Click below for a closer look.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:176111}}

Is that 9 - zone 9 Florida? I see the Spanish moss. You may want to drape some of the moss around the roots of the vanda to hold a little more moisture around the roots. I grow mine in full morning sun. They are in light shade from noon until around 1:00pm, then dappled shade the rest of the day. Vanda likes a lot of sun, but move it out slowly so you don't burn it. And, don't just mist it with the hose - soak it. Dripping wet, until you see the roots turn green. Also they are heavy feeders, so you might want to fertilize "weakly - weekly" ....some fert more often than that.
{{gwi:176121}}
You may find that when it is really hot out, you will need to water more than once a day. I also grow vandas in large clay vases sitting in a shallow bowl of water. The roots are not in anything at all (no medium and not touching the water in the bottom) but the clay wicks up moisture to the roots and puts to rest the watering two, three times a day on very hot days. I would like to move the one in the basket (above) to this method, but I would most likely destroy the plant in the process.
{{gwi:176123}}
Best of luck with yours!!
Pat....

Hi, I've just joined the world of orchid (ing?). I fell in love with one at my local pot store, and then got a variety off ebay...and learned my lesson about caveat emptor. I wound up with two very small vandas, a medium dendr "in spike" although the spike is all brown and the roots look awful, and two mysteries that I think might be anther den and a cat, respectively. They're all in LECA pots, I'm wondering if this is ok, or if I need to change to baskets for the vandas and bark for the others? Thanks, I appreciate any help!

Some months ago, one of the then regulars here (Howard) wrote a wonderful piece comparing orchids with the Aquarium Hobby. You cannot grow everything together in the one set of conditions.

But no-one has ever written a this goes with that piece on orchids..

Will the two Vandas, the medium Den and the other Den live together happily and bloom?

Perhaps they might if you can provide a set of conditions where they would all be happy.

Happy might be a daily range of say 60 to 85F, humidity say about 50%. Sunlight filtered by something depending on the latitude where you live.

Just writing all this stuff to show that the wonderful world of orchid is sometimes difficult. All you can do, if starting, is to try a read as much as possible. observe, read past posts on this forum and from there hopefully you will have some success.

Pat, I love the vase idea. Yours is beautiful! While at the WOC, we found a grower who put vandas in clay pots and I have one growing this way. How long has your plant been growing in the vase?

Thanks Sheila! It's been in there about a year. I bought those plants above at the same time and they were the same size - both V. Robert's Delight 'Garnet Beauty' - Lowe's rejects - $2.00 each. I put one in the basket and one in the vase. I'm sold on the "clay vase method" - the one in the basket has put in about three or four new leaves, while the one in the vase just exploded in growth..LOL...and the roots wound around the inside of that vase are just HUGE! I have lava rock in the bottom of the vase up to about a 4th of it's overall height. And I drilled a whole in the bottom. So there is water just below the lava in the vase. I saw this done at an orchid nursery here some time ago and wanted to try it. I've had the clay vase for years and years. I just KNEW it would come in handy some day....;0)
Pat...

Hi Pat. I'm in Southern California, about a mile from the ocean. For the time being, I've got the Vanda hanging like it is in the photo. For the past couple of days I've put a vase full of water where the bottom of the roots can hang in the water for about 30 minutes a day. Based on what you've told me, I guess I'll try to set up a system like what you have. However, it looks like I'd have to prune the roots if I want to do that, especially if I'm going to move it to a sunnier spot. Will it hurt the plant if I cut the roots back drastically?

I just got a light meter and it indicates my plants in the sun are getting about 6,000 foot-candles in the middle of the day. My dendrobiums seem to love that, but I think it may be a bit too bright for oncidiums. They seem to prefer a little dappled shade.

I really wouldn't cut healthy roots off. The soaking you are doing sounds good to me. Maybe just try that for a month or two and see what you've got. The reason I don't move the plant above is because I would loose a lot of roots. That always sets a plant back - WAY back - lol. 6000fc is fine for a Vanda. Just be sure it's not to much to fast. My dens are also in high light and love it. But yes, 6000fc would fry an oncid at noon in the Florida sun. It sounds like you are on the right track!
Good Luck!!
Pat....

Hi Ltecato, when my Vanda roots get too long, I soak them in luke warm water (in the bath tub) for a good 30 minutes. When the roots are nice and pliable, i tie them into loose knots (maybe 4 or 5 roots to a knot). In doing this, you do not destroy the root system & allow them to continue to grow longer. At Goodwin orchids, they have a few old plants that are hanging 6 feet off the ground with 6 or 8 knots made in the roots. Good luck!

Pat, love the idea of the Vanda inside the clay basin!

-Ray-

Hi everyone, thanks for all the great ideas!
Ltecato, I'm really jealous, the ones I got don't look anything like yours, they're maybe 2" wide. some day, maybe, they'll get that big!

arthurm, I think maybe I wasn't clear, they're each in a separate pot of LECA, spread all over the house to see which one does best where. A mixed potting is an idea, though, maybe for when I've got a better clue...hmmm, may need more orchids....

Pat, I love your pot idea, I went and got some clay pots today. We've got a pot importer right on the way to work, terrible, addictive place with great prices. I'm thinking about trying a mixed set up, as in CO dryness is the enemy. Maybe between the s/h and the clay, I'll strike the right balance.

This has been great to check in with through the day and see the ideas, thanks to all!
Liz

Trimming vanda roots by 1/3 will stimulate nice fat branching new roots, and will NOT harm them. I learned this from a program presented by Mike Coronado of RF Orchids about ten years ago, and each Spring my vandas get their annual "haircut". I grow outdoors on hanging wires, with no media, high light, weekly feeding and dailysoaking. I am in Florida, zone 10, and there are about a dozen at a time in bloom year round.

ltecato wrote, "I just got a light meter and it indicates my plants in the sun are getting about 6,000 foot-candles in the middle of the day. My dendrobiums seem to love that, but I think it may be a bit too bright for oncidiums. They seem to prefer a little dappled shade."

Congratulations on the new light meter! I have been using one for almost one year. It's very helpful.

The Dendrobiums and Oncidiums together have nearly 2000 species. Who knows how many hybrids!? Which Oncidium do you have?

My Oncidium flexuosum easily takes full sunlight (almost 9000 fc) at midday. Baker writes, "1800-2500 fc". I don't agree. :-)

--Stitz--

Stitzelweller, I don't have a light meter, but I was reading in a general plant book about using a manual camera, on ISO 100, at 1/125 sec shutter speed, to gauge your light. The reading that corresponds to "good light, but not strong direct sunlight" is f8-11. This is according to "The complete houseplant handbook" by Peter McHoy. What do you think, can I use this instead of a light meter?

Thanks,
Liz

PS-Checked the weather gauge, we're having a sultry, 15% humidity day!

Pcan - I always enjoy your photos... your orchids are gorgeous and healthy looking!

I have a question about the Vanda in pottery... how will you get it out when it grows too big for that vase? Or won't it reach that size? It's a great idea, and really looks awesome!

Unfortunately, Vandas are not an orchid type I can grow in the conditions I have at present, but they do look tempting.

Liz,

I will pass on any answer for your question. I'm not qualified.

Surely, we will read an educated response, soon! :-)

--Stitz--

Stitz,
Thank you, it will probably be along the lines of, "try it and see", but wasn't sure if this was one of those things everybody but me knows, since this is a new obsession for me. I'll try the light meter thing for real tomorrow and report. My guess is that I'll have not quite enough light to keep them happy, and then the experiments will continue. Once a geek, still a geek, I guess.

Liz

Jodik thanks! And that is a VERY good question....lol...
If I ever have to take it out of that pot, I think I'll have to break the pot. The roots are so *stuck* to the inside that I ......Oh! .. I just don't want to even think about it....LOL.

Liz - I got my light meter from a seller on ebay. 30 or 40 bucks. One of the best orchid related investments I ever made. Things I thought were in "enought light" - weren't. Some things I thought I had shaded enough - just weren't. Light is tricky to the human eye I guess. Go to ebay and type in 'light meter' and look around. Light meters really cut back on the guess work.....;0)If you decide to get one, be sure it reads over 2000fc. That seems to be the cut off point for some of them. I'll load a picture of mine if you need/want me to.
Pat...

Thanks, Pat. Your email stimulated me to get off my lazy
---.

The light meter which I use was a gift from a fellow orchidist whose company use to sell these things. It is externally labeled "Meterman LM631". Here is a web page with details:
http://www.tequipment.net/WavetekLM631.html

Hope this helps!

--Stitz--

thanks Pat and Stitz, I did try my camera this morning, and it's reading f16, but it's on ASA 400. So I think that means I need to convert down to f12....or borrow a light meter for a bit and figure out how they translate.

For now, I think I'll leave them all where they are, and see how things are in a month. These guys tend to grow fairly slowly, right? So I shouldn't be surprised not to see much after less than a week?

Alot of the roots on the plants I got were really desicated, how long should I expect to wait till they plump up, or do they need a bath for an hours or so? Or, I hesitate to suggest it, but maybe I should just leave them alone and quit bugging them. I hate waiting for something to happen.

Thanks again, I'll keep you posted!
Liz

Hi,
I found the conversion on the web; sure enough, I've only got about 1000 fc at 1 pm. It was a little brighter earlier in the day, but still nowhere near the 6000 fc you were talking about earlier. Time for grow lights? But, I don't have to buy a separate light meter now!

regards,
liz

Here is a link that might be useful: f -stop conversion link

IMO Liz, a Vanda isn't going to do a thing in 1000fc, but sulk. Catts and Dens will grow to some extent, but to really bloom them they need high light as well. I can't help you on lights. I know nothing about them. I grew under the trees for years, and now grow my orchids in a greenhouse and under a shade house. But if you search the forum, there is a lot of info on lights.
Good luck!
Pat.......

"try it and see" is right on the money. I never, ever tell someone that they cannot grow something. BUT, have to agree with Pat "a Vanda isn't going to do a thing in 1000fc, but sulk".
Consider the orchid in the photo below. It is growing intertwined in a shrub in a Sydney garden. Though you can see Palm trees in the distance...this is not the tropics. Do not know how many footcandles it gets on a Sunny Day because light is not a problem here. The blue tint in the flowers comes from Vanda coerulea influence which also imparts "cool tolerance".
I am trying to grow a few "Vandas" by wintering them indoors. They are getting a few hours of sunlight on sunny days where the sunlight is filtered by a matchstick blind. Again, no idea of foot candles but did get leaf burn on a struggling Phal. that a friend gave me to see if i could get to flower.

Vanda teres? suspect it has to grow big to flower?

{{gwi:176126}}

Dear Pat and Arthurm,
Yes, I was quite disappointed too, but I had a good idea what the answer was going to be even before I figured the conversion. Since I'm a little OCD about these things, I'll probably scrounge a light meter from somewhere and validate my results, just in case it's not as bad as I thought. Hope springs eternal, etc.

Since everything is still acclimating, I've probably got a couple of weeks to figure things out.

I grew up on the East Coast, humidty and light were never an issue there, except Jan-Mar. Here, it's generally sunny, we've gone rock climbing on New Years' in shorts, but it's very different. Reclaimed desert, actually.

Thanks for the beautiful picture arthurm, my little vandas are going to be blue also, someday (manuvadee blue FCC?) when they get big.

Pat, what is a shade house, just like it sounds?

Thanks for the info, I appreciate it!
Liz

My "shade house" is actually the arbor my husband built in front of my greenhouse to block some of the sun from the south. He soon found himself putting shade cloth on the top . So.... I now call it my "shade house" - I have a some of the sun loving orchids hung under there, and some other plants as well. Here is a distant shot of it. If you go to my "my page" and click on the photobucket link there are some more pictures of it down that first page a bit.
{{gwi:176129}}

Stitz, I don't know exactly what kind of oncidium I have, except that it was from that company that sells "exotic Hawaiian plants." It was just a pbulb and a few roots when I got it. Bigger now but hasn't flowered... but I expect it to now that I'm learning how to take better care of it.

If anyone cares, I recently added some shading for a few of my plants. I bought a roll of black fiberglass window screen at Home Depot and put two layers of it over the plants I was worried about getting sunburn. When the direct sunlight is 6,000 fc, the light under the shade will be 5,000... assuming my meter is trustworthy.

Sorry, ltecato, I got distracted and horned in on your thread. Your patio looks beautiful, where are your plants you're worried about sunburning? That might be the answer for some of our other plants out in the yard, we're short on shade. How did you rig a frame for them, or did you just lay it over loose?
Liz

ltecato wrote, "I bought a roll of black fiberglass window screen at Home Depot and put two layers of it over the plants I was worried about getting sunburn. When the direct sunlight is 6,000 fc, the light under the shade will be 5,000... assuming my meter is trustworthy."

After TWO layers of " window screen" you indicate a reduction of only 16%?

I just measured light levels. I live in Md, 39th parallel.

8600 fc, mostly sunny, few clouds
5100 fc, under a typical bug screen (storm door type)

That's a reduction of about 40%. These measurements are consistent with many others that I have made.

For a start, your 6000 fc seems low for direct sunlight....

--Stitz--

"If anybody cares" .......indeed.

My apologies, 1tecato.

For my part, it won't happen again.

Everybody, no apologies necessary, I just didn't know if what I posted was all that relevant.

Liz, I have one of those "greenhouses" that's really just metal grate shelves with a zip-up plastic cover, except I've left the cover off. I just stapled the screen over the "roof" part of it. It only shades the middle of it because I wanted some the plants to keep getting direct light at noon.

Stitz, you are probably right. The meter only cost me about $20 at a garden store. I'll keep using it to see if I get any higher readings in direct light. Maybe the smog from LA is shading us more than I thought, or even some fog from the ocean.

Anyway, I'm thinking of hanging the vanda from a big philodendron that's growing on the property here. It has a lot of aerial roots, so maybe I could just nestle the plant in there and place a container at the bottom to fill with water for soaking. It'll get a lot more light there.

Ltecato-

Sorry, been out of town. So, did you hang the vanda outside? I think my camera might be out of whack, too, even outside at noon I'm not getting the same kind of readings Stitz is, and that's on a cloudless day. May have to invest in a meter after all...

I like your greenhouse, it seems practical. It might be a good compromise for me, too, I'll have to check it out; the screen might be just what I need.

Just got a new orchid tonight in the mail, it's a Milt Eastern Bay Claret Punch. We'll see how easy it is to keep it alive, and maybe even get some blooms sometime.

regards,
Liz

PS-It's all been really relevant, I've been getting a ton of great ideas from you and everyone else, thank you! After 2 days away, everything looks better than it did when I left.

Liz, the "greenhouse" really was a bargain. My wife bought it for me at Lowe's for 50 cents! Don't know why they had it marked down so much, because everything was in the box.

Anyway, I haven't hung the Vanda from the philodendron yet, but I'll probably do that soon. All my other orchids are doing far better than I expected. Some of the dens that arrived in March are still lush with flowers. One of my phals is already reblooming and another one has started to add a leaf. I never knew it could be so easy, mainly because before I was dealing with plants that someone else gave me because they were in poor condition.