Help me pick out an orchid

[AirShow]

Hello everyone, and well met!

I currently have 6 tillandsia air plants. Two I've had for 8 months, and 4 I've had for 6 months.
Finally figured out the best watering method for me and my plants. I dunk, for an hour, every week (do not submerge the bulbous parts!). It took me a little while to figure it out, and I lost a few on the way, but I'm feeling pretty confident with my care skills.

I really love my air plants, but I'd like an outdoor air plant. After much reading I found bare root orchids, and I couldn't be happier, they are beautiful and unique plants.

I'm liking the way Vandas read, and if the vanda hybrids are anything like the 2 tilly hybrids I have, hardy, I think I'd like one of those.

Would y'all mind helping guide my decision on which Vanda would be best for my conditions, and for a newbie?

I live in Northern Louisiana, z8b.
I'd like to put the plant on my back porch. It faces west, but is 14' deep. No trees, and my backyard backs up to open pasture land.

I'd really appreciate any advice, and if there are any other questions I need to answer, just ask!

p.s. I read the Beginner Buyer's sticky. I'm willing to spend about $50 and I figure I'm gonna have to do online.

[SaraJean]

I only have one mature Vanda, and they are great, but they need A TON of moisture. Must be watered everyday and, even then, that might not be enough. I am actually thinking of switching my big vanda to vase culture (roots in vase, fill vase with water, let soak, dump water, repeat) so I can keep up with the watering, I do have a couple of seedlings that are still in bark. I'm not saying that vandas are difficult but you have to be able to meet its very high water, light and fertilizer requirements. Before you spend that much online (plus shipping which is always a killer), you can pick one up at Lowes or Home Depot for under $35 and give it a go. Also remeber that they do need to be protected from the cold once temps start getting below 55 degrees, or so

[AirShow]

Hey SaraJean from NOLA, I'm a bit south of Shreveport.

I recall seeing those bare root orchids hanging in HD and Lowes now. I forgot about those, I'll have to go check it out.

I am used to babying my boston ferns, daily soaks in the hot months, and they are from one plant I got last year. I successfully winterized it outside with the help of a hand-me-down violet stand wrapped in plastic and a seedling heating pad, then I split it this spring. I probably could have quartered it, because they got huge.

One question. I've heard people talking about using sterile scissors to trim roots. Does the water need to be extra clean, too? Like, does tap need to aerate? Is it okay to use rainwater, mine is always dirt tinged.

[nogreenthumbs]

Tap water is usually fine assuming it isn't REALLY hard. Rainwater should be as good or better since that's what they drink in the wild. The sterile scissors is more about not cutting one plant and then cutting another plant and spreading things between the plants, I believe. Orchids can get viral and bacterial infections just like people so contaminated scissors would be like reusing needles for shot between a bunch of different people. I know that Vandas are supposed to want a lot of light, but a west facing porch in LA with no shade might be a bit too much for a Vanda. Vandas and other orchids can get sunburned leaves, but sort of like people in the spring, you can slowly get more used to the sun gradually taking more and more. Still, if you get a ton of sun, which I suspect you do, it may still be too much on the west side of the house. Would it be getting light from noon until sunset or would it be more like 3 or 4 until sunset or....?

[Cheddarbob14]

Originally Posted by SaraJean

I only have one mature Vanda, and they are great, but they need A TON of moisture. Must be watered everyday and, even then, that might not be enough. I am actually thinking of switching my big vanda to vase culture (roots in vase, fill vase with water, let soak, dump water, repeat) so I can keep up with the watering, I do have a couple of seedlings that are still in bark. I'm not saying that vandas are difficult but you have to be able to meet its very high water, light and fertilizer requirements. Before you spend that much online (plus shipping which is always a killer), you can pick one up at Lowes or Home Depot for under $35 and give it a go. Also remeber that they do need to be protected from the cold once temps start getting below 55 degrees, or so

I had my 1 vanda seedling in s/h for a bout a year, due to my own fault, it didn't exactly thrive, although it didn't die either. Since switching it to full water culture, the roots have exploded, 2 new leaves have sprouted, and it's producing enough sap for me to make some vanda syrup. I keep the bottom 20% in water full time, I mist the exposed roots every morning, and twice a week it gets a full root soak for a half hour or so.

Let me be clear about 1 thing (before ray chimes in and scolds me lol), I don't blame s/h culture, I think I was just not paying close enough attention. I was letting the reservoir dry out all too often. In my indoor growing environment, where the furnace runs all winter and a/c all summer, the water was evaporating much faster than I expected. Add in the fact that when I started s/h, I was still quite new to taking orchids seriously, didn't quite get the different requirements for different species

[AirShow]

Originally Posted by nogreenthumbs

Tap water is usually fine assuming it isn't REALLY hard. Rainwater should be as good or better since that's what they drink in the wild. The sterile scissors is more about not cutting one plant and then cutting another plant and spreading things between the plants, I believe. Orchids can get viral and bacterial infections just like people so contaminated scissors would be like reusing needles for shot between a bunch of different people. I know that Vandas are supposed to want a lot of light, but a west facing porch in LA with no shade might be a bit too much for a Vanda. Vandas and other orchids can get sunburned leaves, but sort of like people in the spring, you can slowly get more used to the sun gradually taking more and more. Still, if you get a ton of sun, which I suspect you do, it may still be too much on the west side of the house. Would it be getting light from noon until sunset or would it be more like 3 or 4 until sunset or....?

Thanks for the reply.

About my exposure. You're correct, tons of setting sun.
However.
The porch 14' deep, 25' wide (due west).
On the south side there is a wall.
On North side, 6' is open.

Depending on where I hang it, it could start getting light at noon or 3-6. I could also totally shade it. Something I was reading about, terete vandas and semi-terete.

My husband and I have been bouncing around solar shade ideas for a while now but we can't agree on anything. I did a quick google after reading your reply, for gardening solar shades. I got lots of returns for tarps. Are there any companies that make outdoor retractable roller shades for gardeners?

---------- Post added at 08:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:12 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Cheddarbob14

I had my 1 vanda seedling in s/h for a bout a year, due to my own fault, it didn't exactly thrive, although it didn't die either. Since switching it to full water culture, the roots have exploded, 2 new leaves have sprouted, and it's producing enough sap for me to make some vanda syrup. I keep the bottom 20% in water full time, I mist the exposed roots every morning, and twice a week it gets a full root soak for a half hour or so.

Let me be clear about 1 thing (before ray chimes in and scolds me lol), I don't blame s/h culture, I think I was just not paying close enough attention. I was letting the reservoir dry out all too often. In my indoor growing environment, where the furnace runs all winter and a/c all summer, the water was evaporating much faster than I expected. Add in the fact that when I started s/h, I was still quite new to taking orchids seriously, didn't quite get the different requirements for different species

Please excuse my newness, what does s/h mean?

Thanks for sharing your hydroponic story, that's neat.

[Cheddarbob14]

Sorry! S/h stands for semi-hydro (culture).

[nogreenthumbs]

Originally Posted by AirShow

Thanks for the reply.

About my exposure. You're correct, tons of setting sun.
However.
The porch 14' deep, 25' wide (due west).
On the south side there is a wall.
On North side, 6' is open.

Depending on where I hang it, it could start getting light at noon or 3-6. I could also totally shade it. Something I was reading about, terete vandas and semi-terete.

My husband and I have been bouncing around solar shade ideas for a while now but we can't agree on anything. I did a quick google after reading your reply, for gardening solar shades. I got lots of returns for tarps. Are there any companies that make outdoor retractable roller shades for gardeners?

It sounds like you could hang it under the roof and get an amount of light that keeps it happy, but not so much that you fry it. I find myself thinking about the gulf coast which I've often lived on whether in FL or here in TX, and I know that we are humid. I'm not sure about North LA. Hot and not humid might be tough, but if you have hot and humid, you should be OK.

For all things semi-hydro, go here. Ray invented it and has several thousand posts on this board/forum. There's also a SHC or s/h forum on this board.

---------- Post added at 09:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:05 PM ----------

Another thing that might be an option for you is a mounted orchid, but from what I understand, they need frequent waterings, but I think a vanda will need frequent waterings for you outside.

I'm far from expert on either of those. Good luck.

[Roberta]

What is your minimum winter temperature? There are a few Vandas that are happy outside all year in frost-free areas, many others like to be warmer. (Hard to imagine right now, but fall and winter do follow summer) If you get cool (but not freezing) consider something like Vanda Paki (V. cristata x V. suavis) It can easily take night temps into the high 30's F for a few hours, and grows vigorously.

[snowflake311]

Yeah vanda would be happy with you. You might need to take them in during winter. They need warm humid climates. I have 3 they are not doing well for me.

I too tried SH it failed due to my cool climate.

The common phal would also be good.