As I do not own a greenhouse, I thought i would share with you guys the methods i employ to grow Vandas...................
Vase culture does seem to be succeeding for me under my conditions. I have upwards of 70 Vandacious orchids growing in a variety of assorted vases (i guess jam jars would work well for some species but i'm too much of a snob to do that !).
My window faces roughly southeast and gets a LOT of sunshine, especially on summer mornings. For this reason the 'classic' culture for Vandas (bare root and contstant spraying) would have resulted in a repetative strain injury for me and a barely damp enough plant. There is no shading on the window and the plants get the maximum amount of sun possible (referring to Vandas here, of course), along with what can be extremely warm temperatures.
I decided to attempt to grow Vandas in vases after obtaining a large Vanda from Burnham Nurseries about 3 years ago (V. Kasem's Delight x Pompimol). I was not expecting the plant to be as large as it is, so i started to realise that i needed to act so as to not allow the plant to dessicate. I bought a vase from my local garden center (the shape of the vase is important, i will come to this shortly), and simply allowed the black slatted basket that Vandas often come in to sit in the neck of the vase with the roots dangling inside. No moss, no pebbles, nothing. Within about three weeks, the root tips of the Vanda had re-activated and started to grow. During the spring just gone, a lot more root tips branched out from the roots the plant already had, and has now flowered twice for me. It is also growing much bigger leaves now and is looking remarkably healthy.
In terms of watering, this depends very much on the weather and the time of year. The vases never magnify the sun and cook the plant, despite the very warm temperatures and bright light they receive. During active growth, i fill the vase with water when i remember, maybe weekly (usually in the morning) and let the plants roots soak for around half an hour (sometimes, if i remember, i add a little feed), then empty it again. If its a particularly hot day, i might spray in the afternoon, but i rarely need to. During the winter, i find that spraying 2 or 3 times a week is all that is necessary.
Vanda at watering time.......
the same Vanda at flowering time.......
Vanda Sansai blue blooming happily in a vase...
As i mentioned earlier, the shape of the vase is
important. It needs to be nice and wide at the base (so there is plenty of space for roots), with a neck that is just wide enough for the black pot to sit in comfortably. In this way, the plant itself holds the humidity in the vase, and support is only an issue until the plant is established.
For plants of a smaller stature or baby plants, i have found that wine carafes or hyacinth vases for small species seem the perfect shape, and the black pot is not needed for support.
In terms of the stability of the plants, it is worth remembering that a glass vase is a lot heavier than a plastic pot, and will prove much harder to tip over, either through carelessness or through weight of flowers.
Any more questions, don't hesitate to ask. I hope this little essay will provoke some more discussion on this issue
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