Julie Rutledge's List: Vanda Orchids

• Vandas are monopodial.
• Vandas prefer to be kept on the warm side. Plants thrive when the   nighttime temperatures are between 55 to 70°F and daytime temperatures   between 65 to 95°F.
• Vandas grown in baskets require watering often. Plants need to   be watered daily during the summer.
• Vandas should dry out in between watering. Try to water the plants   early in the day, so that the foliage will be dry by nightfall.   To prevent bacterial and fungal disease use Physan   20 once a month.
• Vandas prefer 60 to 80% humidity. A high humidity is essential during   the growing season, from early spring through late fall.
• Vandas are heavy feeders. They must be fertilized on a regular basis!
• Common pests associated with Vandas are scale and spider mites.   X-CLUDE, an encapsulated   pyrethrum time-release insecticide, is the most efficient method   of pest control.

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• The recommended day temperature for Vanda orchids is 75 - 85˚ F (24 - 29˚ C). If you want to provide your plant with ideal Vanda orchid care, you should lower the temperature to 65-75˚ F (18-24˚ C) during the night to mimic the conditions found in the natural Vanda orchid habitat.
• ellow leaves indicate overexposure to strong sunlight, while dark green leaves indicate that your orchid needs more sun. Strive to keep the leaves light green.
• Suitable Vanda orchid care that includes sufficient amounts of feeding can make your orchid bloom more than once a year.
• Do not disturb your Vanda orchid by repotting it too often. Wait until the orchid has outgrown its old pot before you repot. This will typically take 2-3 years during normal circumstances.

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• anda are monopodial   orchids, and most are epiphytic.

  • Vascular plants with monopodial growth habits grow upward from a single point. They add leaves to the apex each year and the stem grows longer accordingly. The word Monopodial is derived from Greek "mono-", one and "podial", "foot", in reference to the fact that monopodial plants have a single trunk or stem.
    
    Orchids with monopodial growth often produce copious aerial roots that often hang down in long drapes and have green chlorophyll underneath the grey root coverings which are used as additional photosynthetic organs.
• plants have flat, leathery   leaves. This category includes such vanda species as coerulea,   dearei, luzonica, merrillii, tricolor and sanderiana,   as well as the ascocentrums.
• Strap-leaved
• orchids have tapering, pencil-shaped   leaves which are circular in transverse cross-section. The most   common species in this group are V. teres and V. hookeriana.
• Terete
• Semi-teretes, as they are referred to   here, are a hybrid combination with some terete species in the   background. Their leaves are somewhat pencil-shaped and tapered   but not always completely round in cross-section.

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• They really don't like anything but perhaps large chunks of charcoal (not the barbeque type) in their containers.
• I soak mine in a five gallon bucket for 5 to 10 minutes. I add fertilizer to the bucket so the plants receive a diluted amount every time they're soaked.
• Plus, the wood will hold some moisture that the roots will absorb during the day.
• However, if you have a very bright east or south window and you can water daily, that should work. If you find that the new to middle-aged leaves are starting to wrinkle, sometimes just adding a temporary thin layer of sphagnum moss or draping the plant with Spanish moss to hold the moisture a bit longer is all you need.

  • don't get water in the crown.
• you need to keep that window area where the plant is at a minimum of 55-60F at night.
• If it's too cool, maybe move the plant further into the room.
• grow my vandas in unglazed clay pots without much medium - just some coconut husk (strands) or a bit of spanish moss drapped very loosely over the roots .. (smwboxer, i like the idea of tree fern chunks) - I put and unglazed clay saucer upsidedown in the clay pot so that the roots don't touch the bottom and i set the whole thing in a saucer with water in it. the water level is below the inside saucer so that the roots don't "sit" in water but gets the humidity.
• Vandas in general do not like to be desturbed that means any sudden change can piss them off . They need air flowing in through that basket..Misting 2-3x a day as they can not hold the water long. Never using cold water make sure it is about room temp or warmer not hot. or plant gets shocked.
• Fillers like packing foam from boxes ..pumous stones coconut husks..charcoal are great but let lots of air get in ..Hang near a sunny window when inside .
• Depending on what type vanda it is sunlight in morning strong and less in afternoon.
• Any sign of stress the leaves will wrinkle up and bend turn yellow and die.

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• Intermediate to warm growing
    12 - 28 C (53 - 82F) 
• All of the Vandas are epiphytic and grow on the trunks or branches of   trees, this allows their aerial roots free access to any moisture in the   atmosphere. They can grow in to tall plants up to 3 to 4' high and are   generally grown in either baskets or on cork bark with the roots hanging   down.
• Vandas like plenty of water during the growing season and if your   plants are grown in baskets or on cork bark they should be watered   every day from June through September.
• During the remainder of the   year Vandas should not be allowed to dry our but kept evenly moist   at all times. Once Vandas have flowered it is best to give them   a mini rest of 2 to 3 weeks, during this period allow the plants   to dry before watering them again - don't over do it though.
• Re pot these plants sparingly   otherwise you take the risk of no flowers
• This is the best way of growing a Vanda orchid, in a basket of   some form where the roots are allowed to dangle naturally below   the plant as they would in the forest canopy

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