs to get bigger before it will bloom, probably when it is 2 feet or more in height?

Considering that you have a high altitude climate, you have probably given your plant the right conditions to grow. In order to bloom, vandas need 6-8hours of sunshine, and in your case it is a good idea to put them behind the sheer curtain!

Hope that this information is useful to you!

Eugene

Thank you for the information. Two feet? Oh my goodness. At that rate it will take a while. I have attached a picture of my Neostylis Lou Sneary 'Bluebird' which bloomed a short time ago. I am the "King" of over potting and wonder if you think this pot is too large for this Vanda. Also, it has another keiki and should I remove it or leave it on? You can see the keiki growing in the larger pot and the smaller pot is one I took off this Fall and its doing well. Your thoughts are greatly appreciated.

[denvervet]

Also, where do you purchase this plant food?

[braveall]

Originally Posted by denvervet

Thank you for the information. Two feet? Oh my goodness. At that rate it will take a while. I have attached a picture of my Neostylis Lou Sneary 'Bluebird' which bloomed a short time ago. I am the "King" of over potting and wonder if you think this pot is too large for this Vanda. Also, it has another keiki and should I remove it or leave it on? You can see the keiki growing in the larger pot and the smaller pot is one I took off this Fall and its doing well. Your thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Your pot is on the large size for your vanda, but I think you should just leave it be and let it grow bigger. Vandas require repotting when the media has broken down and does not sustain its growth, or when the plant has grown so tall that it requires staking.

As a rule of thumb, the keiki can be removed when it has grown 2-3 mature roots. Ive a Vanda mimi palmer which grew a keiki but I didn't bother to remove it from the parent, and now both keiki and parent are blooming in the same pot! So i think you can leave the keiki on the parent for the time being, unless you are giving the keiki away.

I bought my fertilizers from my local garden supply store or nursery.

Are those sunburn marks on the leaves?

[denvervet]

Originally Posted by braveall

Your pot is on the large size for your vanda, but I think you should just leave it be and let it grow bigger. Vandas require repotting when the media has broken down and does not sustain its growth, or when the plant has grown so tall that it requires staking.

As a rule of thumb, the keiki can be removed when it has grown 2-3 mature roots. Ive a Vanda mimi palmer which grew a keiki but I didn't bother to remove it from the parent, and now both keiki and parent are blooming in the same pot! So i think you can leave the keiki on the parent for the time being, unless you are giving the keiki away.

I bought my fertilizers from my local garden supply store or nursery.

Are those sunburn marks on the leaves?

Yes, they are sunburn marks, I didn't have them behind a sheer at the time and they got burned quickly. Someone had explained how sun is much more direct and hotter here being a mile high so I put the sheer up, I don't like curtains of any kind but gave in to save my orchids. It's so dusty here due to the dessert that curtains just collect dirt and dust. I took a keiki off of this orchid a while back, it had bloomed along with the mother orchid last year. I might just leave this one on but not sure yet. I have a 14 year old girl who is my friends daughter and she seems very serious about orchids, if she takes care of some I am about to give her I would like to give her a vanda also. We'll see.