Received a Japanese Vanda as a Gift… Help

[Accidentalnurse]

I’ve had this Vanda since March 18th - it was a gift from Japan from a very close friend and I really want it to grow. The friend knew I loved plants and has been asking every few days for updates… I’m currently pretty sad thinking this guy isn’t gonna make it. The roots were small but the plant looked good overall. I posted on Reddit in r/orchids and got one comment of advice.

We’re now at April 2nd, the top leaf is yellowing/browning and there’s been no new root growth.

He sits in a south facing window getting about 2000-4000 foot candles of light a day for about 10-12 hours, I’ve been doing the 15 minute soaks in rooting hormone water like someone recommended in a reddit post, and I’ve been rinsing the roots under water in the morning and evening. The roots look more brown/cracked, there’s no additional growth and the leaf is looking worse. The room is around 70° and the humidity stays at high 50s low 60s.

What can I do? I really want to save him.

Included updated photos from today. Should I plan a funeral? It’s crazy how invested I am in this.

[Accidentalnurse]

Here is a link to the Reddit post:

Reddit - The heart of the internet

[Roberta]

First, Welcome!

Your challenge will be to keep the plant from dehydrating until it can grow some more roots. A soak for a couple of hours in a solution of Kelpak (a very good root stimulant) for a start. Then, to keep humidity up around the plant, perhaps a plastic bag (open at the bottom), spray it down and water daily. Maybe a nice damp environment like your shower. You likely will lose some leaves (it's one way the plant responds to "drought", reducing the amount of leaf surface where transpiration takes place). But there's hope. It'll take awhile (progress is measured in months not days, orchids do everything slowly even when healthy), but there is hope. Others on the Board will certainly have some more suggestions.

[estación seca]

The root loss is a bad problem but the plant might still survive.

The yellow/brown spot represents heat damage. The light is too intense.

Your room temperature is adequate to keep it alive, but it would prefer being warmer.

Vandas use a lot of water. They are fine with tap water. They need their roots thoroughly soaked at least once a day in warm, humid climates. Even in cooler climates they need daily watering. They need to become completely dry before the next watering. The relative humidity is OK but to compensate for being somewhat low your plant needs to take up lots of water. Unfortunately somebody cut off most of the roots. That will make it very difficult to take up enough water. The root loss is the main problem here. I never cut orchid roots.

Vandas also require plenty of fertilizer, more than most other orchids.

One application of rooting hormone is enough. What did you use?

I suggest soaking the roots in a bowl of water for 4 hours, once or twice per day, being sure they are dry before soaking again. That will give the plant more time to absorb water without rotting roots. If the leaves still have fine linear wrinkles after a few days of that, increase the soaking time.

Every 5th soaking use fertilizer solution to soak, at the rate of 1 teaspoon of a powdered 20-20-20 or similar fertilizer per gallon of soaking water.

It will probably drop some leaves before it grows enough roots to supply the plant. Keep us informed.

[Blueszz]

In your reddit post I see you try to pot it. I don't know if that's the way to go here.

I think bare root is your way to go. If you pot the plant, it will always wiggle in the pot as it's top heavy. And a plant that wiggles never will grow healthy roots as the root tips will get damaged over and over again.

I think it's best to find a way to hang this plant, roots exposed.

I have several Vanda's that I grow indoors during late fall through the end of spring. Mine have a healthy root system but I still soak them for several hours a day. It's important that the roots dry in between.

The roots on your plant are healthy, green after being watered. Make sure that where once the root ball started, dries up between waterings too.

New root growth will take a while. Orchids are slow in what they do, also slow in growing roots. Orchids teach patience.

ES gave you excellent advise.

[Accidentalnurse]

Thank you all so much for these replies. I’m so glad to have the guidance and should’ve came here first.

[estación seca]

Also look up posts here from jcec1 on growing Vandas in glass vases. He lives north of you, in the UK, and has success.

I'd like to reiterate there is a strong possibility your plant will drop some or a lot of leaves before it recovers. Don't give up.

[Accidentalnurse]

Hi everyone! I’ve been following everyone’s instructions. He’s now hanging, gets a water soak for a few hours every day and gets completely dry between soaks (honestly he’s dry within a few hours). I haven’t noticed any root growth. Maybe the bump on the roots is slightly bigger?

I also followed the advice of someone and pulled on that top yellow/brown leaf, it came right off very easily and no further browning/yellowing has occurred.

I know someone mentioned it’ll take months to see root growth/progress, so I’m trying to remain patient. He hasn’t died yet 😅

[Roberta]

Patience, patience. Orchid progress is measured in months - or even years. A few days or weeks mean nothing. The solution to the "patience problem"? More orchids! If you have enough plants you increase the odds that some will be doing something, distracting you from the ones aren't at the moment.

That's how I got into the fix that I am in... 'way too many.

[Accidentalnurse]

That’s exactly what I wanted to hear. Just checking in with the pros 🥰 I have about 50 other houseplants, thankfully all doing well, which leaves me to worry about this one. I’ll stay the course!