Shading for Vandas

[Junebug]

Hi Jan,

I live in Central Florida and grow my chids in a variety of outdoor locations including a slat roofed shade house. I'm not much help when it comes to suggesting grades of shade cloth, but the shape of your Vanda's leaves should help you determine how much sun is required.

Terete leaved Vandas have narrow pencil shaped leaves and can tolerate several hours of full sun although I would be cautious about exposing them to too much direct mid-day sun.

Strap leaved varieties are more common and they have flat leaves which require less sun and more of a dappled shade exposure. Some strap leaved varieties are more sun sensitive than others. I've found that blue varieties burn easily and require the least amount of sunlight.

Semi-Terete leaves are not pencil or strap shaped but lie somewhere in between. They require more sun than the strap and less than the terete. My semi-terete thrives in full a.m. E/SE exposure and is shaded from all direct mid day sun.

I hope this was helpful.