When planting a Vanda in Sphagnum Moss only, do you let it dry all of the way out bef
 

Hello all,

I have had my vandas for years just hanging bare root from wire hangers and dutifully watering then daily.

I decided to plant them in pots with a mixture of 90% sphagnum moss and 10 % perlite. I have them in well ventilated plastic pots.

My question is, should I let them go dry to the bone before watering again?

Or should I wait until it's almost dry before watering?

I let my other orchids go bone dry or very close to it over the course of 7 or 8 days between watering and so far so good. I had to just get used to watching that moss get crunchy or very close to it.

But I have never put vandas in moss before and so far it is the favorite medium (once you finally get the hang of it, lol).

And thank you all so very much in advance

My experience with vandas in sphagnum is nothing but root loss.

Oh wow Ray, I sure hope mine will not do that

Same as Ray says. Only way I've kept them successfully in the long run is hanging bare root, or growing in a very tall large vase with roots hanging free inside the vase.

Thank you water witching. I appreciate your feedback

I grow all my Vandas in octagonal Vanda baskets (6" & 8" size) or net pots (3" to 5" size). The baskets are filled with lightly packed spaghnum & bark (approx. 4:1 ratio).

With this mix, I water:
2-3 times a week in summer (depending upon weather).
1-2 times a week in winter (depending upon weather).

The goal is, never to let the spaghnum dry out.

The plants do extremely well. Mature plants blooming 3-4 times a year (one exceptional plant 8-10 times a year). And no, they do not loose roots with this regimen.

I have approx. 100 Vandas in my personal collection, plus 50-100 plants for sale. My dad used the same approach in his commercial orchid nursery from 1948 to 1978, with equally positive results.

A typical example of how the plants respond is this Aerides odorata:

Thank you so much Fair Orchids! That gives me so much hope! I just want to make sure that I understand. The ratio is you said is lightly packed spaghnum & bark (approx. 4:1 ratio).

So is it 4 parts sphagnum moss with 1 part bark?

I'm pretty positive that this is how you mean it, but I just want to be positive! And thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Correct.

I pack it fingertip tight, but not heavily compressed (the way most store bought Phalaenopsis are grown).

Thank you so much! I really appreciate your advice and I just love the picture of your orchid!

Ya know KimFO, now that you say this I remember having a vanda in a ceramic basket with holes all over it (like the "orchid pots" you see for sale. I'd plopped it into that and did have some sphag and bark thrown in around the top part. It did very well for a long time before I sent it to a home better for it than Kansas.

So Kimg... I'd sure give that a whirl. I was talking about with roots just potted up inside a pot, no roots trailing around and outside the pot. That's where my poor growth issues were.