How should I pot a Vanda orchid?
I bought a Vanda orchid from eBay, and didn’t realize until just now when it was delivered that Vandas should be put in a slatted basket to hang. So now I have the plant and nothing to put it in! Is there any other way to “pot” a Vanda besides teak baskets? What should I do with it in the meantime, if I must get a basket? I know I’ve seen sellers hang Vandas without those baskets, but I’m not sure how it was done. PLEASE help a.s.a.p.!!! I don’t want to kill it, and it’s already not looking so great from the shipping process… =/
I buy many, many orchids on eBay, and rarely have problems. But yes, it’s always safer to buy them in person, I agree. Sadly, there’s only one place I can get orchids in Gainesville right now, and they’re having problems with their vendor, so I’ve had no choice but to buy online. This is my first Vanda, though, and I didn’t realize I needed a basket until the thing came in the mail! I’ll try the sphagmum moss, though…thanks!
you can put in in a pot with air flow hole no soil, or sometimes you can use spanom moss keep very moist almpst everyday and spray fetilize every three weeks, do not get them opnline go to good green house you can see what you are getting, a leson well learned, go online and google vandas
~~Potting
Vandaceous plants will grow very well in any porous medium if properly aerated. Tree-fern chunks, coarse bark or charcoal are good choices. The roots should not be smothered by tight potting or soggy medium. Wooden baskets are preferred, but pots can be used if drainage is good. If potting in baskets, those made of teakwood are the best choice as they will last the longest. If teakwood is not available, redwood is a good second choice, and cedar a third option. We use 3″ teakwood baskets for the first two years after seedling size, 6″ baskets for the next two years, and 8″ baskets for mature plants. Plants should be suspended so that the aerial roots are free; otherwise, the roots attach themselves to the bench or wall and are damaged when the plants are moved. Recently potted plants should be maintaned under slightly more shaded conditions until they are established.
Because vandaceous plants have large aerial roots, they do not like to be disturbed by removal from their container. Therefore, we “elevate” plants from smaller to large baskets. This step-up procedure is accomplished by soaking the roots briefly in water until they become plible. Roots are then worked through the slats in the larger basket as the old smaller basket and plant are placed intact in the larger basket. Never coil the roots around the old basket because vandaceous plants will feed better with an unrestricted root system. A few large pieces of charcoal can be added to hold the smaller basket securely within the larger, or wiring the smaller basket into the larger will accomplish the same result. This method minimizes shock to the plant and permits continued, uninterrupted growth. Adding SUPERthrive® to the water used to soak the plant will further minimize its shock and seems to encourage faster gtrowth of new roots.
There are occasions, however, when distubing the roots cannot be avoided, e.g. a rotten basket, or repotting of plants grown in pots. These plants should be soaked in water, removed as carefully as possible, and placed in a solution of vitamins/hormones and fungicide, allowed to soak 5 minutes and then potted in a new basket.
The best season for the potting or repotting of vandaceous plants is late spring to early summer, but these orchids may be repotted at almost anytime of the year.
Since Vandaceous orchids grow rapidly with good light, water and regular fertilizing, seedlings should be grown in 3″ pots, using a mix of fine charcoal and tree-fern fiber, and loosely potted. Seedlings should be kept in slightly more shaded conditions than mature plants, but included in some water and fertilizer programs. Humidity and good air movement should be maintained.