Halp on vanda leaf drop

[AKB]

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I have a Vanda . Managed to keep it alive for a year and then while away too much water rotted some of its roots. I cut the dead ones (about half of it) and now trying to make it stay alive but every week it drops a leaf. The green leaves look dehydrated so I tried spraying every morning and water it twice a week. It used to be in the sitting room where the temp goes down 10C at night so I moved to more warm heated kitchen (do you think it is a good idea). I looked at it and I does dry during the day so it does not stay wet and cold at night.

The leaf turns yellow from the stem and while all the rest is green and then falls off.

It has 6 leaves left so how can I first aide it back to life.

Any advice I will appreciate it since it will be a shame to see it wilt slowly.

[nightqueen049]

How are the roots looking now that you've cut the dead ones off? Are they the same as when you cleaned the plant up, or are they continually getting worse as well?

[AKB]

It seems the same. No growth. I attached the photo in the original post to show how they are. To me roots look tiered and old.

I do not think it is a virus since my roommate took care of it for two weeks and due to watering too much it became as is now.

I do have some orchid food with orchid photo on it I use once every other week when watering it. Should I increase its frequency or place some in the water while spraying it-do you think it will help. i use it acording to measure per bucket.

Vanda did not come with instructions you see, i only know its name now due internet after searching blue orchid and matching the name to look up remedies

[nightqueen049]

From what I've heard, when the plant is stressed or the roots are damaged, it can be too much to give the plant fertilizer. It can actually make the situation worse, because the already damaged roots have trouble absorbing the fertilizer (and water). I would water the plant only when the roots feel and look dry, and withhold fertilizer for a while--but that's just me.

[katrina]

Hopefully one of our resident vanda experts will chime in w/some advice.

I don't grow these but off the top of my head it sounds like your temps are too low. Vandas are warm growers and I believe 10C/50F is too cold.


Again...we have some expert vanda growers...I'm sure one will be along soon.

[AKB]

ok about the temp i can fix and place it into the kitchen since heating is on and at night it does not get too cold.

i will stop fertilizing it as well. it did work really well for a year no leaf drop and the leaves were hard but the leaves are softer so i guess it is dehydrated

i read on line that one should rub cinamon on the cut roots and if one aims for rooting you can put honey into water while watering and it might help (or willow branch). i am not sure if it is for real or not so i have not tried it.

[ingse]

If you clean the stem near the roots and see some healthy green colour there is hope. If the stem is brown, i am sorry to say that there is no point trying to save this Vanda. Hopefully it will be easy to replace it with a new and healty plant.
(I have been growing Vandas for three years and have about 100 vandas in my greenhouse, i have never managed to save a vanda when it has been in this condition.)

[orchids4me]

This is good to know, have one doing same thing yellowing at stalk where they connect and leaves just fall off with rest of leaf being green. Mine is in the kitchen area so I thought I might have to move it else where tried physan 20 also.
Emmaye

[AKB]

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I pealed the bark ( dead leaves) of the vanda and the stem was dry dark and to me looked rotted so i cut it off up to where I saw a green life in it. so thank you for guiding me on checking the stem, it was dead.

I read on line that someone did rooting on a vanda and they put wet cotton around it and got it root after a while. mine is too small and weak probably to root. their's did since i saw two new roots on the cut piece in a later posting.

Here is the photo of the dead stem and the cut alive part that is ulikely to root but worth a try.

I will search for that posting if i can find it again will let you know.

Thanks for all the advice.

[jerrymeola]

Your roots look like long term deterioration from lack of water.

You CAN NOT over water Vanda. My Vanda house is watered every day for 10-20 minutes and during the hot summer if it is not raining I water as much as 3-4 times a day. They also get Florida Rains from May to October of several hours a day.

A healthy Vanda should have a bright colored growing tip at the end of each root (usually green sometimes shiny brown). When Vanda roots do not have enough water they will cease to grow in that direction and start new roots looking for water. Long term deprivation and the plant begins to hibernate and gradually decline to death.

Low temperatures will cause leaf drop, but my Vanda regularily go to 40 F (5 C) and while I lose some leaves not as much as you are losing. Also you should be getting 2-6 new leaves a year. Your photos do not seem to show leaf growth.

Another problem beginners have with Vanda and applies to any bare root orchid, is that what we call roots at the bottom are not truely roots. The root is the very thin center covered with velum. Think of velum as a sponge covering the root. Too many people spray the roots and do not apply sufficient water for the water to soak through the velum into the root. If that happens the plant is not getting any water at all before the spray dries.

[digitalgate]

i think this plant does not have enough sunlight on the plant. So i suggest a longer and higher light condition for the plant.

[frostychic]

I had a vanda that I nearly lost from root rot. I had potted it into a clay pot & put too many small rocks into it & squeezed the roots without enough air spaces.

When I lost all the roots I began losing HUGE numbers of leaves which makes sense to me... if you don't have roots to sustain the leaves then the plant starts shedding leaves until it either dies or it produces another root or roots to sustain itself.

I was lucky that my vanda wanted to live & it grew a big phat root... this happened for me outside during a very hot & humid summer (2010). I sprayed it every day, multiple times a day too in hopes that some moisture would be absorbed via the leaves. I kept it in a high light location on a shade tree & if it got any direct sun it was only briefly as it dappled thru the shade. For approx. 1 month it didn't have any live roots! Every root it owned had dried up but still the leaves that didn't fall off stayed green & firm so I just kept on misting it.

I think your vanda has dropped leaves because of your root loss. Your idea to keep the base of it moist is your best bet in my opinion... continue to mist the rest of the plant regularly & try to keep the humidity & warmth near it as high as possible (don't forget air movement or you'll have yet another problem... hahahaa... if it's not the button then it's the button-hole!)

Best of luck to you