Vanda roots brittle and shrivelled after nightly soak

[guccisimo85]

I noticed this morning that a couple of my vandas’ roots appeared quite a bit more shrivelled and brittle than usual after their nightly soak. They normally come out really green and plump. I’ve included a picture of one of them from this morning along with a picture of what I am used to seeing once they dry off. I know it’s a bit hard to see.

A couple of the ends were really brittle and dried out, which seems odd after soaking all night. The water also looked a bit cloudy, which is the first time I have noticed that. I did have some superthrive in there too.

Could it be from increasing the fertilizer recently? I have them up to 3 tbsp MSU in 10 gallons, based on the recommendation on here that they get 1600ppm of nitrogen per week. I’m thinking I should just soak in plain water tonight?

Also ... For those who soak their vandas, how do you keep the leaves/crown out of the water? Or do you not worry much about it?

Thanks!

[SouthPark]

gucci ----- as long as the majority of the roots stay nice, and they don't shrivel, then it should be all ok.

Just make sure to put the right amount of fertiliser into the mix ...... relatively weak is probably best. Somebody mentioned that the fertiliser is like vitamins ----- not carbohydrates or protein as such .... just vitamins needed for staying healthy. They don't need any incredible amount.

And - after the orchid is finished soaking, make sure the temperature is nice and not too cold ..... remembering that cool air etc blowing over watery stuff means 'air-con'/cooling ....... so rate of change of temperature (and overall drop in temperature) can have some impact on roots/plants.

[estación seca]

Vandas can use more nitrogen than pretty much all other orchids - if the temperatures and light are correct.

Motes teaches that a well-grown Vanda should have a 1 centimeter band of light green fresh growth at the base of new leaves. If you don't see this, your temperatures, light or nitrogen supplementation are not adequate.

Back to me speaking - If your temperatures and light are not correct, no amount of fertilizer will improve things.

[guccisimo85]

Yes, I had read about the 1cm band! Do you have any pictures of what that actually looks like? It’s hard to tell on mine - which I suspect means they are not at 1cm yet.

I’ve got mine at 85F day, 65F night. I keep it between 60-70% humidity during the day. My light readings are around 200-250 PPFD from natural sunlight. I also supplement with blue/red LEDs that are supposed to give off around 100-150 PPFD at 12” away. Because they are providing light from behind and they are spread out over all the plants, I would just consider them supplementation. I have struggled to find a light meter that can give me accurate measurements however, especially with the LEDs. I don’t want to spend a fortune on a fancy one that can dial in by wavelength.

Originally Posted by estación seca

Vandas can use more nitrogen than pretty much all other orchids - if the temperatures and light are correct.

Motes teaches that a well-grown Vanda should have a 1 centimeter band of light green fresh growth at the base of new leaves. If you don't see this, your temperatures, light or nitrogen supplementation are not adequate.

Back to me speaking - If your temperatures and light are not correct, no amount of fertilizer will improve things.