Vanda orchid

15 years ago

Hello, I am new to growing vandas although I grow many other orchids eg. cattleyas,oncidium,dendrobium,and others here in the U.K. providing the various growing conditions each needs. I have just purchased two vandas (One in flower and the other with it's fifth set of leaves growing) the roots are healthy and I'm growing them using the glass vase method.

Could anyone advise me how long vandas take to get to flowering size as the smaller plant(which is named vanda sanderiana)looks quite mature and past seedling stage assuming it gets maximum care.Do they have to have a certain number of sets of leaves before they flower?

Thank you for any advice.

Hazel

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Comments (45)

Sheila
15 years ago
Hi Hazel. I can't answer your questions, as I too am new to trying vandas. You've piqued my curiosity.....what is the glass vase method?

Sheila :)
littlem_2007
15 years ago
hello, Hazel, welcome to orchid thread. we have "talked" on another thread - plumies. I too am curious: what is this glass vase method? and please, provide pictures. thanks.
sue
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Jane and others — The below is by RF Orchids - located in Homestead, FL (Robert Fuchs) on growing Vanda and they grow gorgeous, huge Vanda, mostly on wire only, some with strap basket and not much if any media. Robert Fuch is a leading expert on these plants, a breeder and AOS judge and current president and officer of American Orchid Society. He knows what he is talking about and his plants show it without being overpriced. He has won many awards and has a website RF Orchids. I don’t personally know him but I know what his plants look like. “WATER: Vandaceous orchids in slat baskets should be watered daily, preferably early in the morning. Give them a good drink with the hose, or a dunk in a bucket or sink if you only have a few plants, and let them dry. High daytime humidity is essential, especially on sunny days, and additional misting once or twice a day in bright weather will be helpful. On hot, sunny days around 80% humidity is appropriate. Water more sparingly in winter, during long cloudy spells, or after repotting. In any season, avoid watering plants late in the afternoon. Vandaceous plants should be dry before nightfall. FERTILIZING: Vandaceous orchids are heavy feeders. Once a week during the growing season, give the plants a solution of a complete, balanced fertilizer. High-nitrogen fertilizers will inhibit flowering and are not recommended for these orchids. All plants should be flushed thoroughly with plain water once a week to remove built-up salts. If you use an automatic proportioner, plants may be fertilized as often as daily with a more dilute solution. Whatever feeding plan you follow, remember, it is important to be faithful to the regimen you have established. We use Peter’s 20-20-20 (All Purpose with micronutrients; Jack’s Classic All-Purpose is packaged for consumer sales) fertilizer weekly during the growing season. Inside the greenhouse, under a controlled environment, we use the standard, recommended concentration of 1 teaspoon per gallon. During the winter (non-growing season), we apply the same proportions every two weeks rather than weekly. In addition, at every third feeding we substitute Peter’s (or Jack’s Classic) 10-30-20 (Bloom Booster). This substitution applies to plants in all seasons of the year. And once a month we add 1/4 teaspoon of SUPERthrive, a concentrated vitamin and hormone solution for plants, to each gallon of fertilizer solution. SUPERthrive is a root stimulant, not a fertilizer.” Note: Both of these companies have tabs on their website for how they grow Vanda. And Motes has YT channel with 4-5 hours in 4 videos on growing orchids, mostly Vanda in south Florida. Motes Orchids (Miami Fl) Dr Motes recommends watering each time until the roots turn dark green. He has written a number of books and articles (including for the American Orchid Society) on growing Vanda (their specialty) in South Florida.
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claire1_2008
15 years ago
This post piques my curiosity too so I googled growing vondas in vases and found this link. This is cool. I've been staying away from vondas because of their need for high humidity but I think I'll have to try this. I can pick up a bag baby at my local big box and see how it works. They had vondas three weeks ago in bags... on second thought it may be too late for them. I'll look on line instead. WARNING...IT'S THAT OTHER ORCHID FORUM

Here is a link that might be useful: GROWING VONDAS IN VASES
arthurm
15 years ago
Claire, there are some "vandas" that might not need all that much humidity. Perhaps some of the intergenerics with Neofinetia falcata as one parent might fill the bill.
My previous attempts with "vandas" mostly failed, i suppose, because the types i tried were unsuitable for my conditions, But one, Ascda. Madame Nok bloomed reliably and was sold because it got too large for my growing space.
Now i am trying some "cool tolerant" types....
Rhynocentrum Lilac Blossom
Vanda tesselata x Mamo
Well, the Nursery owner says they are cool tolerant. we shall see.
felixcat
Original Author
15 years ago
Hello Claire, Thank you for the link. That perfectly shows how to grow the vandas in glass vases. I will try to post a picture of mine later. Hope someone lets me know about the age of flowering. Sue I'm very disappointed in the plumerias as even after 4-5 yrs no flowers except for old Celadine.Perhaps the U.K. is not suitable. I'm hoping the vandas are small enough to accomodate whereas the plumerias are trees after all.
Hazel
felixcat
Original Author
15 years ago
Hello. Here(I hope) are the vandas. The line on the vase is where to fill with water for around half an hour every 3 or 4 days and then empty.

{{gwi:166158}}

Hazel.
Sheila
15 years ago
Beautiful photo Hazel and your yard looks so lovely. My plumies are in full sun here in hot, hot SW Texas. I feed them only 'bloom buster' and they stay in bloom all summer/fall.

Claire, thx for the link.

Sheila :)
felixcat
Original Author
15 years ago
Hello Sheila, How lovely to have your plumerias in flower all summer. I have to keep mine in the greenhouse in summer and in the house during winter.
My vandas will have to stay in the house on the window which you can see and is south facing. When I took the photo this morning the rain was pouring down and it is very gloomy here today. My garden is full of rhododendrons and azaleas at the moment which you can see through the window. Our cool U.K. weather is perfect for them.
Hazel.
littlem_2007
15 years ago
hello, Hazel, your vandas are beautiful. i am going to have to try your method. I had bought 7 vandas about three years ago. i promptly killed 6 of them - only one left which has bloomed every year. hopefully, it will do so again this year. i don't know how my plumies will fare yet but i am disappointed with the DR babies.
sue
felixcat
Original Author
15 years ago
Ooops! Sue, I can't take any credit for the vandas as I've only bought them a week ago. I bought the blue sansai already in it's glass vase for Â£40 from a local nursery and the other one I bought from a seller on the internet for Â£15 including P&P.and bought a cheap Â£3 vase from M&S to put it in. That's why I'm desperate to know about the flowering regime as I know nothing of vandas except I've always wanted one but they are so expensive here. They are currently hiding in a spare bedroom(fortunately a sunny one)in case my husband sees them!!! I have sneaked them into the bathroom for their drinks! Wish you hadn't mentioned the demise of your vandas I hope mine follows your live one! Sorry about your DR's mine are fat and very lazy can't win them all can we.
Hazel.
savtaj
15 years ago
Hello, Hazel,
Maybe you can't take credit for the Vandas, but just look at your garden! Such big, fat and colourful blooms and that intense green sward can only be found in England! Makes me nostalgic for all the times I've visited. Congrats on your good growing!
Vandas in glass vases! Maybe I could do that, too. Up till now, I've been steering clear of them, because I know I don't have the right conditions, but now...perhaps it would work.
Incidentally, my daughter-in-law set up something similar for the large cream phal I bought her in February for her birthday. She set the plastic pot in a tall cylindrical vase that has a layer of lava pebbles in the bottom. She fills it up with water to just below the top of the lava rock and balances the pot on the rim of the vase. The large leaves have plenty of room to flop and the plant is just the right height to produce an aesthetic display. And there's no problem with humidity, or a lack thereof.
Judy
felixcat
Original Author
15 years ago
Hello Judy, Yes give it a go. Your daughter-in-law sounds very enterprising! Where there's a will there must be a way! We try everything here in England to go tropical sometimes we win sometimes we lose but it's the fun of trying that makes it all worth while-especially when we win!!!!
Hazel.
greenclaws UK, Zone 8a
15 years ago
Hi there Hazel, how are you? Seems like we are all following each other around on the forums lately, what with Plumies, Tropicals and now Orchids eh? Can't resist a good plant can we, but I am really trying to curb my addiction of stuff that won't grow here!! (not having much success tho...with the 'curbing' part I mean, as most keep growing and flowering, except for the plumies, they are so slow this year) Just re-read your post immediately above....and agree down to the very last letter!!!! Long live those tropicals and exotics!!! (just remember to keep them out of Jim's eyeline and off that windowcill...you know what I mean!)
Gill.
felixcat
Original Author
15 years ago
Hello Gill, nice to hear from you. I don't go on the plumeria forum much now as I've nothing much to say and it's so depressing to see all those photos. Jim calls mine sticks in a most derogatory fashion.
Funny you should mention THE windowsill, although the pink has turned back to white one of the vandas is sittiing on THAT patch! I am in fact waiting for a delivery of another vanda and I hope Jim is fishing when it comes!
Great your strelitzia has a flower at last. Mine has finished for this season and is now outside.
Hazel.
littlem_2007
15 years ago
hello, Hazel, i think that what killed those vandas was from spraying: the water got trapped between the leaves and rotted the plants. I am alot more careful about spraying now.
Hello, Gill, nice to "see" you on this forum. how are the orchids that your son(?) and fiancee bought you for Christmas?
sue
felixcat
Original Author
15 years ago
My first post was May 25th and I now have five flowering size vandas. I am very pleased to say that the blue one I bought in flower has another spike coming just above the old one so now I know what to look for.I am very suprised as the weather here has been dull and rainy most of the summer not what I would have thought ideal for vandas. All of them have terrific roots.
Hazel.
littlem_2007
15 years ago
hello, Hazel, very nice growing! that is wonderful. i have now got a few more vanda's too (thanks to you). however, mine did not do well in the glass - i have put mine in empty clay pots and they seem to like that OK except for one.
sue
felixcat
Original Author
15 years ago
Hello Sue, I'm so glad you are trying vanda again. Let us know how you get on with the pots. I have just come back from a local nursery holding an orchid festival and they only had four vandas all growing in vases selling for Â£40 they were in flower but not exceptional quality for that price. Most of the other orchids were phalies. Weather here is sunny at the moment so that should keep my vandas happy!! Here's a picture of some of my begonias which have loved the cold weather.

{{gwi:166159}}

Hazel.
greenclaws UK, Zone 8a
15 years ago
Hi there Hazel. Looks like your plants are all happy and flourishing, lovely Begonias you have there. I thought the pic was taken in a flower show marquee then I realised it is in your very own g/h with the shade cloth drawn back. You have a nice set up there for sure.
Our UK gardens are all looking very green and full of life at the moment dont you agree? John complains the grass grows too quick over here. He has just gone round on the tractor mower and done our lawns...left me to do the edging as usual!! Been nice and sunny here today.
I too am now growing orchids, have got the orchid-bug so to speak! Have you seen mine in my post earlier today? Take a peek, I'm only on the easy ones at present, not advanced level like yourself. Meanwhile BoP is flowering well, the 4 plumie seedlings grow like triffids, but Celadine still slow, oh, and the Desert Roses are all fat and chubby! hehe!
Gill.
littlem_2007
15 years ago
hello, Hazel, you definitely have a green thumb: looks like whatever your grow, they grow beautifully. except for one , the vanda's seem to be doing fine in the pots. there are outside under my glass patio table. the glass is slightly smoky so it provides the vandas some shading during the noon hour sun. i have one which i have kept in the sunroom because it has a new spike and i want to enjoy the blooms and not provide a meal to unwanted dinner guests. we have had alot of rain here too; almost like the tropics: thunderstorms almost daily. everthing in my garden either grow like crazy or drown in the excess water. how are your other orchids doing? and what other ones do you have?
sue
felixcat
Original Author
15 years ago
Hello Sue, You must post pictures of your orchids.Sounds like you are having about as good weather as we are here.It dropped to 10 dgrees last night on the windowsill with the vandas and 7 degrees in the greenhouse with the plumerias can't believe how cold it is for August.
Here are a few of my other orchids. I grow cymbidiums,dendrobiums,phalies,oncidiums and I have just one cattleya.
Here's to your good growing.
Hazel.
{{gwi:166160}}

{{gwi:166161}}

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lellie
15 years ago
Beautiful chids, everybody!

Felix...is that Sharry Baby I see?
How, on earth, do you water/hydrate all those tiny, up-ward growing roots without wetting the leaves???!!!???
That's the problem I have...once the leaves get wet, they spot.
What's the trick? LOL
jodik_gw
15 years ago
Gorgeous orchids! The photo of Begonias is lovely, too!

Hazel, your plants are all so healthy looking, and your gardens out the window are beautiful, as well! I wish there more rhododendron and azalea varieties that would survive our winters here in zone 5!
felixcat
Original Author
15 years ago
Hello Lellie, None of my orchids (except the new vandas) are named I have bought them over many years from various nurseries mainly from the bargain counters at greatly reduced prices. I never water over the top except the yellow oncidium to wet the airiel roots and then only when it's warm but not in sunlight.I have just bought a new phalie for half price from Sainsburys Â£5 and I couldn't resist it the markings are gorgeous. I'll try to post a picture later.
Hazel.
felixcat
Original Author
15 years ago
Hello Lellie, Here is my new addition.I'm afraid it's a bit blurred. I reckon it was worth a fiver for the lovely markings.Wait until Jim comes back from fishing! I wonder if he'll notice amongst the others as I'm putting it on the windowsill with them?
Hazel.{{gwi:166164}}
felixcat
Original Author
15 years ago
Hello Jodik, Thank you for your kind comments. If your had a very late flowering rhododendron would you be able to grow one then as the plants seem hardy enough but the flowers would spoil in the cold. We had to get rid of some very early flowering azaleas as the flowers were browned too many times in early spring by the frost. Suppose we were a bit previous now global warming is around!!!
Hazel.
lellie
15 years ago
Hazel...that's beautiful!
If Jim discovers it...you can always ship it to me...hahaha!
littlem_2007
15 years ago
hello, Hazel, your orchids are absolutely beautiful. thanks for sharing!!
sue
jodik_gw
15 years ago
Hazel, there are a few hardy varieties of azaleas and rhododendrons available, but not nearly enough! They're so pretty!

Another nice Phal... I sometimes wonder if my husband even notices the new plants I acquire, but then he'll make a comment about the unusual blooms or something... he never cares, though... he knows how happy plants make me!
littlem_2007
15 years ago
hello, Hazel, here are a few which are flowering right now and couple of vandaceous one which are not in spike but i really enjoy:

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{{gwi:166169}}

{{gwi:166170}}

the last one: I bought it with the spikes emerging.

i started collecting orchids about 5 years ago.

sue
jodik_gw
15 years ago
Beautiful photos, Sue! Lovely plants!

Is that a Clematis to the left in the bottom photo? Is that grown indoors? It's very pretty!
littlem_2007
15 years ago
hello, jodik, yes, it is a clematis. apparently they were grown as houseplants - whatever that means. i will be planting them outside. thanks for our kind comments.
sue
felixcat
Original Author
15 years ago
Hello Sue,WOW!! What a lovely collection. There is no way you could hide those they look huge!! I hope my vandas get to look like that but I will have real trouble growing them in a vase. Thanks for sharing it's nice to have friends with the same interests across the sea.
Hazel.
jodik_gw
15 years ago
It's amazing how "small" the world has become with the advent of the computer and the internet! I love the fact that we can discuss gardening, our passion, with friends all over the world! It's great to learn how others in different countries garden, and what types of plants they can grow! GardenWeb has helped me learn so much more about my hobbies, and I've made some wonderful friends, some on the other side of the globe!

I noticed the clematis because I grow several, all outdoors... but I have seen them for sale here in decorative pots with cute little trellises... I imagine most things could be grown indoors, although for best results, I think outdoors is the ticket!

I sure wish I could grow Vandas like those! The root systems are incredible!
littlem_2007
15 years ago
hello, Hazal, actually, the ones without flowers are very compact - the tallest fan of leaves is about 7". the one with orange flowers is an ascocetrum which is only 5" tall. i don't have that much room so i prefer to buy mini ones. it's wonderful what a camera can do.
hello, jodik, I hope I can grow them like that, too. I had bought those 2 plants about a month ago!! i like clematis too and i also have a few in the garden.
sue
london_kate
15 years ago
Hi all

Now, having received 3 new orchids IÂm gonna have looots of questions!

U have bought Vanda Princess Mikasa Pink in vase, very similar to the one Hazel was talking about, even in the same vase.
It looks ok, probably a bit dried out from the delivery. My main concern is that one leaf has split in half. Well, almost did, but I can see the crack. It is the 2 nd or the 3 rd leaf from the top, rather large one.
In general leaves donÂt look "fatty" and most of them have top dried out, not much, maybe 2-3mm.

Can anyone help me out with a cure for my poor baby? It has about dozen or so flower buds, ready to flower and I donÂt expect dry leaves mean good news for the flowering season.

Kate

PS. Will try to post photos later today
london_kate
15 years ago
here's the photos.

pood things looks so dry and fragile :(

http://i483.photobucket.com/albums/rr191/london_kate/Orchids/Vanda_edit_1.jpg

http://i483.photobucket.com/albums/rr191/london_kate/Orchids/VandaEdit.jpg

Kate
felixcat
Original Author
15 years ago
Hello Kate, I am too new to the vandas to give much advice but I do feel that when we buy from the nurserys here especially in the vases they are gasping for a drink if they have been there from the suppliers (usually Holland) for some time as the sales staff don't really know much and are just there to sell. I have frequently asked sales staff to water plants which look streesed from lack of water. Hopefully some one will advise you. I have discovered that filling the sink with lukewarm water and dunking the vandas for around 30 mins twicw a week has worked well and also kept the vases clean, I can also inspect the roots. I am pleased to say I have another vanda with a little flower spike coming ( vanda Thongchai X Dr.Anek). do hope it doesn't abort.
Good luck and happy growing.
Hazel.
london_kate
15 years ago
Hi Hazel

Thanks for your reply. I "bath" my poor Vanda weekly and spray it every morning before leaving for work.

IÂll do it twice a week now, see if it helps =)
Do you soak only roots or the whole plant?

Kate
felixcat
Original Author
15 years ago
Hello Kate, I only fill the water level to take as far as the top of the little black pots i.e. most of the roots.Any sticky up roots I spray. I think we are supposed to reduce number of dunkings when the winter comes. Unfortunately for us here in the U.K. we get four seasons in one day so I suppose it's a bit of a lottery. My new spike is still growing and I think judging by my other one in flower it will take at least four weeks to be at the flowering stage. If it's O.K. I'll try to post a picture but I'll put it on a new thread as this ones getting long!!!
Hazel.
london_kate
15 years ago
Hazel

I think itÂs good idea and we can see how much you vandaÂs grown since last time.

do you still fertilize it in bloom?

Kate
felixcat
Original Author
15 years ago
Hello Kate, Yes at the moment I do fertilize and put just a few drops into the water once a month while the tips of the roots are showing greeny brown instead of silvery.
I am trying to enjoy them instead of being rigid in a routine and fussing too much!
I am hoping to go to an orchid show on the 29th of this month the day before my 70th birthday and I rather think one of my presents is to choose another orchid. Guess what I'll choose!!! I'll let you know! I will also ask some of the experts advice.
I was fortunate enough to go to the London orchid show many years ago and remember bringing an orchid home on the train. Ah! fond memories!
Hazel.
littlem_2007
15 years ago
hello, Hazel, I can't believe that you are going to be 70 years old!! I saw your photo on the plumie thread: you look so young!! I hope you get something really nice and exclusive.
sue
felixcat
Original Author
15 years ago
Hello Sue, (LittleGem)!!! Thank you for that,you have just knocked several years off me with a confidence boost!!
I hope to take a picture if I get a new orchid but I,ll start another thread.
Thanks again Hazel.
tervnut
13 years ago
What a great thread ... love the photos and info!

Vanda orchid

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