New to Orchids - bought vanda seedlings without realizing difficulties.

[TomThumb]

Hi Everyone!

I just started collecting orchids three weeks ago because my mother loves the ones we see at the hospital. Of course I jumped in before doing research and got Vanda seedlings since i have airplants. I thought oh they're like airplants!. Of course i did my research right before they arrived and realized i was in trouble.

I have five little seedlings. Three are doing very well with no issues and starting to grow new roots. One was doing well? her roots are thinner and more fragile than the other seedlings and just today i noticed a purplish blush to her crown so now i'm not so sure she's ok. The last one arrived with a clipped leaf and the remnants of a leaf that had been removed close to the stem. This one is suffering. My decision is to keep them bare rooted for now (i had tried sphagnum before i realized how badly off the last one was) and do a good roots only soak for an hour a day early in the morning and a light wetting in the late afternoon. Hopefully the two ailing ones will survive as one of them is my favorite. (tessellata x luzonica which are a hybrid of my two favorite vandas so far.)

Of course after realizing i got the difficult vandas i decided to order a bunch of spiking phals. I repotted a week in (just in time as i noticed the one time i watered them they hadn't dried out at all. Turns out they were packed in super dense sphag) and they seem to be doing fine with the buds growing bigger and some leaf growth (this was unexpected as the phals are in bud. I thought they would conserve energy and not actively grow but who knows?!)

Anyway, good to meet everyone!....and yes i have another phal and a cattleya on the way.....

[Dollythehun]

Can't help with the Vanda's but, welcome!

[TomThumb]

Thank you!

so today i worked on them and i realized the purple tinge is really a reaction to too much light. It's the 'reddish' tinge that leaves are supposed to get when they get more than enough light but it's not a burn.

So.....we'll see.

[estación seca]

Welcome!

Vandas need a lot of water and a lot of light. Turning purplish is not a problem. If bare-root they need watering every day. If relative humidity is on the low side the roots will need to be wet - that is, green - for several hours each day.

There is an extensive Vanda thread here. Look through it. Click on Forums on the left, then scroll down to the Vanda forum.

Also, if you subscribe to the Motes Orchids Web site they will send you a monthly newsletter on what to do that month for growing Vandas.

[rbarata]

...the 'reddish' tinge that leaves are supposed to get when they get more than enough light but it's not a burn.

Better...."...the 'reddish' tinge that leaves are supposed to get when they get enough light but it's not a burn."

[TomThumb]

Hi Thanks! I have browsed a little and i'm watching a lot of youtube videos.

So i think i have fusarium. I did some pruning today and while the seedlings look healthy i'm pretty sure that 2...maybe 3 of them are infected. One arrived already infected as it was already clearly pruned with a clipped leaf and a left over leaf sheaf. Hopefully the other two are going to be ok. I have them all separated with only their roots wet when they are watered since i have them suspended in net pots with their roots dangling. I really hope they will be ok. One of the healthy ones is actually pushing out two new roots.



EDIT:
ok i think only one is infected. The other ones are definitely a reddish tinge on the leaves at the edges that were closest to the light. Who knows. I will continue caring for all of them so we will see! I bought a separate terrarium tray/dome to keep the ones that are definitely healthy so that they are kept far apart!

Originally Posted by estación seca

Welcome!

Vandas need a lot of water and a lot of light. Turning purplish is not a problem. If bare-root they need watering every day. If relative humidity is on the low side the roots will need to be wet - that is, green - for several hours each day.

There is an extensive Vanda thread here. Look through it. Click on Forums on the left, then scroll down to the Vanda forum.

Also, if you subscribe to the Motes Orchids Web site they will send you a monthly newsletter on what to do that month for growing Vandas.

---------- Post added at 05:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:19 PM ----------

True, but since they are seedlings they can't take so much light. one of them only has 2.5 inch long leaves and that is the one most affected with this red tinge on it's most delicate baby leaf. The other ones are a bit larger with 3.75-4.75 inch long leaves. I actually got a light meter and they're receiving about 2000FC which should be ok but i think that one is just a bit too young. I moved it a bit further from the light to 1500FC.

EDIT: was reading my light meter incorrectly and didn't notice the 'x10' in the corner. My seedlings were definitely getting way more light than they needed. They are now adjusted to 3500FC which is within the range of suggested 3000-4000 FC though they're supposed to be able to handle 10,000-12,000FC.

Originally Posted by rbarata

Better...."...the 'reddish' tinge that leaves are supposed to get when they get enough light but it's not a burn."

[estación seca]

You almost certainly don't have fusarium. Stop watching whatever channel suggested that to you. Fusarium does not manifest in Vandas with a red hue to the leaves. It manifests as roots suddenly shrinking down to threads even if humidity and watering are correct. People outside high-humidity climates don't need to worry about fusarium, especially in Vandas.

And stop pruning. Let leaves and roots alone until they turn brown and fall off on their own.

[TomThumb]

I only pruned the leaf that was already clipped and turned brown at the base and yellowed in the middle! I'm being careful. The leaf was definitely rotting and dying? My humidity a few days ago was 75-80% indoors and 78-80 Fahrenheit . It rained yesterday and the humidity went down to 57-60%
EDIT: i will also point out that that leaf was trapped under the left over dried leaf sheaf of a leaf that was removed by the nursary. I think water was trapped under that old sheaf that i finally removed to see brown on the leaf that I removed today.

The reddish tinge is definitely light sensitivity. I realized i was reading my light meter incorrectly as i dindt notice the x10 in the corner and my vandas were getting 16,000FC+. Waaaaaay more than they need. They were super close to the light.

Originally Posted by estación seca

You almost certainly don't have fusarium. Stop watching whatever channel suggested that to you. Fusarium does not manifest in Vandas with a red hue to the leaves. It manifests as roots suddenly shrinking down to threads even if humidity and watering are correct. People outside high-humidity climates don't need to worry about fusarium, especially in Vandas.

And stop pruning. Let leaves and roots alone until they turn brown and fall off on their own.

[Bud]

I also live in New York, so its not hard for you to grow Vandas. I grow different kinds of Vandas and you may look at my past postings and I describe how I care for my Vandas. Just follow the culture and remember where your Vandas originally came from. You might have some hybrids and lab grown, so they are pampered more than the ones in its original habitat.

[TomThumb]

Thanks Bud!.

I have a very warm apartment with 3 south facing windows although one of them is slightly blocked by the building to my immediate right. My other windows are east and west facing. I have windows on three sides. My apartment is kept warm because i live with and care for my elderly mother who prefers it at about 70-75 Fahrenheit and complains anytime i turn the AC on. As a result the humidity in my apartment goes up pretty high. I have a hygrometer and was pretty surprised by the reading when i first tried it out since my part was at 70% humidity. It's now at 57-60% after it rained yesterday.

I am also supplementing with artificial lighting since the daylight gets blocked during parts of the day by surrounding buildings. The artificial lights were set too close to the seedlings so the most fragile one was a little overwhelmed. I didnt realize this until today.

I have some fans on the way to provide a mild 'breeze'. I will also purchase a humidifier before winter hits as the heating system can really be very drying.

While i did purchase 'difficult' plants without realizing it, i will be doing my best to treat them well. I will