Watering Vandas is like voting. Do it early and often. Misting isn't enough as was mentioned. Very high light level, too.

There was an Orchid grower in Los Osos, who is no longer, who had his Vamdas on a watering system that sprayed them for 5 to 10 seconds every 1/2 hour during the day. They grew like crazy. I water mine with a hose, during this heat that happens twice a day for them and most the others. I also have a misting bottle sitting near them and whenever I happen to be near them I spray them until the roots are green. That may happen from 0 to 10 times a day.

So like it was said earlier, early and often, like Chicago voters. This is very important for me in Southern California where the humidity is very low.

Nick

Taking a hose to the vandas would probably cause more harm than good, I'm on a municipal water system with chlorine, fluoride, and close to 250 ppm of assorted dissolved solids.

I HAVE observed that the oldest plant has formed hair-like roots, where they had been plump and white/grey.

I'm thinking now I might have to set up a dunk tank, and set them in there for a soak each day. Think that will help? (Florida humidity running at about 55% when it isn't raining)
Thanks for the input!

I actually water my vandas a la Motes. Water them thoroughly once and come back again and water a second time. I water them with a hose, and since it's been raining almost daily, haven't had a chance to fertilize in a while.

I don't bother with misting---as humidity here in Miami is almost always pretty high. This summer especially they have taken off like crazy.

I have sprinklers in the shadehouse and water for 10-20 minutes every day it does not rain. Occasionally twice a day.

misting like Motes said will make skinny roots and also the roots will stay around the basket since that is the only place with water.

tear a root and you will fine a thin hard center. This is the part that brings water to the plant. If you 'mist' lightly (I hate that word it doesn't discribe what anyone is doing) then the water evaporates before it gets into the plant. Eventually that will kill the plant.

When I only had a few vandas I dunked them in a large plastic container I bought from Wall Mart and just tossed the top. Every morning while getting ready for work and every evening when changing my cloths after work I let them sit in the water. Then just placed them back in there place. Doing this I was able to rebloom a Vanda Pats Delight a couple of time a year. In the summer I placed it into a tree and just hit it with the water from our well via a hose.

Good Luck to You
Bob in Albany, N.Y.

There was a post on a different forum and this guy sells vandas to florists. He grows them in a greenhouse in clay pots without media. However when time to ship comes he places several 2" net pots in the pots among the roots. He then places an inch thick layer of sphagnum moss on top keeping the roots with perfect drainage and air circulation. The plants remain humid for couple days before watering is again required. He swears this method has great long term succes when the plants are grown in a low humidity environment for example outdoors in Los Angeles like I do. I bought a couple vandas to try it out.

localoca, I can tell you from experience that Vandas grown that way just don't do all that well long term. Ask yourself this - if they grow SO well with the mesh pots and that thick layer of sphag, why does the original grower bother growing them without media at all? I've bought a few plants like this and it always ended in disaster. I now grow Vanda much as Bob from Albany did, dunking them a couple of times a day. They're perfectly happy, even when humidity is a bit lower in the winter.

Julie

"a couple of times a day?" The longer this post gets, the thirstier vandas become!!!!

I got up earlier than usual (especially for a Monday) and stumbled outside to dunk my vandas... Cruel irony- it was already raining, but because the orchids are hanging under the eaves, they were still dry. But I gave them a good soak so they should be happy.
I did notice new leaf growth on several that had already flowered, so they can't be that unhappy with me... I'm thinking of investing in a good sized rain barrel- Some of these plants have roots growing straight out from the stem and are difficult to get into a flat tub.

jamcm, I didn't explain fully. And I'm just going from what I have read and this guy is a grower who supplies plants to florist and plant shops. He seems to be well respected in that forum but again he could be lying.

Anyway, he does not grow those vandas in the net pots with the sphag on top because he grows them in a greenhouse where his humidity is in his words too high. vandas with sphag on top would be too wet and rot. He says that he has kept plants in his house (home humidity is normally real low) and in such environment he has had long term success with vandas putting out roots and reblooming.

I cant say thats true but I am experimenting. AGAIN that method will only work if you have very low humidity AND the plant is in a CLAY POT. My humidity is around 10%. In 80%+ humidity this just wont work as in a green house.

you should look up the post I think you cant post links directly to that site here. It's the Orchidsource forum and the post is in the very first forum "Orchid Soup - General Orchid discussion" and its on the first page post titled " Vandas with sphagnum moss " by JohnM It even has pictures

Oh jamcm i see youre in canada maybe you've bought from thim then and thats how you know i missed the part where you say "from personal" experience. The seller is in Canada too.

My plants (even with teh sphag) are bone dry in two days right now for me. I have watered in the morning and I check the roots in the evening and they are no longer wet just moist and drying fast. We'll see.

{{gwi:185138}}This plant gets watered really well once a day and it grows and blooms. I am pretty sure that Vandas like to 'go commando' rather than being confined. The plant is in a basket that acts more as a handle than anything else.
{{gwi:185142}}This picture was right after watering and the color is changing. I was going to take one a little later but the lens fogged up because of the heat and humidity and I had to move on before the camera could warm up.

Going back to localoca, I have indeed purchased from John Marcotte and from other vendors who had purchased their plants from him. The fact is, as Richard surmises, Vandas really like going commando (LOVE that expression). When they're happy, they have lots of nice, thick roots all over the place. Sure, they like moisture, but they also like going dry in between. That is very hard to do in a pot and you end up either overwatering or underwatering. From experience, a Vanda in a pot has many less roots and just doesn't seem happy. It is less vigorous, putting out fewer growths and flowers.

I have six Vandas, all bareroot, hanging very near a patio door with a few CFLs during the winter and on the patio in the summer. Even during the winter, when humidity in the house is under 30%, they get enough water through simple dunking every day or every other day. Most bloom twice a year. (I'm sure they could do better and they'll never win a top prize at our show, but they're alive, which is more than many growers can say.)

Julie

Vandas and the like for the inside grower are a lot of work, in fact I usually winter them at my job. I dunk mine every day in the winter when I come to work in the morning and spray with RO water 3-5 x day, depending on meetings and ......well, work, lol. By March, I usualy cannot wait until summer so I can throw them in the trees and be done with it. This way, I can water whenever and not have to worry about drips and rot. I started dunking them outdoors into our koi pond as well if I am running late or its brutally hot and I don't want to bother with hoses or watering cans. I like June and July particularly since our rain is usually plentiful and I don't fuss with them too much. It is virtually impossible to overwater a vanda that is "going commando" (good one richardol), so long as water doesn't sit in the crown on cool nights. If the night time temp is in the 70 or warmer I could care less. I have been known to turn them upside down too, to get water out of the crown.

My dream is have a greenhouse like the one described, where they are misted several times daily.

I have a few also and what I do is I live them over night in water it my be lots of work if you have more than one but is worth it I fertilize them every week and so far so good. Vandas drinks lost of water this way I am able to satisfied them.

I have seen them grown in pots without soil and thought I would give it a try. I used a ceramic orchid pot with plain round holes in the sides placed the roots inside and cut small pieces of bamboo and wove them through the side holes through the roots to another hole on the opposite side and repeated this as many times as possible. It stayed this way for about 4 months. I checked it today and removed all bamboo except one and the roots have responded very well the old roots have grown as thick as my fingers and have many side roots growing vigorously I grow it in my greenhouse in the winter and during the summer outdoors but last year it was blooming during Japanese beetle season and they loved the blooms! It was previously growing in a small basket but always tipped to one side. Now it has support and is growing well.