Vanda Orchids in (NOT) semi hydroponics

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Sorry for the wild exposure at the beginning of this video, the view finder was deceiving :( I noticed afterwards. Just a heads up, it gets better towards the end!

[@florrnln6642]

You're such a perfectionist, which I admire about you! I didn't notice it at all :)

[@user-ku8fq7bx1d]

MissOrchidGirl. Hi there. I got a Vanda Spotted Orchid recently, I think that's what it's called but I cannot be sure. I tried to Google it but I don't know if it's the same flower. The flower itself is a very light yellow and it has dark purple spots. I was told to hang it outside with the roots exposed. The roots are about 2 feet long and I was told to water it once a week with a spray bottle but I love in Florida and the temperatures are in the 90 to 100 degrees. How do I take care of this so it doesn't die?? Thank you!!

[@Wrongald]

Those baskets look like they've been vandalized. HA HA Get it? Vandal... oh... ahhm... never mind...

[@astroboyace]

Do you have an update on vanda thats potted kn some media

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Hi, you can see me potted vandas in my orchid in bloom monthly series, check my video archive 😉

[@PamelaEDean]

Hope this info helps someone. I Planted a vanda in a basket of generous size made of wooden slats with lots of open space between the wood pieces. I wound the roots around inside of basket and filled the remaining space with a mixture of large pieces of rock, charcoal, clay media, large, hard fir bark chips and big coconut husk chunks. In other words, the media drained very quickly and thoroughly. It hung outdoors under/behind 50% shade cloth on East side of house (just South of Los Angeles, hardly ever had to move or cover it due to freezing). During Summer hot spells, I put a thin layer of moss on top of the media -- then removed it in Winter. The vanda bloomed at least once a year and it kept growing most of its new roots back through the basket rather than in aerial positions. It got kinda heavy but roots stayed compact and manageable. The orchid was happy in that configuration for many years. In Winter, it was watered by a thorough spraying from the hose. Same in Summer but sometimes got a dunk (or ten-minute soak) in a bucket or sink full of water enough to submerge the basket. NOTE: When mixing up your media, design it for your climate. Cooler or humid climate: use mostly rock and charcoal -- big pieces. Hotter or dry climate: higher proportion of clay, bark, coconut chunks -- somewhat smaller pieces overall. But however you mix it, it needs to drain fast and not be soggy. Vanda wants lots of air spaces around all the roots, so in general, use much larger pieces of media than with other species.

[@carpediem.9]

Looks really pretty Danny, in my opinion the only thing to observe and watch out for is whether the air flow will be enough for the vanda roots. What if you add a bunch of extra holes to the entire pot? I think it'll still look pretty :) Anyways good idea, looking forward to see how it works and I might try it with some of my vandas too. For now mine are all in the transparent plastic pots with lots of holes around and with the microfibre as you had before, they love it :) thanks to you haha not as pretty buy oh well I don't mind as long as they like it :)

[@darianroscoe1017]

Danny, keep using your white baskets but put a plastic piece on the bottom replacing the wood. It looks like the only problem with the baskets is on the bottom.

[@alanm9523]

You might also like the black net pots from the hydroponic shop. You can get lots of sizes. I would not bother with vandas in semi hydro either. They are not like a cattleya that sends out a flush of new roots. Or can live without roots for months. They lose all the roots as expected and then grow new roots really slowly. And they are halfway up the stem and not anywhere near the LECA when they come 🤣 Saying that I love semi hydro for all my other orchids (never grown tolumnia but seems fine for catasetums, oncidiums, dendrobiums, phals etc).

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Could not find those hexagon pots yet, except a store I don't want to bother with :p or other net pots, maybe at some german nurseries. but for 25 euro transport.. I'll give these pots a shot ;)

[@italoximenes8755]

D: I wish that coconut fiber would work for me. The only thing that flows with capilary action through my coconut coir is death.

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Lol! Sorry but I giggled a bit, dark humour :p what seems to be the problem?

[@italoximenes8755]

MissOrchidGirl XD Everytime a root touches the coconut choir in a few days the root gets completely dessecated. I tried different brands, washing it, tested it for tanines, salts... and nothing seems to be wrong. :/

[@italoximenes8755]

Btw, it once worked with a Polar fire dendrobium, which came in the coconut coir and bloomed. But I live in Brazil, 32℃, so I do need to water my plants pretty much everyday (except the ones in bark and sphagnum moss medium)

[@marioroz3142]

It's a pity that you cannot find those wooden baskets near you, I have some spare baskets like that back at home, too bad I cannot share you because you live too far :(. But wooden baskets tend to fall apart in some years tho. I recently started using small bathroom organizer plastic baskets from the supermarket as a replacement they are cheap and have this pseudo-woven pattern that looks interesting, maybe that would be another idea?. Anyway, I Also liked this plastic pot idea, would it work using microfiber?, I tried your microfiber setup from another video and it works wonderfully, Nowadays I recommend to everyone.

[@MissOrchidGirl]

I looked for something suitable but no luck :( the microfiber is great, it's just too prone to algae and I just don't like them :p

[@sue5061]

maybe take off the bottom and replace it with some sort of wire, looks like it isn't water proof

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Errr.. not sure which bottom you reffer to? It's a plain plastic pot, no additional materials :p

[@sue5061]

I was referring to the wood basket, the bottom looks like it is starting to rot, take it off and put some criss cross wire so the water gets thru

[@VijayaLakshmi-xu7hv]

Hey Danny, appreciate if you let us know if this system worked for you. My vandas experience borderline dehydration with just sphagnum wrapped around and mounted. So this might work for me in my region i believe

[@familiaechecamp6469]

After seeing so many of your videos, I am thinking about moving some Phals and a cattleya to semihydro. My only concern is the temperature/humidity in my country in winter. Temps drop to 14 degrees celsius and humidity stays above 80%. Would that be a problem? as in keeping the pot too cold for the orchid? (no heating in homes!)

[@Eryalb]

Dreams are interesting like that sometimes! Your Rhynchostylus look lovely in that pot and it sounds like a more economical way to pot them. I have my Vandas in large plastic baskets with coconut choir like your Tolumnias and they are doing so well. They sell them for $5-$8 here in Florida. I could send some to you 😉

[@birdluvrs]

I have two of my compact vandas growing bare root in clay pots...they are growing roots like crazy now in this set up...I do have to spray them daily however, but it only takes a couple of minutes in the morning..the clay keeps the roots damp for the first half of the day then dries up. Perfect!

[@teodoral9741]

I need help!!! The crown of my phal orchid started to look a bit yellowy-brownish at the base. What do I do?! I really hope you have time to answer to this I'm in a bit of a crisis because I love that orchid and I don't want it to be sick or anything 😔

[@bluedragonfly97]

I recently got my first Vanda. I've had several people tell me that it is an unhealthy plant even though it was in bloom when I got it. I have been unable to provide it with enough water. So for the last two weeks, I have been soaking it over night and hanging it outside during the day (high humidity here), and the roots look a lot better. It was in a plastic basket that I just cut it out of. I have put it in a regular ceramic orchid pot with all the holes, plugged the bottom, wound the roots in out of the holes and then filled it with leca. I hope it makes it through the transition.

[@emmyrencotten1474]

Hello i was wondering if you could do a tutorial of making your own potting mix or an expirement if you havent done it yourself i would love to see it and would help me and others probably too!

[@Justusorjustone]

I have this idea before...and also in this pot roots will not crawl outside the pot...

[@wanda5503]

So now that I am living in the desert I had to change the medium on all my orchids including the vandas. I may be making a mistake with these vandas but I have them potted in spagmoss and perlite. I just got tired of having to water them several times a day. I hope they thrive. Got my eye on them!

[@MissOrchidGirl]

I know how that feels, I've been tempted too :))

[@TY-ob7fz]

Danny ?? How about plastic baskets. Seen Roger (?) using them. This setup looks like water culture ??

[@MissOrchidGirl]

I looked everywhere for suitable ones without luck :( water culture looks like vase culture 😝 vase culture looks like pot culture without medium, pot culture looks like basket culture but with medium, basket culture looks like empty pot culture with slits, pot culture without medium looks like vase culture.. and the circle is complete :))

[@sebastianmorgan5136]

Thomas M water culture is the orchid sitting in a little bit of water for a whole week or so, and giving it a dry day ever so often. And semi water culture is the orchid getting fully drenched for a couple days then leaving it dry for a few more days then it was soaked

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Thks for clarifying, I was always confused by these names. I'll call it vase culture so that I don't mess it up and people get upset ;)

[@TY-ob7fz]

MissOrchidGirl Haha I don’t think you need any clarification. Many of these terms you probably invented.

[@tanyastelly6243]

The only drawback I see is the Vanda roots don’t get as much light, if any, in the pots. Vanda roots produce chlorophyll as well as absorb water. Just like Phals the roots turn green when they absorb enough water and chlorophyll is produced. In your climate you get plenty of sunlight year round, so I’m guessing the leaves will do the job. However, I’m curious as to how the roots will react to the lack of sunlight.

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Hi, in my experience the photosynthesis aspect is a secondary function, that roots can do without very well, in lack of light. Orchids are in absolutely no way affected if their roots are deprived of light. Phalaenopsis and Vandas are not the only ones, all epiphyte orchids can develop chlorophyll in their roots, but their velamen is thicker and we cannot see it as much, or they are not potted in clear pots, so chlorophyll is not allocated. More about roots here kzbin.info/www/bejne/oIKlkqiqjtWkb9U perfectly healthy white roots on Phals here kzbin.info/www/bejne/qWHUgJ2reM50fbM Roots are better at absorbing water and nutrients, than photosynthesizing ;)

[@sebastianmorgan5136]

I keep my vandas in semi water culture. For the weekends they get fully socked for the whole two days. And every morning after I just put them under the tap for a couple seconds. And after I did the switch to semi water culture they started growing again ( I potted them up like a dummy at first ). It only requires a pretty vase that suits the orchids blooms. And P.S. I had a dream about a girl named Molly, I've never met a girl named Molly. Weird.

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Hi, not sure really what semi or full or almost water culture is nowadays, never was good at remembering, but I think you reffer to what older growers know as vase culture? www.rv-orchidworks.com/orchidtalk/general-orchid-culture/11678-vase-culture-vandas.html that is a very common way to keep vandas if you have room on the shelves :D

[@sebastianmorgan5136]

Hahaha. I'll be in the kitchen and I'll just see the vandas there and remember the water them. That's the reason why there in the kitchen😄. I thought into the feature.

[@CyaneInkArt]

I have vanda in vase culture and I think I will try your watering schedule. My vanda has great root system, but it feels bit dry on leaves. Hope this helps it to bloom again. I have tried to water it by misting, but it needs misting like 2-5 times a day!

[@sebastianmorgan5136]

MissOrchidGirl I studied horticulture in high school and now grow everything. I guess with vandas they call it vase culture. But it is really semi water culture. I do the same thing to the cattleyas. But in cups instead. I don't think you would call it vase culture anymore. I use semi water culture with orchids that like to be more dry. And full water culture with orchids like phals or Concidiums. You can alway bend the rules if you need to. But in the end vase culture and semi water culture are pretty much the same thing. So call it what ever makes more sense to you. P.S I live in Australia so sorry for the weird time you get this

[@sonyad.5942]

Many of the South Floridia orchid aficionados in a FB group that I read grow them bare root, wired to a hook, and cover the roots with live Spanish moss to help shade them and hold in moisture. I acquired a Vanda cheaply last weekend so I'm investigating ways to make it happy without going out and watering it heavily every day. I hung it over a bird bath with some root tips dangling in the water and covered some of the rest of the roots with coir since I don't know where to find the Spanish moss in the wild and I'm not going on a special hunting expedition anytime soon! If I stumble upon some, I'll grab it!

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Hi, I used to grow Vandas like that a few years ago, as you can see here kzbin.info/www/bejne/oH26ZYScbKh6pMU what I discovered after a while was that the Spanish moss (tillandsia) doesn't retain water, it actually absorbs it :) so I prefer them without tillandsias ;)

[@mjsm9796]

Danny , What about microfiber ? My vandas are recovering wonderfully with the microfiber plenty of new root tips. Why did you decid to change ?

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Hi, because of too much algae.. I just don't like them. Otherwise it was great :D

[@PamelaEDean]

Green Barn Orchid Supplies on USA mainland has a lot of baskets and media and a pretty good web site. I don't know if they ship internationally.

[@PamelaEDean]

I contacted them today and they said they ship all over the world. Green Barn has decent prices on baskets. Just remember to order the hanging wires, which are a separate item. I have ordered baskets, media and mixes from them several times. Very good, dependable service. (I'm just a customer -- not trying to advertise for them or anything. )

[@j.d.8075]

The cheap way to get vanda baskets is... make them your self! The design is pretty straightforward and with a couple of coats of waterproofer on them, they shall last years. Orchid Kingdom has a how to and there are youtubes and other websites as well.

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Hi, there is a text on the video at some point and also in the description explaining why I don't want to diy one ;)

[@reneejolley7954]

Mine are in octagonal net pots (repotme.com)... bit of lava rock on the bottom for stability, and coconut coir

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Lucky you :D

[@sandormarton1399]

Hy Danny! I'm actually use this sort of a set up for my Vandas. The different is..i have them in buckets which are transparent. I just love to see how the roots develope so i'm not use media either. I'm not place any holes on the sides just four overflow slightly over the flat bottom. Just 1-2 mm. They are just love it! :) I hope your Vandas will doing great in your set up ! Keep us updated! :)

[@Banano91f]

These days I was thinking all the time about my Vanda setup,,researching on the internet, but nothing.. I wanna change my setup , bare root in my climate which is similar to your is just a no for me, huge waste of time. You really inspired me with the plastic basket idea.. I want to try something with a product similar to coconut fiber.. Which is posidonia from the sea... Dried.. If any one is interested in the result I will keep u up to date. (if I fail I'm gonna try the coconut lol) thank you danni for the inspiration

[@GL1FE]

i think this could be good for your renanthera's too ! since they can be in a potted environment and they like that. For neofinetias and small vanda's i like the idea you created can't wait for updates 6 months down the line to see if they liked it! xoxo L.

[@juliesmart9255]

Love it! I have my tiny Vanda in glass jar, but this looks so much nicer. Much love Ju xxx

[@shawnpower6206]

Seems like a good idea. I think I might try it. I have trouble keeping mine hydrated.

[@sunahyun6339]

Really like this one!

[@ajlast3691]

danni.... have you heard about "aggressive feeding on vandas?"

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Hi, no I'm affraid not. Maybe it reffers to the fact that Vandas are heavier feeders than other orchids.

[@catalinacazacu9014]

Hi Danny, Maybe you would like to take into consideration another idea. It’s not entirely mine. I used it for baby Vandas but another lady uses it extensively and inspired me for my setup which is practical, cheap and very decorative. In steed using coconut fiber why don’t you use simply, plain rocks (decorative rocks if you like), put Vandas on top of them and fill with water under the level of the rocks in order to prevent rot and stuff. The evaporation will do the rest. It prolongs the period between watering, also. Due to the fact that I grow my Vandas in glass vase it looks nice too. Nothing is decomposing and I’m adjusting my “reservoir” according to every plant’s needs. Rocks are everywhere. Actually, for summer, I’m thinking to replace the rocks with shells, you know those that we keep bringing home and then forget about them :))) I currently own 16 vandaceous orchids: species, primary hybrids and complex hybrids and none of these ladies complained until now :))

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Hi, well I have some major issues with that. Rocks are too heavy and sometimes roots cannot move them as they grow, thus remain on the top layers. Also rocks that are smooth attach too much to roots, I would seriously damage the roots if I would ever want to remove them (recently repotted the pebble orchids, nightmare to remove the rocks). They would also make the pots heavy and I keep my vandas hanging on clothes hangers (no room on horizontal for them) and hanging heavy pots is a very serious health hazzard. About evaporation, I live in a country where evaporation is.. well useless :p it's so hot and windy that pots dry in a few hours outside, even with the reservoir full. In a rock full pot (no capilary processes) I would have 0 water on the top layers and all of it at the bottom, don't enjoy that (had it with the Vandas 2 years ago and I almost killed all my Vandas.. that's why they are recovering now lol). So rocks are not for me right now :p

[@catalinacazacu9014]

Correct. Indeed the vase is big and quite heavy. About the rocks: i'm not talking about small rocks, I mean rather big like river rocks or those that you can find on the beach. Plain rocks (7-10 cm). That why I did.t used the word pebble. They didn't attached to those rocks, not until now. Instead trying to move them I noticed that the roots remains on top of them and grow in the remaining space in the vase. The setup is not for outside. I've spend few summer in Cyprus, I know how it is but as you know we can have hot summers here and the evaporation is fast also.

[@allbackiceland]

So it's semi semi hydroponics?

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Haha it's 'kinda hydroponics' let's say :D

[@mckrsta]

Why do not buy just plain wood, something like 2 x 1 cm, buy as much as you need and cut it on dimensions you need. Make a basket, at the bottom use hot glue to glue just a random plastic bag, that will act as reservoir and that is all. I created couple of those and so far - I think - Vanda's like it... At the end it kinda looks like then ones you showed on the web page just with plastic bag :) I could send a photo how it looks...

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Hi, I added some text on the video explaining why and also in the description :p it's expensive actually and I don't trust the wood will last :p

[@mckrsta]

That is the thing, water will never be that much in contact with the wood... all will be in that plastic reservoir :) now for the price :) Here i can buy plain wood for 10 euros and probably build 10 baskets :P

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Oh.. here no :p all the materials combined cost more per basket for me than the basket sold by schwerter.. which comes with a hanger, I'd rather buy it :p

[@mckrsta]

That is the price to pay for nice climate LOL

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Indeed hahaha

[@littlewhitehawk]

I water my in my big fish tank.. Doing well and my fish love them...Thank you for the video,s ..