Repotted Vanda

[Jazmyne]

I fell in love with this vanda on a trip to Hawaii and had her shipped home. Then I got to learn all about vandas. Picked up an 8" vanda basket at the Portland Orchid Show this past weekend for my lovely and wanted to share pics from her reporting project.

She was in a 4" plastic basket. I know they're fine this way, but it was ugly and I wanted something more attractive for her to grow into.

First, I soaked her for about half an hour. Roots were nice and flexible.


Then I went about cutting the basket away from the roots. Took a bit because I was careful to not damage the healthy roots.



Untangled the roots and cleaned up all the dead/damaged roots that were bound up in the basket.



Took my time arranging the roots in the basket, but was able to wind them around and get the vanda centered and steady without any other support.





Soaked her and her new basket again before hanging her back up in the window. Pretty happy with my first vanda transplant!

[Sharon's Sheepdogs]

Looks great!

[fishmom]

Really nice looking, and healthy plant!

[Pattywack]

Nice plant, it looks great in the new basket. I love wood baskets.

[MattWoelfsen]

Your Vanda started in a hanging net pot, where the roots were basically hanging free into air. In that configuration the roots received maximum air circulation. The roots were highly visible so it was easy to see how hydrated the roots are. Vanda need a lot of water but the roots have to dry out before the next time it is watered. Be careful about watering this Vanda in the new basket. You have wrapped the roots within the basket so watch how hydrated the roots are before watering again. You are growing your Vanda above your kitchen sink so it will get a lot of relative humidity. In addition to relative humidity, ensure the Vanda gets plenty of fresh, moving air to prevent crown rot, In what direction is your kitchen window? Vanda need a lot of bright light. Some varieties can grow in sunshine. What is the name of your Vanda?

[WalkingHorse]

In addition to MattWoelfsen's great advice I would secure the plant in the basket. Most Vanda growers that use baskets (vs wire) will secure (tie-down) a plant in whatever type of basket is used. Roots rubbing on the side of the basket is not good and will inhibit growth of those roots. Be certain it is stable and cannot move/rub against the slats.

[estación seca]

Excellent advice above. You wouldn't be able to overwater that inside a house unless you let it sit in a bowl of water all the time. You can water as soon as the roots turn from green to white.

[Jazmyne]

The vanda was tagged as a kulwadee red.
Thanks for the advice. It's nice to know there are such helpful people out there if I have questions.

[Fairorchids]

And now a different view:

If you want to spend less time watering, you can fill the basket with a mix of 2 parts spaghnum & 1 part bark/charcoal (Cattleya size nuggets). Pack it firmly with your fingers, but do not tamp it down the way you do with Cattleya mix.

In the greenhouse, with this potting mix we water once a week in the winter, and twice a week the rest of the year.

I have grown all my Vandaceous plants (100+) this way for 20+ years. If you count my dad's orchid nursery, then this method goes back to 1948.

[MattWoelfsen]

Jazmyn, following on to what Fairorchids suggest, I actually grow my Vanda totally different from baskets. I grow my big Vanda bare root and on a single wire. This is visually not appealing if you use orchids to decorate your house. I have to admit that I am an orchid hoarder and having my Vanda on wire saves space. I also add Spanish Moss to the bare roots to help with relative humidity.



I recently acquired these plants from Florida. They grow bare root, and I follow their example. I have to hydrate these plants every day. I spend this time as a meditation in order for me to prepare for a stressful workday.