Help: Vandas and Dendrobiums never flowered and one not well

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

If you choose to grow your plants on trees, sometimes it's alot easier to grow them.

Again keep in mind the amount of light they need and the temperature range they can handle.

[trinimom]

We live in Central Trinidad...

[Buds!]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

First:

Your Vanda not only needs more light, it needs more water. It's got thin roots. Thin roots mean it's not getting enough moisture. Not enough moisture also means droopy leaves.

I grow my Vandas in diatomite. Diatomite is a bit tricky to use, but once you figure it out, it does wonders. It is a highly porous rock and retains a lot of moisture. The medium doesn't get waterlogged like moss does, allowing your Vanda's roots to breathe. It doesn't compact or decompose so you can keep growing in the same material for years, no need for changing media. And you save time and water by using it instead of spraying or soaking the plant for 1/2 an hour. If you're growing indoors, watering once a week is good enough with diatomite. If you grow outdoors (only grow outdoors if it doesn't go below 60 degrees F), watering everyday during the warmer months will be no problem.

What an interesting way of growing vandas.
Do you fill the pot all the way up to the top? I have heard that some growers only fill one third of the pot.
Are you able to share some pics?
Thank you!

[thakshila smith]

YOU HAVE MENTIONED THAT YOU KEEP THEM IN SHED .
Here we do not keep them in a shed but a place covered
with 50 % shade cloth or under a tree shade .
You know we do not get any winters there for no need to cover it .
Some people grow dens under palm trees in open sun.
And keeping them in a pot is not suitable for us I suppose. We get plenty of sun , moist and fert there for them grow crazy and wild it is necessary to provide ample space.

[Lilandra]

well the shed is an open place, just with a roof covering.
but as people/you have said they need more sun we will work on moving them out...slowly

i will print this and we will try our best

thanks!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by Buds!

What an interesting way of growing vandas.
Do you fill the pot all the way up to the top? I have heard that some growers only fill one third of the pot.
Are you able to share some pics?
Thank you!

Yes, I have pics. I have a Vanda coerulea and Vanda luzonica both potted in diatomite since some time last year. They've put out strong roots this spring and are continuing to sprout them from the bottom only. Both are non-blooming sized plants.

I also have a Opst 'Selene' (I'm not sure if this is the full cultivar name, and I don't know the full intergeneric hybrid name) grown in diatomite as well. Another one I grow this way is Papilionanthe vandarum. Both have been with me for around 2 or 3 years.

Recently I purchased a blooming sized Vanda merillii and potted it in diatomite. I will post a pic of it later if you like.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

BTW Opst is some sort of intergeneric cross of Rhynchostylis. Opst 'Selene' definitely has Rhynchostylis gigantea in its bloodline. I don't know what the other parent is.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Here're more pics of Vanda coerulea and Vanda luzonica.

[thakshila smith]

This is how we mount them on a tree or some block of wood.wood

[thakshila smith]

this is mounted on a tree .they get ample sun light .