vanda repotting

[myorchid]

Hi, I have a vanda NOID it is blooming now with orange/yellow flowers. It is currently in a pot but I have looked at pictures and some of the things I have read say it should be in a basket.

It has roots that are coming out of the pot and I would like to put it in a basket as I think it would be better for it.

Where can I get the baskets and when can I repot it and what type of media should I use? I have some prepackaged orchid mix I could use.

I will try to take a picture and post it later tonight.

Thanks for the help.

[arleneg]

I buy my baskets online. There are a few merchants that offers them with reasonable prices. Here are a few...

www.repotme.com
www.gardeningwarehousedirect.com
www.calwesttropical.com

In regard to repotting your vanda, do not use a pre-made orchid mix. You can either place it in a basket without any media, or place a small amount of sphagnum moss on top. The latter is used when you live in a low humidity environment. For more info on vanda culture, visit AOS website...

http://www.orchidweb.org/aos/orchids/page01.aspx

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask away.

P.S. -- Vandas do better outdoors where they get bright light and some sun.

[myorchid]

thank you for the advise. More questions:
Should I wait until after flowering to repot the Vanda?

Do you use a plastic or wooden vanda basket and does it make a difference?

When I take the plant out of the pot, and put it in the basket how do I secure it in the basket, so it is not flopping around, should I put some spaghnum moss around the roots?

I have the vanda in a sunny south window and under lights as the sun is not always out in Washington!

I like the look of the vandas with the long trailing roots and it seems healthier for them.

Thanks again!

[tom499]

Repot after flowering, It will lower the stress on the plant and prolong the flowers.

Wooden slat baskets do look nice, but wood will eventually break down. Plastic ones will last "forever" as such, as there plastic. You could use a small plastic one and then place that into a larger wooden one. Its more a personal choice

I guess it depends how roots your Vanda has. If its well established you may not get the roots into the little plastic baskets, and so a slat basket would be better.

After placing the Vanda in the basket, I would use a bamboo cane or too with some string to hold the plant upright in the basket. It will take awhile for the plant establish itself. Moss would help, but make sure it drys out well, as I've had problems with rot.

[jerrymeola]

Your Vanda is doing well indoors so you may want to reconsider your decision to put it in a basket.

It is harder to grow a Vanda in a pot but you have already succeeded. It is hard to flower a Vanda indoors but again you have already succeeded.

It may be difficult to get the Vanda into a basket without cutting a lot of healthy roots. You might want to consider a wire Vanda hanger instead. I have used this because I prefer the look.

As to the long hanging roots, that will be a problem. The roots grow down because the water runs down the root and the weight causes the roots to hang. It takes a lot of water to maintain roots like this in the open air. In Florida Vanda growers water their plants 2-3 times a day. Indoors you have the problem of dripping water.

I have moved a couple of potted Vanda (they were hybrids partially Rhyncostylsis so that may be part of the issue) to bare root and even with regular watering they are not doing as well as the same plants re-potted in 6 inch pots. The roots have adapted to the pot and developed a different type of vellum which has to harden for the air. New roots will handle the air OK.

If you use anything in the basket to maintain moisture, it will encourage the roots to grow around the basket and not hanging. Here we usually use very large bark. Vanda roots want the air circulation.

I am a little confused when you say the roots are coming out of the pot. Do you mean new roots never in the pot which is normal? Or do you mean some of the roots that were in the pot are starting to pole through the top, this would be very unusual. I would like to see a photo.

Consider these issues and decide what is best for you.

[myorchid]

You guys have great information, thanks!!

I took pictures this morning so will post after I get home tonight.

My vanda is potted with a large size media, and I mist the roots daily with water. I also have it sitting in a decorative pot with gravel and water in it. It doesn't sit directly in the water, above it. I also have a tray with gravel and water sitting beside it.

I will post the pictures tonight.

[myorchid]

Sorry it took me so long, I was having computer problems!

Here are a couple of pictures of my vanda. It is early in the morning so just the light is on.

[MSPProductions]

Here are two of my Vandas. The one on the left isn't too pretty but bloomed twice this summer. Maybe give one of these a try.
The one on the right was just puchased at a show. It's in a small plastic basket with a 3 footish long root system. Another grower offered to repot
the plant in a basket with large chunks of coir. The roots were coiled around the inside of the basket and the coir mixed in. The grower did say that with a year or two the root would be hanging again.

[WIB]

My Vanda or Ascocenda NOID was in a small pot when I bought it. I transferred it to a small basket with large lumps of charcoal and stabilized it with a couple of pieces of monofilament. It sulked for a while then started to grow. The small basket wasn't providing enough stability, so I put it in a larger octagonal slatted basket. I mist or water it a lot, keep it outside in a bright area as long as I can, and I have just started a worm tea regimen. It's putting out a new leaf and plenty of new roots, so it seems healthy enough. Whether I can get it to flower with no lights in Massachusetts remians to be seen.