My Vanda Care | Semi-Hydro Updates | Potting, Inorganic Medium, Lava Rock, Light, Environment & More

[@EdsOrchids]

Good evening Annabel. I'm not a Vanda lover but that doesn't mean I don't like looking at them A very special video you have produced for Vanda lovers. Love your presentation.......thank you and take care. Ed.

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Thankyou Ed 🙂🙏 I must admit to being a bit of a lurker in your videos, I don't comment often on others, I do watch regularly however and I admire and respect you and your orchids 🙂 Hope you are keeping well and staying safe and healthy

[@NinjaOrchids]

Not only useful but I love your elegant presentation 🧜🏼‍♀️ and samsung doesn't give me the right haircolor mermaid 🤔 thank you for this fantastic video 🥰

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Nina! 💗 Thankyou so much for watching, not that you need any tips on Vanda care, yours are much better than mine! and I hope you are holding up OK. Silly Samsung! 🧜‍♀️ Mine is a brunette? 🤷‍♀️😂

[@NinjaOrchids]

@@TheOrchidRoom actually ... 2 of mine are looking the worst ever and .. if they don't make it, so be it ... i never could grow a rhyncostylis and anything with that cross... its a miracle that they are still with me 😅 the health and quality of what you have in and outside of your pots, is phenomenal 🙌

[@anndriggers6660]

Omg! Your collection is AMAZING! Every one of your orchids look like specimen plants! Nice job smarty pants 😊 gI think I'm going to start SH with my vandas and see how they go. You've inspired me. Thank you for sharing your gorgeous collection with us! Cheers from Austin Texas!

[@KP-gw5zv]

I think I will have to rewatch this video as it has loads of information. I am in agreement with the day/night differentials. I have noticed since I have made my shelving into a grow tent that all my orchids have improved and having grow lights I am giving them the proper hrs of light with the proper hrs of night. So far the temp is maintaining at a great level. However I have not been able to take the humidity level but that is fine up to now. At some point that may change. Loads of info I really enjoyed the video. Your vandas look so lush and green looking forward to seeing them all in bloom. Have a wonderful day.

[@RobMulargia]

Very nice video and explanation! The bully birb was fun to hear and you said lots of useful information! Thanks!

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Thankyou so much 🥰😀 Happy holidays!

[@orchidgarden3124]

Excellent video! You bring up so many good points. Several years ago I tried growing in S/H and had more failure than success. I just could not understand why, when I was following all of the advice to a T. I was so disappointed and lost many orchids. I switched back to either traditional media or lava rock and charcoal (pretty good success with the latter). I’ve since moved houses and set up a growing space with strong LED lights and better temperatures (away from the windows, which is where I always had to grow before). About 10 months ago, inspired by your channel, I got a number of oncidium types and put them into self-watering with LECA/pumice. They are in my new grow space with the LEDs and temp/humidity control. They are doing fantastic and I’ve continued transferring several more. All are doing better than in traditional organic media. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the differences in the conditions I had before when S/H was a failure, and now that it is proving to be successful. The 2 major differences are: light levels and temperatures. I believe my light levels on my windowsill in Michigan, where much of the year is overcast and gloomy, were insufficient for growing in the moist S/H environment. Also, my temperatures on the windowsill during our long cold winters (even though my thermostat says it stays above 65) were not conducive to S/H. I still have a grow area on my windowsills, but I have added supplemental LEDs and heat mats. So even though my light levels and temps before were not completely outside of the lower range for the orchids I was growing, they were not conducive to growing in S/H. It only took me years of trying and failing, losing quite a few orchids and feeling horribly discouraged, then making changes and trying again to figure it out. You inspired me to try again and to really think hard about the changes I could make to have success. My orchids and I thank you!

[@TheOrchidRoom]

I completely agree with you in everything. And these are personal journeys we all have to go through, youtube and forums can inspire us as to ways to troubleshoot potentially, but it's all about trying things out for yourself and seeing how they go. And I'm really glad you have been able to overcome some of the issues, and very happy if I had any part to play in contributing to that! Thabkyou for all your comments, I always look forward to your input and hearing experiences 🙂

[@liverocks62]

I love how the Vandas have healthy green leaves living in self watering SH, look at those really long leaves 😱, it inspires me to do something with my 3 Vandas. One has lost it’s leaves in the middle so it now looks like a palm tree 🌴 , it has a keiki which I separated, the rest of the plant is just a long stalk with leaves on top that I somehow have to let it root. The keiki and the two other Vandas will go into some kind of SH/self watering this weekend. I failed to let them rebloom in my care of 2 years, so hopefully they will like their new home. And Annabel, what you and other likeminded growers like Nina have done for the orchid community is really important. You guys are showing another way of growing plants, almost all of my orchids will grow SH and some of my houseplants are also in SH like my Peperomia Polybotrya and Pilea, so thumbs up👍🏼 and thank you😄🍀

[@ildikokalman1781]

Hi Annabel! Very informative video! Your Vandas are beautiful, healthy! Thanks for sharing! ☺ 🌞

[@BevVycital]

Thank you so much for this video! Love your collection. I just repotted a vanda to semi Hydro with leca about a week ago. So far she's still alive! I have noticed that she's really drinking up the water...perhaps too much as the top exposed roots are green and wet to the touch...I dumped the res. water and letting her dry out a bit. We live in north Florida so we have excellent humidity and nice bright light in my enclosed lanai. Now I want to pot my Rhyncostylis in sh. She has long brittle roots that don't look all that happy and many are cracked. I really want to trim some of those roots and pot her. Got her about a month ago and she really didn't seem all that happy when I got her :-(

[@jm11you]

Hi sister your short video has full explanation and guidance for new orchid collectors/lovers who wants to start collecting. Excellent. I am from India Assam.

[@joyrevert817]

Hi Annabel! Awesome video with on point information. I think the day/night temperature variations are also strong signals for the plants. I plan on rewatching this video to firm up all the info you presented. Thank you. Hope you are well.

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Thankyou Joy! Sorry about the audio issues! I totally agree on the day night differentials and day length, I've noticed this since moving to the conservatory. Some things that never flowered before are blooming! I think as you say, day night differentials, day length, light, temperature, these are all growth triggers. And we fertilise to then support this growth, but fertilising a plant in the dark that isn't growing holds no benefit. That's an extreme example, but I just noticed a lot of emphasis being put on fertiliser, and I'm also guilty of doing this without fully explaining. So I wanted to talk a little about the importance of the other factors above fertiliser. I'm not sure if I made it clear in the video, but that was my thought! I hope it does make sense 🙂

[@joyrevert817]

@@TheOrchidRoom I move mine out for summer and in for winter. I have noticed the ones that don't exactly like my HOT temps are doing better now. I think you explained it perfectly.

[@bettapalfish9057]

All your vandals look awesome. I just love the light in your new home.

[@nanetteorchid6680]

thank you so much for this video! I do very much enjoy learning from other's experiences and sifting through different growers opinions and ideas and experiences. The more the merrier in my book! Of course comparing them to my own failures and successes is usually what becomes my best teacher...I've been growing on the cold east coast for about 5 years now with many failures and now, finally some good successes. Winter is tough in my environment as I try to maintain some reasonable temperatures for my plants without draining my finances. It is amazing, though how very adaptive many of them have been with what I put them through! I have one vanda , I dont even know her ID, but she is a large flowering plant whose lovely flower I have seen but once, when I bought her a couple of years ago, off of a Lowes department store hanger! I have managed to keep her happy in some leca, charcoal, large fir bark chips and lava rock. and a very airy wooden basket ...shes happy but not flowering. she grows...great roots....lots of new leaves...no flowers. This year I've put in some LED grow lights to see if that will help give her some energy to produce... My vandaceous falcatas are doing wonderful! I got 4 spikes this year from my Lou Sneary Bluebird...a couple spikes on my others...I'm determined, but not too certain what is causing this vanda from creating a spike or two for me...Any guesses you might offer? Anyway, I am glad to have discovered your channel and look forward to learning from you and your followers!

[@evgeniyagladysheva4326]

Very nice video. thank you from Australia !

[@hanselurizar6811]

One of the best videos I have seen from you. It was amazing 🤩

[@Ian-pf2pw]

Really nice mini-forest of vandas 😍 thank you for the tips on inorganic media with vandas, very interesting.

[@savyfrancis5690]

Hi Annabel your videos very useful I grow my vandas indoor and some aren’t growing that good, your videos give me so much information. Thank you 🙏🏽 for sharing your ideas.

[@jackiehill6557]

Another informative video Annabelle one which I shall watch again and again. Growing orchids in a conservatory has it’s downfalls but once you have conquered them I think you will find no better growing space as I have done. As I have said your videos are very informative and it is up to the individual if they want to try your growing methods be they successful or not. I must admit that I tried the s/h with no success and loosing quite a few orchids on the way so I went back to the organic way of growing, but I am now trying s/h again having learnt from my mistakes. I grow in a conservatory with a solid roof and now that winter is here I have invested in extra lighting, in my husbands opinion it is like Blackpool illuminations ! I do have an electric heater which is on 24/7 and controlled themastatically. I also have a small window open about 3inches (depending on which way the wind is blowing) for fresh air flow. Fingers crossed this winter will be a better one. Look forward to your next video and stay safe.

[@CheeryOrchids]

It’s really fascinating how you grow your vandas Annabel, I want to try it but I don’t know if I can successfully do it. Thank you for sharing all the information 🤗

[@stephenorchids4943]

Hi Annabel beautiful orchids 😘

[@sleepgas]

Another awesome lesson in growing vandas...My greenhouse will be ready by December 15th and I will give them lots of light.. thanks for another awesome video!!

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Can't wait to see your greenhouse! I've taken myself away from Facebook (for sanity reasons haha!) but I'll be sure to check in and have a look out for pics! 💗

[@NicoleDeanna]

Excellent video Annabelle. Lots to consider with Vandas. Will need to make sure I keep lots of air for the roots. I love Vandas and have a few, but they hate my NYC climate. I WILL CRACK THE CODE ONE DAY! :) I have my Ascofinetia Cherry Blossom in self watering semi hydro and it seems to not like it. I'll give it some time, but I can see how to make it better next time. I do sort of a similar set up for my tolumnias, keep them in a really airy mesh pot, let them get tons of air and they do well this way. Anyhow, great content and tips here 👍

[@MrNakitjamuusi]

Thanks for the great video! Also you look like someone from a pre-raphaelic painting by Waterhouse or Rossetti ❤

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Thankyou! 🤗

[@wandashaw3551]

Thank you, Annabel! Very good advice. I am growing my 3 Vandas in all bark, but my seedling, I have in LECA and she seems to be enjoying it so far!! I've go a long was to go with her. :)

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Thankyou Wanda! Seedlings can sure be a challenge, juggling their different temperaments. I really hope yours carry on doing great! 😘

[@wandashaw3551]

@@TheOrchidRoom Thank you!!

[@ioanatanase4626]

Love your Vandas, Annabel.💛 I have probably 8...😄...all bare rooted or in large bark and charcoal in baskets. During the summer I need to soak them every day. I might try your setup. Thank you for sharing your experiences! 🤩

[@noahokin5581]

You’ve convinced me to go semi hydro on one of my vandas...gives me an excuse to buy another one!

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Yay more Vandas! The aerides houlletiana might just love it, but it's special so maybe not worth risking. Thankyou always Noah!

[@asnahorchid]

The garden is amazing, Ma Shaa Allah

[@michaelmccarthy4077]

My first thought is, you need more Vandas. 😉 I thought you had a Seidenfadenia? Those pots that look like a horned melon are certainly different, I like how the one root was like "I cannot be contained".

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Seidenfadenia got killed in the ' forgetting to water for a month' incident during the move 🤦‍♀️ I said recently I couldn't think what died in the move. That one did 😅 Well it actually didn't die, but it lost all of it's roots and had been struggling with my low humidity and dry layers in the old house for a while, so I just couldn't deal with trying to ICU it at the time... the only orchid I've ever binned that was still green 😪 The air pots are ugly but very effective. They are also made from recycled plastic which is a plus, and flat pack. You have to roll your own pot then clip it together. It's quite fun!

[@michaelmccarthy4077]

@@TheOrchidRoom Seidenfadenia is one a lot of people struggle with, it seems. Most of the plants I see have terrible root systems. I think the nurseries are able to accommodate them by keeping them bare root and having a misting system that wets them several times a day. I bought one this summer and left it bare root, the roots are still good but not a lot of new growth. It will probably go into a basket with coconut husk in the spring.

[@sen0ritagee829]

They are so beautiful!!i love your vandas!😘

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Thankyou! 🥰💗

[@martinafaust4851]

Very informative video, Annabel. Thank you! I transferred my Rhynchostylis into self-watering a few weeks ago. Nothing much is happening so far, lost one leaf but apart from this, looks ok to me. Hope they will start growing some new roots soon!

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Thankyou! It's really best to repot or transfer orchids in the active growing season, particularly Rhynchostylis and hot growers, to minimise transition or repot stress. Keep it warm and hopefully it will make some new roots out of season, mine sometimes do. Good luck!

[@martinafaust4851]

@@TheOrchidRoom They were growing bare rooted in vases with a thick layer of seramis at the bottom and spaghnum on top. Some of their roots had been growing into the seramis already. I hope they won't mind leca and self-watering so much and continue growing.

[@lunapansy8260]

Thank you give your time and make a video always like to watch you

[@normantorok5919]

Great video! So helpful. Gives me some thoughts on how to address my Vanda care, currently not optimal, but I hope to try some things now, so thanks! cheers

[@darcylyon9986]

Thank you so much for this info. I had my Asctm. miniatum in S/H with just 2 small holes in the container and I was wondering why it was doing badly. New roots died or jist stopped growing about 3 cm long. I switchted it to a more open self watering setup. Im hoping it will start to do better now. Great video. 🌺🌱😁

[@loho1125]

Those look gorgeous!

[@MllrtimeOnTheTube]

Hey Annabel! I'm used to the birds I have an African Grey Parrot amongst my orchids, two dogs, and a cat, so no worries! I love the Vanda's and the tips! My Vanda collection is expanding but nowhere close to your impressive collection! Keep up the great work!

[@iyamt]

Thank you Annabel for your good tips! Your rhynchostylis gigantea looks AWESOME !!!! :-D

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Thankyou! They are my favourite Vanda family orchid! The big leaves are just so pretty! They got red spider mites for the first time ever this year, I was very angry with myself for not noticing sooner. All have spikes starting now, Cartoon, spots, red and peach. I'm so excited for when they all bloom again! It's an annual major event 😀

[@iyamt]

@@TheOrchidRoom We always have to worry about out babies! I definitely need to get one rhynchostylis gigantea ! But my small Parisian apartment is starting to be too small for that! Even though I brought many of them at work which has an opened southern exposure they love it!

[@BasiePlants]

"He is in a bad mood today." I can relate. Also, I am trying as of now my Vanda in rocks and leca. Maybe I can finally kill it and move on 😂

[@TheOrchidRoom]

He really didn't like me having moved things that's for sure... I can also understand, I dont like change either 😂 Oh no, you won't kill it, even my ones in the vases in semi-hydro that didn't like it didn't die. They just judged me relentlessly for months, one panic flowered a few times, until I decided that was enough, let's try something else for those ones 😂

[@BasiePlants]

@@TheOrchidRoom Well, I wouldn't mind panic flowering xD I can accept that :D

[@Msgabrielaarboleda]

Yaaaaaayyyyy! I have been hoping for this!!!!

[@birdluvrs]

Hello Annabel, I have Vanda orchids (99% are fragrant hybrids) which are currently bare-root growing in vases, and I'm interested in trying your self-watering technique using the black air pots (Ercole). My question is, I understand how you water the self-watering orchids and semi-hydro orchids, but I'm not sure how you have the vanda in the black air pots, i.e. do you have a wick within the pot? Do you set in a tray of water? I'm not sure how these ones in particular, are being watered and fertilized. I didn't see a video in your playlist that details these ones. Please advise. Thanks so much and great videos!

[@Andrea-pd1bg]

Hi, great video, very useful to hear about your experience on growing vandas, especially as I am consideering having more - they are so nice! Would you maybe have some recommendations on fragrant vandaceous orchids? thanks!

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Hi! Thankyou! I would highly recommend Aerides odorata and houlletiana, Aerides are very easy to grow potted and grow very fast, on top of that they are super fragrant. The houlletiana smells like fresh lemonade 😋 They are hot growing and like lots of light, but they are among my favourite fragrant Vanda alliance orchids 🙂 If you want more of a typical vanda look, Vanda denisoniana and tricolor are wonderfully fragrant too, although mine are young and have yet to bloom so I cant report the fragrance. They are supposed to be sweet and reminiscent of honeysuckle 🙂 Rhynchostylis coelestis and gigantea are also fragrant and easy to grow, I'm not such a fan of the gigantea fragrance. I have 5, but more for the flower displays that I am head over heels for! they have a fragrance molecule that some people detect as wonderful and lemony, and some people pick up as musky and cat pee/bleach/mould reminiscent.

[@Andrea-pd1bg]

@@TheOrchidRoom Thanks for much for your fast reply Annabel! I'll definitely check those...they might be a good excuse to go for a road trip to the Netherlands once things get better!

[@teyavan9618]

Thank You!

[@MelissaWalker82]

Bahahaha I LOVE the Quaker sounds ❤️❤️❤️

[@TheOrchidRoom]

They were determined to be involved in this video 😂😂😂 No amount of apple would calm them down, I think they were quite put out that I moved all the Vandas 🤦‍♀️🤷‍♀️

[@MelissaWalker82]

@@TheOrchidRoom yes of course and they have to keep warning you in case you haven’t noticed the change :D

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Yes apparently! Using their warning call only usually reserved for extreme circumstances, like a strange cat in the garden or a fox 😂 That's the level of Alert that moving orchids comes under 😉

[@andredumas9547]

Hello Annabel, I have 2 vandas one is potted in large chunks of pine bark the other in a basket with no medium. I tend to agree with "michaelorchids" that vandas are best grown with their roots totally free of any medium. Michael is a S/H guy, he tried hard to grow vandas in S/H but he recently gave up and finally admitted that vandas do best with their roots free of any medium. Annabel do all your vandas flower every year ? That’s the question !!!

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Yes, my Vandas that are mature enough all flower yearly. If you want real time proof after several years in these setups, you are welcome to check my latest bloom video. I think growth is more of an indicator if overall health anyway- stressed orchids will still flower but their growth will be slowed. Its all documented on this channel 🤷‍♀️ You are perfectly entitled to your opinion, but as I always try to stress, how well an orchid does in any setup depends on the interaction of the potting medium and the way you water with your environment to create an ideal air to moisture ratio. I particularly tried to stress that in this video, and thought I had made that opinion clear 🤷‍♀️ Michael is one person in one environment. Maybe also look at your definition of Semi-Hydro and what I have said about the pots I choose here, and the differences I encountered with different types of Vandas. Grouping them as a giant 'Vanda' bracket is definitely not correct for care requirements.

[@andredumas9547]

@@TheOrchidRoom Thanks for replying Annabel, your answer is encouraging, in my appartement environment I prefer potted orchids that can stand on a shelf or table rather than ones with dangling roots. I am just a beginner at orchid growing so are my views and opinions. I appreciate knowing that your vandas growing method (growing them in pots) is successful, it’s encouraging as I said. Learning from videos is so rewarding, that is why I particularly appreciate Ed's Orchids and Roger's also. Thanks Annabel !

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Thanks Andre - it really depends on the type of Vanda you are growing and your environment as to how easy they are to grow potted. Very hot environments will have a much easier time- I'm not fortunate enough to live in a hot country, but I heat my various grow spaces (moved house this year so I have experience in two very different environments now) over winter so that nothing drops below 18C, and also have always made sure I good lighting - either LED in the past or now natural. Easiest Vandas to grow potted are all Aerides, Rhynchostylis, Fragrant vanda species like tricolor / suavis / denisoniana etc. All Vandopsis are super easy - I have parishii, gigantea and lissochiloides. Although Vandopsis parishii is now Phalaenopsis hygrochila, definitely a good reclassification as it grows just like a phal, not a Vanda. Vanda MV tannins, I have 3, all flowering now. Mimi palmer, mimi palmer x pine river pink, Rhynchorides bangkok sunset, V. Violet aroma, rapeepath, Renanthera and their hybrids, all do amazingly. I think I have 30-40 Vandas now, although if you cound all the vanda / ascocentrum x Neofinetia (now also vanda) hybrids then I definitely have over 50. And yes they all flower yearly, and have been grown potted for 1-3 years, My Rhynchostylis gigantea coming up to 4 years. You can see them all spiking in my tour videos. Anyway, it's heavily dependent on your environment, but I'm growing in the UK so I hardly have the best environment for them, and it's worked for me across two houses and two different setups and temperature ranges 🤷‍♀️

[@reefkeeper2]

Hi Annabel, first I want to say thanks for all your videos. My plants are doing great because of you. I have a question about flushing. I have a large number of orchids now ( your fault) and I don't flush them very often because it takes hours to do. I recently did flush them and took a ppm measurement of the water in the reservoirs. It was over 400ppm! I took to watering with just DI water for a while until the ppm came down to 200ppm. Do you think I could manage this way instead of periodic flushing? Thanks

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Hi! Thankyou 🤗 I don't actually flush, If I notice salt build up I just spray the top down with rain/RO/ zero ppm water to remove the salts, then water with the same water for that week. Works no problem for me and my system 🙃

[@reefkeeper2]

@@TheOrchidRoom Thanks! For curiosity sake and if you get the chance, do a ppm measurement of the water in the reservoir. I would love to know if it is as elevated as mine is.

[@thecrow7]

I have my first Vanda and its small Ascocentrum miniatum a seedling I would say ( 2 iches tall ) i have her in small pot with bark .. well in the dark here lol

[@darcylyon1870]

Found it. Still miss new content. Hope all is well.

[@orchidwanderer]

Hey orchid lady!!! We missed you alot ❤❤❤ hope tou are doing okay

[@thegreenthumbspet9963]

Those vanda are so healthy even they are potted..!!!

[@TheOrchidRoom]

It may not work for everyone, but I seem to have found a balance between potting and still giving them lots of airation around the roots, that they seemed to really enjoy over this year 🙂 I hope they continue to do as well!

[@thegreenthumbspet9963]

@@TheOrchidRoom yes i agree...depends on what kind of environment you are in...i usually put vanda on hanging baskets and never try to pot them...i think some of these day il try it and share also the result...😀

[@rubymahajan4235]

Hi my Bangkok sunset leaves splitting should I pot it in self watering set up

[@danielm.1441]

Try putting a blanket/cloth over the cage when you film? Might keep the birds quiet/calmer?

[@TheOrchidRoom]

That's a good idea and I didn't think about it! Usually they are never so disrupted, unless there is a new cat or fox in the garden. But I think having the Vandas moved to the table in front of them really upset them 😥 They did get used to it eventually, something I need to have a think about working around. Ultimately I would like to move them to somewhere easier to do a bit of training with them, but with all the painting at the moment I don't want them in the house with their sensitive lungs.

[@danielm.1441]

@@TheOrchidRoom I know some birds/animals are instantly calmer if their eyes are covered, it's worth a try. If it agitates them you can just take it away again :)

[@jennylyniwasiak9944]

❤❤❤❤

[@TheOrchidRoom]

😘🤗

[@GoldenArrow297]

Just like your orchids you have got gorgeous hair. To give them a much better look you may try apply virgin coconut oil before going to bed.

[@TheOrchidRoom]

Let's stick to orchid advice, thankyou 😊

[@rubymahajan4235]

It is bareroot right now

[@helenhawkins4054]

🤔☑️

[@sharenvirgin382]

Would be interested in a remake of this video without the birds making it nearly impossible to hear. Can’t the cage be temporarily moved elsewhere?

[@TheOrchidRoom]

No sorry, it can't be moved unfortunately

[@waltroseberry9712]

Lose the birds. They're ANNOYING and DISTRACTING