Help! Vanda turning yellow and sunburned Phal!

[CalypsoGirl]

I got a vanda via mail order a few weeks ago and repotted it in a hanging basket w/medium bark orchid mix. In the last week or so, it has started to turn yellow at the base, while the top of the plant seems normal. What's wrong and how can I fix it? Also, my brother got me a phal for my birthday, but left it in full sun the day before he gave it to me, so now it's got an awful sunburn. For about the first week, it looked like all the leaves were going to rot away...but it hasn't gotten any worse since then. Now it has one leaf that is completely ruined, and two leaves that are half burnt....the other halves of the leaves still look green and healthy. Is there anything I can do to help this plant? Also, I just got an oncidium in the same order as the vanda...it seems totally happy and healthy, but the bark that it's in is so loose that I can't keep it upright...is there someway to anchor it?
~Erin

[jerrymeola]

Your vanda is in shock from mailing and repotting. It is normal for the situation and not a reason to be very concerned. There is nothing you can do for the lower yellowing leaves but get used to the idea that vandas often lose the lower leaves and get to be high stalks with leaves only on the top.

Fortunately the flowers are so beautiful.

The Phal sounds like it will survive but there is nothnig you can do for the damaged leaves. they would die normally and fall off over the next 18 months so it will look fine again after a while.

The oncidiums are top heavy and falling out of a pot is common. It is one reason I like to mount them on wood.



If you are going to leave it in the pot then it will need a stake. If the stake is not enough support, as is often the case when they get loose, you can tape the stake to the outside of the pot and then tie the plant to the stake.

[CalypsoGirl]

I attached a couple pics of the vanda

[Joseph Stanly]

Hey buddy calypso girl,
Your vandas has typically the symptoms of stem rot. Kindly stop all organic fertigation and drench or dunk the plant in a bucket of water added with benomyl (fungicide) at 1gram/litter of water.Keep the plant on the drier side water after a day or two. repeat the same treatment after a week.
Thanks.
J.Stanly
India.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Calypso, you have not noted where you live in your bio, so we can't guess at your typical humidity levels for the Vanda.

If the Oncidium is wobbling around in the pot, dump the pot onto some clean newspaper, set the plant a little deeper into the pot, and fill the the mix back in around the roots, pressing very firmly so that the plant will not wobble. If the roots are attached to the pot, then just press the mix in much better than it is. You may have to get some more mix to fill the pot after this. The plant must not wobble in the pot, as this will do damage to any emerging roots. Cynthia, Prescott, AZ

[Second_Chance]

Cynthia~ Thanks for the hint about the wobbling, I didn't know it would damage the root systems.

[chefatplay]

Calypsogirl, congrats on your new children. I hope you get them situated soon. Between Jerrymeola and Cynthia Prescott, you've got some excellent professional advice going there. Good luck!