Vanda with wrinkled leaves.

[EstebanJ]

Hello everyone,

This is my first post, I hope not to make many mistakes posting it.

Here's the problem I'm having, hope you guys can give me a hand with it...
I've had this Vanda for about 2 years now, bought it as a seedling and it's been growing quite well since then but, never bloomed so far.
I noticed its leaves are becoming wrinkled and not sure why. It is hanging in a basket, gets morning sunlight, spray it twice a day in hot summer days and once every 2/3 days in winter when the basket and roots are dry.

Any idea about what I may be doing wrong?

Cheers,

Esteban

[RosieC]

Hi and welcome to Orchid Board

I'm not good on Vanda's but my only thought is to ask what you mean by spray. I've heard people say you need to really drench it in water each time. When I've seen them being watered when visiting a nursery they help the hosepise on each one until water was pouring off it and dripping for quite a while afterwards.

[Paul Mc]

Indeed, they are heavy drinkers.

May I ask if its bare root in the basket or is there any potting medium in there? Bare root planting a need much more water than those with some medium as the medium helps retain some moisture, but should still be light and fluffy to allow air movement.

Also, what are the low and high temps its getting? Most Vandas are warm growers and need continued warmth to survive.

Lastly, morning sun isn't enough. It must get very bright light throughout the day. Many people use additional light sources this time of year to increase the amount of light they get and how long they get light.

[EstebanJ]

Thank you guys for the quick response.

To answer your questions... I spray them till the roots are soaking wet. As for medium, I put some loose sphangus moss in it because from time to time I am away from home and cannot water them. This keeps them moist for a few extra hours.

The temperature range here is 20-35C in Summer (68-95F) and 0-15C (32-60F) in Winter. Of course in Winter time I keep them inside with a minimum of 15C (60F).

Cheers,

Esteban

[Paul Mc]

Cool! You use sphag a bit. Personally, I water mine until all roots no longer have any whitish coloration and have for the most part turned green. Indeed, the sphag can assist you by retaining some water around the roots a bit longer. Just be sure that it doesn't compact around the roots and that they can breathe. So are your roots inside the sphag nice and plump then? If not, then the sphag may retain moisture a bit too long for overall long term use.

As for temps, 60F may be too low for some. I have one that is getting the same leaf issue as yours in a room that reaches 60F at night. None if y other Vandas are affected by the temp, but this one appears to be. The roots are thick and healthy which leads me to believe I need it in a warmer room. You might try that.

Just remember that they need a lot of light all day long too, not just morning sun.

[tucker85]

The wavy lines on the leaves are from dehydration. Your plant needs more water. Vandas grow year round, they don't rest in the winter. I water mine every day all year round but I do live in a warm area. I suggest you water every day until the leaves look smooth again. Then maybe every other day until spring. Another issue is the roots. When vandas have lots of roots they can go a little longer between waterings. If there are only a few roots and they're not very long, then you need to water more often. Good luck. Your vanda looks very healthy overall.

[EstebanJ]

Thank you all for your input,

I'll try to find an LED lamp to get more light/hrs on the plant and will also try to keep the roots more moist. Maybe I should switch to glass vase so, it will stay moist the days I'm away from home.

[Vanda lover]

When my vandas that I ordered for my birthday took 3 weeks to arrive, that's the way they looked. I would soak the roots for a while, not just mist them. Your plant should recover. Mine have. I also have a little sphag in some of my baskets, along with some lumps of charcoal. One is in vase culture and loving it.