Rescue Vanda Orchid Bought from the Orchid Show | Vanda Root Care

Rescue Vanda Orchid Bought from the Orchid Show | Vanda Root Care

Anyone who has grown Vanda can tell you that the roots are highly developed and relatively thick, with a large tangled bunch of them hanging below the orchid. Healthy roots are silver-grey and white when dry. When wet, they take on a glistening green tone. Vanda orchids during their summer growth period usually push out many new roots, and the ends of these new roots are fresh green or red. It looks very vibrant. The roots of this Vanda orchid that I had just bought, on the other hand, were mostly lifeless. For Vanda, the roots are very important, because the orchids use them to both absorb moisture and store energy. In the absence of pseudobulbs, an extensive roots system often serves as a replacement energy storage system. The ability of these orchids to store and retrieve energy in their roots makes the root system crucial to the health of the orchids, so we set about immediately to solve this problem and save our orchid.

We first cleaned off that moss which was attached to the roots. It’s possible that the person who grew this orchid heavily overwatered it, or even used water culture to grow it. The roots of a Vanda orchid are usually exposed to the air, in direct contact with the air, and therefore capable of absorbing moisture from the air. This living moss competes with orchid roots for water and nutrients. It is not conducive to the growth of orchids, in fact it is the opposite. So we must clean up this moss. Next, we need to cut off all the dry roots in order to stimulate the growth of new roots. By pinching the roots of an orchid, we can see if it is particularly hard; this means that the root has become lignified and dried up. We can also tell if the roots are dry by the color: dry roots are wrinkled and tan in color. Viable roots, when wet, should be green. Once all the dead roots have been cleaned up, we can put some of this moss around the roots. This is sphagnum moss - it’s dead and is often used as an orchid growing medium. This moss has good water retention properties and can continuously provide the orchid with the moisture which it requires. We put some of this moss around the roots to keep the local humidity level high, which is good for promoting new root growth.

After the flower had faded, we transplanted this orchid into a wooden basket. Wooden baskets are often used to grow many different types of orchid. It’s more visually appealing, more environmentally friendly, and better for the orchid. After months of fastidious care, this Vanda orchid has grown many new roots by July. As you can see, these bright green ones are all new roots. Now, let's talk about some precautions to take when cultivating Vanda orchids.

Because the entire body of a Vanda orchid, including the roots, is exposed to the air, it has higher requirements when it comes to humidity. During winter and early spring, we put our orchids in our sunroom. The temperature in the sunroom is around 25 degrees Celsius. There is a 24-hour humidifier here, and the humidity is maintained above 60%. In summer, there is a lot of rain here and the air is relatively humid, so I put the Vanda orchid outdoors and hang them under a big tree. Usually, when the weather is dry and hot, we water once in the morning and once in the evening. In shady climates or indoors in winter, we water once in the morning. When watering, be sure to thoroughly water the entire plant, including leaves and roots. We can usually judge whether a Vanda orchid lacks water by observing the state of the leaves. If there is a lack of water, the leaves will wrinkle. At this time, we need to increase the frequency of watering. Regarding light: in winter, these orchids can receive morning or evening sunlight. In summer - especially in June, Vanda orchids should not be placed directly in the sun. We can hang them under a big tree, or put them in a shady environment to avoid sunlight burning the leaves. They can be given a bit of direct light in late summer, when the sunlight becomes weaker. Keeping these orchids outside while the temperature is under 60 for prolonged stretches of time can be risky, and you should absolutely move them in before nighttime temperatures drop into the 40s.

Summer is the season when orchids grow vigorously, so at this time we must remember to fertilize. Apply weak fertilizers frequently - we do once a week at half strength. As long as the temperature, humidity, moisture, and nutrients are adequate, the Vanda orchid will continue to grow new roots. That's why, although this Vanda had no intact roots, it will still grow new roots if the growing conditions are ideal.

[lorellaluiginabrambilla]

Your's Vanda colors are wonderful. One better than the other. ❤❤❤
But I prefer the blue one.
How many Vanda have you got now?
I don't know if the will survive this winter at home.
Thanks for your video in english.
Bye