This is a mini Vanda with brown waxy blooms seems to be substantially heavy petals that possess a slight scent like its parent Vanda merrillii (very sweet scent like rootbeer). I could not believe this would bloom this size (it looks like a seedling); the parents usually grow 18 inches tall before they bloom. I got this 2 years ago from Will; a seller from Abita Springs, Louisiana (Abita Orchids), this orchid plant arrived dried and overheated from a box in the middle of a heatwave in NYC….I had to nurse it back to health and bloomed twice before and the buds blasted before it opened its blooms. I am lucky this third time has made a wonderful recovery and bloomed for me magnificently. This orchid plant spikes twice a year.
This is in the south facing bay window in winter and I put it outdoors on the fire escape in the warmer months.
I give this Vanda culture. Like most of my Vandacious orchids, the roots take a little while to have water soak into them - when the root covering layer (velamen) is dry and whitish in color, it takes a little while to hydrate. So, to really water such roots effectively, I need to soak them until the entire root is green and glistening wet. It helps to have a glass full of clay pellets as medium. Places where these kind of orchids naturally grow get a lot of water on a regular basis with the morning dew, but then dry out before the next drenching early evening in the monsoon rains; therefore, these plants appreciate mimicking this watering regimen.
Vandas also seem to appreciate being fed; mine is probably under-fed as I tend to fertilize based on the requirements of the more sensitive species in my collection. I hold fertilizer in winter.
Vanda (Varakorn X merrillii) 'Carmela' in bloom
Threaded Mode
