Reblooming Vandas?

[Ari]

I have two Vandas. One I have rebloomed. I live in Minnesota.

I took them all outside this year but one day it was 50F and I had to take all my orchids in, especially the Vandas.

Does anyone know how you can tell whether a Vanda will bloom or not?

Come to think of it, it might be a good idea to put the smaller Vands in my orchidarium and take the Catteleya out.

I like to give my orchids as much as 3 or 4 years before I figure they are not going to bloom and I might want to send them to the compost.

Thanks for listening. This is my first post here.

[turock]

Welcome to the forum!

With vandas, reblooming is mostly a factor of light. You can get some indication they're receiving enough light by looking at the color of the leaves. They should be bright green, more on the yellow green side than on the emerald side, if that makes sense. You may be able to look at some pictures of blooming vandas on this forum to get an indication of the right leaf color.

Also, fertilize!! They are very hungry, especially if you're watering as often as they like.

Really, it's a waiting game after that. Although, depending on your plant, you may not have to wait long during optimal seasons. Mine bloom all summer long, but pout all through winter while they're indoors.

It is good that you have a lot of patience with your plants. With very rare exceptions, every plant will bloom, but it's always a matter of finding the optimal conditions, which is what makes this hobby so addictive and rewarding, in my opinion. Although, rather than tossing non-blooming plants, why not trade them or sell them at your local auction? That way, you can recoup some of your losses, and the plant might get another chance with someone who has different growing conditions!

[Ari]

Thank you about your advice about Vandas. One thing i do not have a lot of is light. I do have artificial light in Winter and I'll make sure the Vandas get that light. I live in Minnesota. The days get very short.

I'm confused about fertilizer. I have bloom orchid fertilizer, grow orchid fertilizer and a tincture of bat guano and earthworm castings. I got the later for my indoor trees but don't know what orchids would think of that.

Both Vandas are in bark. Do you just use a low level of fertilizer applied often or do you give them full fertilizer all the time? And do you give them grow or bloom fertilizer?

I do water them a lot. One is a yellowish green and the one I rebloomed once is a darker green. The yellowish green one can fit in my orchidarium but no room for 2 big plants.

Thank you!

---------- Post added at 09:46 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:33 AM ----------

Excuse me as I don't know how this message board works, yet.

[turock]

No worries at all! It takes some getting used to.

Vandas need 6 - 8 hours of very bright light (full sun to dappled shade) every day to induce blooming. If your plant is indoors most of the year, you will definitely need to supplement with lights, but I don't have much experience with those. Someone else may be able to give you good advice.

I have not yet ventured into the realm of guano or worm castings, but I have great success alternating premixed grow and bloom fertilizers (high nitrogen and high phosphorus). I do use the phosphorus more frequently when the plant is in spike or bloom. I dilute them quarter strength from what it says on the package.

Vandas grow like crazy in good conditions and need dilute fertilizer very frequently. I fertilize every third watering and flush the plants every day with heavy waterings. Mine are bare root, though, so yours will probably need less frequent waterings and fertilizing.

Feel free to post more questions and pictures! There are many kind folks here with far more experience than me, and I'm sure you'll get the advice and encouragement you need.


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[Ari]

]No worries at all! It takes some getting used to.

Vandas need 6 - 8 hours of very bright light (full sun to dappled shade) every day to induce blooming. If your plant is indoors most of the year, you will definitely need to supplement with lights, but I don't have much experience with those. Someone else may be able to give you good advice.

*i suddenly realize that Vandas won't take my abuse! I don't ever give them that much light. In Winter I put them towards the top of my light box but then the plants either want to burn or dry out. I'll have to get them just right on the shelf. It was recently 50F out snd I brought my Vandas in. One Vanda will fit in my orchidarium but not two.

I have not yet ventured into the realm of guano or worm castings, but I have great success alternating premixed grow and bloom fertilizers (high nitrogen and high phosphorus). I do use the phosphorus more frequently when the plant is in spike or bloom. I dilute them quarter strength from what it says on the package.

*I see. I got the idea of worm castings and bat guano for my Cape Jasmine tree. It is about 7 feet tall and uses up a large part of our 4 season porch. It is so root bound that I feel the need to give it hydroponic quality fertilizer but actually the orchid fertilizer would be better. My Cape Jasmine tree will be root bound indefinitely because it is so huge and in such a big pot that we just can't work with it anymore. One time I put worm castings on the top of its soil and it really helped but there is no more room for worm castings.

Vandas grow like crazy in good conditions and need dilute fertilizer very frequently. I fertilize every third watering and flush the plants every day with heavy waterings. Mine are bare root, though, so yours will probably need less frequent waterings and fertilizing.

*goodness, you are a true orchid fan! Mine are in bark and I get to them once per week.

*Also, we have a problem with water. All of our house water is softened. In our entire plumbing system there is only one spigot to the well. We live rurally and have our own well. As bad as hard water is, I think watering plants with softened water would be worse. If necessary we could always buy spring water.

Feel free to post more questions and pictures! There are many kind folks here with far more experience than me, and I'm sure you'll get the advice and encouragement you need.

*thank you! I think if I want to bloom a Vanda, Id better get on the ball! One Vanda I rebloomed right in January and had a bloom the size of my hand. It was -20F outside!

*i have a big catteleya I've rebloomed around 4 times now and the buds are ready to pop, hopefully I'll be able to figure out how to put the photo up!

*Thank you for your kindness in responding to such a beginning question!

[turock]

You're welcome! This community has helped me keep my plants healthy for many years, even before I was an official member, so it's nice to be able to contribute and give back.

I'll bet that Jasmine tree is a sight to behold! I'd love to see it. I've always liked trees indoors. I grow a lemon tree that I keep in a fairly small pot. I chop its roots every three years, then cut off the same proportion of branches (a trick I learned from my bonsai hobbyist friends), and the tree fruits every year and is very happy. I may have to try out those worm castings!

It sounds like at least one of your vandas is happy with the light conditions, if you got it to rebloom, especially in winter!

Ah, yes, soft water is a problem. The extra salts can be very hard on orchids. If you can afford it, you might consider a reverse osmosis system to help remove those salts, especially if you have, or are looking to build a large orchid collection. Continually buying spring water can get fairly expensive, so the investment in an R.O. system that keeps on giving may be worth it to you!

It may be that your non-blooming vanda needs a bit more water than it's getting. You might increase frequency to twice a week to see if that helps. Make sure the bark is very chunky and dries within a couple of days.

What shape are the leaves of your vandas? Do they look round and thin like pencils, or flattened and kind of V-shaped? The pencil-like leaves require a lot more sun than the strap-like leaves. I'm sure that you can provide whatever is necessary to get your vandas to bloom, but ultimately, it may be more cost effective to swap a needy plant out for one that is more tolerant of your conditions. There are a few other growers on the forum who are in Minnesota, so maybe you could ask for their recommendations?

Can't wait to see the pics of your cattleya!