Vanda (Varakorn X merrillii) 'Carmela' in bloom

[Bud]

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.

[jcec1]

Nice - great compact plant - I need to look out for this cross.

[DeaC]

Looks and smells like rootbeer-yum. Folks on OB as yourself have had such great success with vase culture and now that I've acquired 6 vandas I'm drunk with power. Some are still hanging with the hooks and placed around my umbrella but others sit in vases outside and look good. Hummers even check them out!

[WaterWitchin]

Interesting. So you leave it in the LECA, no holes, soak it, then drain out the water? Curious...

[Bud]

Originally Posted by jcec1

Nice - great compact plant - I need to look out for this cross.

Thanks for the visit and your kindness....yes this is easy to grow, no fuss

---------- Post added at 02:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:53 PM ----------

Originally Posted by DeaC

Looks and smells like rootbeer-yum. Folks on OB as yourself have had such great success with vase culture and now that I've acquired 6 vandas I'm drunk with power. Some are still hanging with the hooks and placed around my umbrella but others sit in vases outside and look good. Hummers even check them out!

Thank you for your kind comment. For city folks, vase culture is a great help.

---------- Post added at 02:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:55 PM ----------

Originally Posted by WaterWitchin

Interesting. So you leave it in the LECA, no holes, soak it, then drain out the water? Curious...

Thanks for your visit and interest on my post. I learned how to drill holes in glass. I think I have a segment posted about my kind of vase culture (with holes as hydrophonic and without holes).

[Leafmite]

What a nice orchid! The roots look very happy and healthy, too!

[WaterWitchin]

Originally Posted by Bud

...

Thanks for your visit and interest on my post. I learned how to drill holes in glass. I think I have a segment posted about my kind of vase culture (with holes as hydrophonic and without holes).

Okay, so the vanda does have holes in the glass. I grow everything S/H and do drill holes in glass. Didn't see any holes, thus the question.

Most folks aren't successful growing vanda in S/H, so I've never tried. I would love to have more, so I think I'd better give this a whirl. Thanks for the inspiration!

[Bud]

Originally Posted by Leafmite

What a nice orchid! The roots look very happy and healthy, too!

Thank you for the visit and your kind words.

---------- Post added at 03:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:03 PM ----------

Originally Posted by WaterWitchin

Okay, so the vanda does have holes in the glass. I grow everything S/H and do drill holes in glass. Didn't see any holes, thus the question.

Most folks aren't successful growing vanda in S/H, so I've never tried. I would love to have more, so I think I'd better give this a whirl. Thanks for the inspiration!

I grow some of my large Vandas on S/H some of them are on plastic some are in glass with drilled holes

[Ray]

I realize this is probably a gross, over-generalization, but most folks I've spoken to that are successful with vandas in semi-hydro culture have pretty low humidity levels.

[WaterWitchin]

Originally Posted by Ray

I realize this is probably a gross, over-generalization, but most folks I've spoken to that are successful with vandas in semi-hydro culture have pretty low humidity levels.

Hmmmmm. A worthwhile thought. My summer humidity is always through the roof (outside where I summer the plants) but always lacking and requiring supplement in winter (inside). Perhaps an experiment with a vanda in S/H that stays inside year round is in order here!