Vanda crown growing to the side, not straight up - Orchid Board

Lilly B · #1 11-06-2010, 09:10 AM

A friend had a 20 year old Vanda that had made 3 keiki's. She ignored the plant until the mother was dead and then her husband used a chain saw to detach the keiki's. OUCH! This was this past August. She offered me one and I jumped at it as I wanted a Vanda and had never had one. She said it would not bloom for 2 to 3 years but that's okay with me. The problem is that the crown is not straight. I decided to put her in a Vanda basket and place it where the sun was directly overhead so that it would right itself. I'm not sure that that's working. I was thinking of cutting the lowest leaves and then placing it back in the basket so it sits straight. The problem is that when I went to do this I found 2 spikes in the lowest leaves on the same side. I was so happy to see them. My reward for saving her. She is also giving me a new leaf. So the question is, when the flowering is done, should I cut the lowest leaves and right her or wait for her to right herself, if that's possible.

natasha · #2 11-06-2010, 10:41 AM

maybe you can gently tie it to a stake nailed to the basket. it should be able to straighen the growth. i don't think you need to sacrifice the lower leaves, the plant is quite small

Lilly B · #3 11-06-2010, 02:45 PM

I tried to stake it but the top leaf area is so solid that I was afraid to push past a certain point for fear of breaking it. Maybe I can stake it to a point and at least help it start to reach for the sun.
Natasha, if I had cut off the bottom leaves would the spikes still be there or would I have lost these spikes because of no leaves? You mentioned how small she is, should I still let her bloom or will that impact her growth? Like I said, this is my first Vanda so I'm not used to how things grow on it. I appreciate your help.

Anisa · #4 11-06-2010, 11:38 PM

Nice save! It looks happy! I would leave just as it is. Vandas usually grow upright and i think yours will head upwards eventually. Dont not cut leaves off. Good luck!

natasha · #5 11-07-2010, 12:40 AM

hi lily! i usually don't cut a healthy leaf unless part of it is infected. also, i believe you should just let the spikes bloom - this can be considered as sign for a good bloomer. when staking vandas, i usually not try to harm the top leaves, those are still soft. just gentry try to straighen the bottom first and the top later when the times comes. good luck!

Lilly B · #6 11-07-2010, 06:23 AM

Thank you both for the response. I will leave her alone and continue to take extra good care of her. I'll let you know how it's going and I'll send progress reports on the spikes and then hopefully blooms. I have no idea what her coloring is since the lady who gave me her said the mother hadn't bloomed in a long time and she couldn't remember the color.

Swamper · #7 11-07-2010, 09:12 AM

I would not cut anything off. Enjoy her first blooms. Take lots of pictures. Then remove all the media and use it somewhere else. Vandas don't need the media and in fact they like to dry quickly after being well fed with water every day and fertilized once a week. What part of South Florida are you in?

Lilly B · #8 11-07-2010, 10:09 AM

I'm in Plantation and will be sure to share pictures if I'm lucky enough to get blooms. Fingers crossed.
I should remove the media and put her back in the same basket? Swamper, since you are basically in the same area, do you hang yours from trees or keep them in baskets and how much direct sunlight do they get? What about the cold we are starting to experience. Do you take yours in when it gets below a certain temp? Sorry for all the questions, I want to give her a good chance for survival.

Swamper · #9 11-07-2010, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lilly B

I'm in Plantation and will be sure to share pictures if I'm lucky enough to get blooms. Fingers crossed.
I should remove the media and put her back in the same basket?
Yes, that is exactly what I would do. Of course you have to tie it in place so that you can center it and keep it from moving around.
Swamper, since you are basically in the same area, do you hang yours from trees or keep them in baskets
Some I tie directly to trees, but I ran out of trees. Some I keep in baskets, some I take out of baskets and tie a wire down the length of the plant. That wire is what I will use to tie something else to it to hang it up.

and how much direct sunlight do they get?
All the direct sunlight I can give it excluding the midday sun from noon till about 2 or 3PM.

What about the cold we are starting to experience. Do you take yours in when it gets below a certain temp?
The ones tied to the tree grasp on with their roots tightly so they stay out there and do really well. Maybe the get heat from the tree. The others I bring in. I watch the weather and if I think it's going to go in the mid 30's that night then it's time to come in. IF it's windy and maybe wet and in the 40s they should still come in. That is a bad combination specially over night.

Sorry for all the questions, I want to give her a good chance for survival.

Glad to help, I get helped all the time with one thing or another

BTW when you bring it in for the winter, continue watering. You can get a container of some sort and soak the roots every day, then let it dry out. Happy Growing.

Lilly B · #10 11-07-2010, 02:59 PM

Thanks Swamper. This is such a great forum. Not only are members helpful, but they are also very nice and thank goodness knowledgeable. I'm so happy to have joined a group that wants others to succeed.

I will have to consider how to implement some of your suggestions. My yard is all sun and finding a place where she can get full sun but not between noon and three will be difficult. On weekends I do move things around during the day but the rest of the week I'm at work. I certainly do not want to burn her. Do you think it would be safe to keep her in the sun all day in the winter when the sun is not as strong or out as long? This might help her to straighten out.