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aacor11

my first Vanda and root rot

11 years ago

I have no experience at all with Vandas and I bought this one with a stem in good shape and roots half dry half rotten in a vase to save it from going to the bin.

Wrong thing to do apparently as I can not use fungicides apart from some household products. Anyway, I left the brown roots on and also overwatered (I didn't know that if left too long in the water or if the media doesn't dry in a day it will keep rotting). Now I notice on the roots some rusty looking area which turn brown afterwards and when I water the roots I think the rot progresss upwards. Not sure though as I was overwaterring and that made the rot progress also.

in the pictures I see some brown roots part of them are growing new shoots (for that reason I did not cut them) and on the new shoots there are some splotches of rusty areas,

what can I do now?

it is bareroot hanging in front of a South facing window in a gloomy grey climate zone 7b. temperature 20C, humidity rather low

If roots are spray wetted twice in a day, they tend to stay wet and then rot.

How often should I water? How do I know if it had enough water?
(I noticed it takes a long time of high humidity in the air for the leaves to unwrinkle and the plant to look rehydrated.)
pics here
http://s36.photobucket.com/user/aallea/library/rotten%20first%20vanda?sort=3&page=1

Comments (6)

  • 11 years ago

    I grow a few vanda's and they LOVE filtered sun. Mine are on hardwood branches hanging just under the shadehouse roof. The roots should be sprayed untill they change from a silver/white color to green. Once green they are absorbing the moisture and feed from the spray. Then left to go dry. Where i live in South Africa they could do with being sprayed every second day - especially in summer, but with grey skies and cool temps i think you might struggle a bit. Do a google search for Vanda and read about where they live and what they like. If the leaves are still in good shape it could feasibly send out new roots up the stem. But they do like warmth and light. Good luck.

  • 11 years ago

    Thank you very much for your help!
    I bought yesterday a heater and some horticultural lights as a supplement.

  • 11 years ago

    Hi Again, I just noticed your link to the photos. Hard to see what the roots look like as the pics are a bit blurred, but the leaves look good which is a great start. I see also a new growth coming out the side, so possibly something has gone wrong at the top of the plant to cause a new growth to pop out. All new growth on the plant happens at the top and if the top has rotted or the crown damaged the plant no longer grows and usually sends out new growth on the side. If I were you I would hang it up bare root and treat the infected areas on the root using a sterilizing liquid on something like an ear bud works well. I use a product called Physan but possibly a weak solution of bleach will help. The rotted area will not get fixed, but the object is to stop the rot spreading. Definitely don't cut any brown roots with new shoots below. It would be best to water in the morning so all can dry before the day is over. I have no idea in your climate but suspect watering every second day at this stage is too much. In our winters I water once a week with average temps nighttime around 8 and daytime around 19 Centigrade our summers are 14/15 to 28/29C on average and then I water twice a week. The trick is to watch the leaves - they need to stay green as they are now and not get black tips or wrinkles or go a yellowy/orange color. If it starts dropping leaves then it is a shortage of water generally. Not sure if you looked them up, but they come from east asia/new guinea - hot humid climates with forests. So whilst many of the hybrids are a lot more temperature tolerant they do like warmth and filtered sun

  • 11 years ago

    Think Hawaii, SE Asia, Florida, Tropical North Queensland,
    Daily temperature range 20 to 30C. Strong Light.

    I did get a few (cold temperature tolerant ones) in pots with almost nil medium to sell at an Spring Show the other day.

    What is that brown stuff? The ones that I received had almost nil medium, just lots of roots in almost empty pots.

    The lights might help. But I think you have a big challenge and you need help from other growers in the frozen north.

    The tough ones sold at our show were Vanda Josephine Van Brero x Doctor Anek. Leaves semi terete and considered difficult here at 33S. 300 sunny days a year.
    Summer average temps 17 to 27C
    Winter average 7 to 17C

  • 11 years ago

    Yes, you were both right. I should not have tried to cut any roots or pot it up. It was potted in a plastic container with holes 1 inch apart all over in bark. The bark stays humid almost all the time and the Vanda doesn't like this especially since we are goint into winter now and as you said there is less light and warmth. So I took it out and I am trying the glass vase method with just soaking 20-30 mins once or twice a week depending on the temperatures, no spraying.

    Funny but even spraying seemed to rot the roots... The plant seems to just like sinking and a quick dry for at least 2 days.I wanted to grow it in bark initialt because I thougt otherwise it would be too much work but like this it is not much more work either.

    I still hope to understand how to grow it in bark one day...

  • 11 years ago

    aacor11, I think you are going to learn there is not much that can keep Vanda roots in a pot! The best i have managed is on a hardwood mount then some of them will attach themselves and others grow outward and do their own thing. Every other species i grow which includes Cymbids, Cats, Phallies, Dendrobiums, Brassia, Encyclia, Oncidium are all mostly happy to be in a pot. But vandas absolutley have wandering roots - this is how they are. So do let us know when you have had one contained in a pot for a couple of years - because i would be keen to know how you did it! My cymbids lift themselves out the top of the pot when the roots are happy down the bottom of the pot, but everything else grows within unless its pot bound with growth over the side.

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