Euanthe sanderiana stops growing roots
 

I love my Euanthe sanderiana young plant (12 inches leaf span). It´s the only vanda that it has not dropped any leaves since entered to my garden. Here in Merida I think it feels so nice as in the Philippines :biggrin: I have a lot of expectations with this plant. Sure is a vanda for my climate. The two top leaves are mine, I mean since it´s here under my care (you can see the older ones, normal, then smaller and after getting better) But is the only vanda that has a strange behavior: just start to grow root tips and stop after few days (well, maybe it doesn´t feel like in Mindanao :roll:) All the other vandas have beautiful roots growing great now that we have monsoon-like rainings (like the Patchara behind). So I think three things:

1) It doesn´t like frequent fertilizings (you can see a brown leaf tip on the third leave left from bottom to top)
2) Mérida water quality. Here is hard-water*
3) Maybe it prefer shadier conditions so then more humidity so I must to relocate it.

*By the way I stopped watering my vandas daily from the top of the plant because the stains that the water leave on leaves. Just only once per week (and after I dry them leaf by leaf) and soon I will clean them more profoundly with a sponge.

The base of the plant is getting fat so it seems a new root will emerge from the main stem. And I want to keep it growing!!!

I really will appreciate your advices and suggestions.

THANKS!!!

Mario

Roots can naturally take breaks from growing. They do not keep growing year round, non-stop.

Just because the roots stopped growing doesn't necessarily mean that it is not doing well.

You have a young three year old seedling and it has robust fat roots.
Stop worrying, it is a happy healthy plant.
Some variations like my plant produce long fat roots (it is now more than 4 feet) your plant is growing short pencil thick roots and it is also good.
The color of the leaves is the exact shade of green for a young plant; means you are giving it correct light.
Outdoor Vandas tend to have blemish on their leaves, maybe due to droplets and the sun or some bites from insects that got fungi.
Just trust your instincts and washing leaves with soap is good in preventing infestations.

I think it varies...I have several vandas that seem to always be growing this time of year, blooming or not, but I have others that slow down root growth a lot due to flowering.

Is this a water-loving vanda type?

I have this Mokara and another semi (or quarter)-terete ladies. They LOVE water.

The Mokara loves water so much (but not sitting in, of cos) the brownish root tips will end and disappear if it gets too dry. Once I went away and it got dehydrated, all the root tips disappeared!

Thanks for your lines. I think the plant is fine, because I see how the new leaves are bigger and growing fast. But I had the doubt about the roots, by the way, all are alive and turning green when I watering.

Mario

---------- Post added at 09:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:04 PM ----------

OK!!! Good that you tell me that is the right amount of light and all the advices. Do you think that in 3 or 4 years I will have my first sanderiana spike?:biggrin: I have my barong tagalog ready for that!:)

Thank you!

Mario

---------- Post added at 09:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:11 PM ----------

My other vandas have nice roots tips, sprouting new ones from main stem, but this is not doing the same. As I wrote, at the base I see that the front is growing fat, so I suppose there will be a new root. We will see.., but the plant is Ok.

Regards and thank you for your lines.

Mario

---------- Post added at 09:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:17 PM ----------

MMMMM, I don´t know. I have the plant under shade cloth, but almost in the edge of the timber, next to a Brassavola nodosa, so the exposure to wind and sun bright (but is under the shade cloth) is higher than the other vandas. I don´t know if I must to relocate it. I will wait for the new stem root and I will check and decide.

Thanks!!!!

Mario

Sorry, but I insist... something is weird with these plant. All my other vandas are growing very fine during the year. One vanda has sprouted 9 new roots from main stem, strong, healthy, the others has new ones too, main and secondary roots, with new leaves, and getting bigger, but this Euanthe sanderiana (I suppose is a sanderiana), grows very slow. I don´t care about growing slow or fast, but my concerns are about the roots... it starts to growing a new one and stop, the old ones reactive, grow a few and stop... I have stopped fertilizing (because salts sensitiveness), I watered with bottled water (because Merida's hard water) but next I think that I will change it from vanda section to phalaenopsis section to see if something goes better... what happen with this plant?

Few weeks ago I thought: "OK!!! I´m not going to pamper you, grow as you like!!!" :) But I´m still here asking for advices!! :)

Thanks!!!

Mario

You may use seaweed mix together with the fertilizer all year round to help with the roots= although I still don't see any problems with your sanderiana roots; the Mindanaw environment doesn't have winter rest (not that I know of) nor drought....it is a constant paradise like tropical weather with high humidity. Weekly feeding with fertilizer is good for Vandas. Witholding fertilizer is like starving them....
I have my sanderiana on very bright shaded light on the south facing window in winters= in the summers I put it outdoors on direct sun.
Do not let your sanderiana feel dry nor feel cold(under 50F)
water it every morning if outdoors ( Mindanaw has morning dew or fog that moistens the roots every morning) and sometimes there is an early evening rain weekly.
Don't envy the other Vanda roots you see in pictures....who knows others envy your sanderiana roots it is thick and robust even if it is not long

OK!!! Bud, thanks a lot for your advices. My concern is because my Vanda schedule is fine with all the other ones and this is the only one that doesn´t have a vigorous growing. Even my Sansai Blue (with coerulea blood) that I purchased with a few roots, now has good roots, is growing a thick root and developing those secondary roots that I like to watch how they are sprouting from the main root (pic attached) and the Pat Delight developed nine new roots from stem in a few months, growing longer and healthy ones, it has bloomed last October and developing a keiki (pic attached) But my sanderiana, that it seems to be the most suitable for hot Merida it seems to me that don´t feel at home :)... I have new roots, keikis, from 5 to 7 new leaves in each other vandas and this just only 3 leaves since is here at the garden. I must to admit that the new ones are much longer and that is the only vanda that it has not drop any leaf. I will keep the humidity level and indeed watering and fertilizing as you wrote.

So well... I will still growing it, knowing it more and better...

Salamat po, Bud. :)

takes long time to adapt
 

I have this species of orchid, yeah it grows very slow and takes years to adapt, mine 3 years! At first 2 years, it doesn't respond well with all the care I'd given. You know, it shows black dots on its leaves, the roots are actively growing at first but the green tips will rot and stops growing which is disappointing. I thought there's something wrong with my care but it is really the plant that doesn't respond so don't worry. After 3 years, it felt at home and is growing normal. It just needs to be acclimatized with the unfamiliar temperature, humidity, sunlight, etc. though it takes long time, and this is the drawback of this species. Mine is spiking now. I bought it last September 2011 in flowering size. Since then I had waited for the blooms but still unsuccessful. In less than 3 years last month, a small bud spiked! Hope the spike send blooms this August or September. The plant doesn't like direct sunlight like the terete Vanda enjoys. The surrounding area should be bright but the plant itself needs to be lightly shaded. I planted mine in a driftwood covered with coco husks shaded by tall a coconut tree. It also surrounded with some papaya and small spanish plum tree. There are minutes (not hours) the plant was exposed to direct sunlight but most of the time, it wasn't. There are parts of the plant beamed with sunlight and but the light changed position as the earth rotates. But most part still lightly shaded by the leaves of the nearby trees. Take note the trees I mentioned don't provide heavy shade and this orchid loves that. This orchid really like humidity wherein I used to install a mini pond just behind the driftwood. The fat roots linger with the coconut husks I also mounted in the driftwood because this medium retains much moisture every after watering and I think Euanthe sanderiana loves that. The leaves are in perfect shape and color and are wider straps with no dark spot or blemishes. You need to water the coco husks again when it became slightly dry, so don't water every day. But your orchid in that small plant basket requires regular watering when its not rainy. Most of Waling-waling here in our country were grown in a small plastic pot and let the roots hang down exactly like that one you had posted above. But I achieved best result with mounting it in the driftwood with coconut husks. The base of the plant where the roots originate must not be wrapped with coconut husks though because the roots need aeration. Just let the plant with its roots hang or sit in the driftwood with coconut husks, then one day you will see that the roots will dig and hide beneath the coconut husks by themselves, which proves they really like moisture. Of course tie the plant in the driftwood so that it will not struck by the wind and fell down :) It also don't like strong fertilizer, so use about a half or one-fourth of the recommended strength because the roots is very sensitive!