Beginner- Questions about Growing Vandas

[sulfuric901]

Hi everyone,
So today I goofed and impulsively bought a Vanda orchid, with no prior experience on how to take care of orchids. That being said, I want to try my best to care for it, even if I am starting off with a more difficult orchid off the bat.

It is a V. Bangkok Blue (V. Diane Ogawa x V. coerulea) and is in a 6" diameter, 6" tall plastic pot with fir bark.

I've been trying to figure out how to take care of it, but as a beginner, I don't know what information would best apply to my circumstances. I have a few questions and would appreciate input from anyone with experience.

1. Would it be necessary / more convenient for me to transfer the Vanda to an orchid basket, or can I somehow keep it potted?

2. I live in Southern California. Where in my house can I place my Vanda so it is receiving an adequate amount of sunlight/heat? Is it possible to keep it indoors? How much maintenance would it need for watering it based on the temperature?

3. For humidity, is spraying the Vanda a few times per day sufficient, and does this change if I kept it potted vs hanging it on an orchid basket?

4. Is there anything else important that I should know?

Thanks for any help

[charlesf6]

beautiful plant. help is on it's way.
I only know that mine require tons of watering and lots & lots of light.
good luck!

[marcmaubert]

I'm not a Vanda expert but I'll try to give you some advice I've been given before.

1. Vanda roots need a lot of aeration. I think they do a lot better in baskets.

2. I keep my Vandas indoors. I don't see why you couldn't. They need lots of light, so a southern facing window would be ideal.

3. If you keep it in a basket, you should soak it or dunk it in a bucket for a while everyday. Some people do it twice a day in really hot weather (some even leave the roots of their Vandas submerged all night). Even if your humidity is not ideal, all of this watering will compensate for the lack of humidity.

4. They are heavy feeders, so you should fertilize them accordingly. Don't forget to enjoy those beautiful flowers!

[sulfuric901]

Thanks for the replies; unfortunately, I don't have a south-facing window, so it's difficult to find anywhere in my house where a sufficient amount of natural sunlight comes through everyday. What would be my other best options for placing it, indoors or out?

[Roberta]

I'm in coastal southern California, so a bit more temperate than where you are. I'd leave it potted - you would have trouble keeping enough moisture around the roots without it where you live (especially today, humidity is headed for single digits!) When you water (every day or couple of days when it is warm) water well, so that it runs out of the pot (which pulls air through the root zone, vital to Vandas) This one is about 60% V. coerulea, so it is somewhat more cold tolerant than many others. You can leave it outside (filtered sun) until night temps get down to around 45 deg F, So you'll need to bring it in for a few winter months (at the rate we're going, probably somewhere around mid-November, to mid-March) When it is indoors, it will be getting less than idea light, but it'll be OK for that relatively short period of time. When you are getting close to that temperature, cut back on water., water early in the day... a dry orchid can take more cold than a wet one.

[estación seca]

Welcome! You've been given good advice. Vandas grow year-round if temperatures, light and water are correct. Most Vanda growers recommend watering bare-root plants every day if it isn't too cold, and potted plants 1-2 times a week.

Vandas can take your full winter sun, but not summer sun with the kind of heat you get in San Gabriel. If it's really humid - like you never get - you can stretch the watering interval to 2-3 days if bare-root and once a week to 10 days if potted. But they do better with plentiful water. You can probably move it gradually into more sun outside now, but take care not to burn it - it's been in less light for a while. Don't leave it outside during a cool winter rain spell.

[fooferdoggie]

to make life easier I have mine in vases.then they only need watering twice a week even when it is 90 in the house.