A question about my Vanda

[mstribling]

One of my Vanda is starting to look weak.
The bottom half leaves are drooping.
Any ideas why?

[digitalgate]

your growing is too shaded for the plant. That is a mokara, it can handle sunlight.

[mstribling]

Originally Posted by digitalgate

your growing is too shaded for the plant. That is a mokara, it can handle sunlight.

Great news and an easy fix. Thanks a lot.

[orchids4me]

Check for root loss and the cane up from where the root ball starts up to where the leaf loss is make sure the cane isn't drying/ dying this how I lost one discovered it to late. Hopefully yours is just a light issue.
Good luck
Emmaye

[frostychic]

Originally Posted by digitalgate

your growing is too shaded for the plant. That is a mokara, it can handle sunlight.

Digi... you know I have the utmost respect for you & your vanda knowledge but that looks like a strap leaf vanda to me and if so it cannot handle full sun... only full sun until around 11am and that depends on the strength of the sun in the location where the plant & original poster live.

I could perhaps be a sun/light issue but i have also had a lot of quick leaf drop and it was from root rot... a plant of that size cannot sustain that many leafs once it loses a lot of roots.

I love the coconut husk it is housed in (I have one like this too but it is on it's 'side' and hardly any medium in with the roots) and I'd hope that there are drain holes that were drilled thru the hard shell inside the husk... also I question whether or not there is sufficient air space around roots and growing medium which could be the cause of any root rot.

[Anton]

I am just worried about it being in coconuts.

Vandas prefer open baskets, or no baskets as they cling to tree trunks in the wild, so this may be a reason for your problem. They aren't getting enough air flow around the roots, and there isn't enough drainage through those slits down the sides.

[digitalgate]

Originally Posted by frostychic

Digi... you know I have the utmost respect for you & your vanda knowledge but that looks like a strap leaf vanda to me and if so it cannot handle full sun... only full sun until around 11am and that depends on the strength of the sun in the location where the plant & original poster live.

you are being modest. The reason i suggest that was he place his vanda under a PVC sheet which is opaque . That plant need plenty of sunlight. It is not placed in its optimum light conditon. If he can find shade cloth ( asia we call it netting) for the plant that would be perfect. Plenty of those stuff in thailand. Being inland, a lot of Thai orchid need all the moisture it can get.

[mstribling]

Originally Posted by frostychic

Digi... you know I have the utmost respect for you & your vanda knowledge but that looks like a strap leaf vanda to me and if so it cannot handle full sun... only full sun until around 11am and that depends on the strength of the sun in the location where the plant & original poster live.

I could perhaps be a sun/light issue but i have also had a lot of quick leaf drop and it was from root rot... a plant of that size cannot sustain that many leafs once it loses a lot of roots.

I love the coconut husk it is housed in (I have one like this too but it is on it's 'side' and hardly any medium in with the roots) and I'd hope that there are drain holes that were drilled thru the hard shell inside the husk... also I question whether or not there is sufficient air space around roots and growing medium which could be the cause of any root rot.

Thanks for the advice. Im going to move it out of the coconut and let it breathe a bit more.
The shells crack when I saw them so they drain easy.
I never thought of sawing on longways. I might try that tomorrow if I can find a good one.

[mstribling]

Originally Posted by digitalgate

you are being modest. The reason i suggest that was he place his vanda under a PVC sheet which is opaque . That plant need plenty of sunlight. It is not placed in its optimum light conditon. If he can find shade cloth ( asia we call it netting) for the plant that would be perfect. Plenty of those stuff in thailand. Being inland, a lot of Thai orchid need all the moisture it can get.

I'll scrounge up some netting this weekend. Thanks

[mstribling]

Originally Posted by Anton

I am just worried about it being in coconuts.

Vandas prefer open baskets, or no baskets as they cling to tree trunks in the wild, so this may be a reason for your problem. They aren't getting enough air flow around the roots, and there isn't enough drainage through those slits down the sides.

Thanks. I'm going to transplant it to a basket.

[Hobby Orchidist]

mstribling:

You do not mention where you live or the name of the plant. This makes it more difficult to really give good advice.

1. How humid is it where you live? Generally, Vandas like lots of water. However, they like to have their roots to dry out fast. Sounds contradictory, but true. In a very humid climate, I would never place a Vanda in a coconut shell. It generally will hold the moisture toooooo long and cause root rot. If the roots rot, then the plant will drop leaves. I suspect that is your problem. Temperatures 55 degrees F and below can also cause leaves to drop depending on the species and variety.

2. Vandas generally require quite a bit of light. To give your orchid the optimum light, you need to know what species or hybrid it is. If it is a Mokara as one has suggested, then it can take a good deal of light. I grow Mokaras and I give them nearly FULL SUN all year. But please note, I live in South Florida where on our brightest day we get 10,000 footcandles of light. In many places, the light is not that bright, and most Mokara can receive FULL SUN. I must say your plant looks more light a strap leaf vanda to me. We provide between 4,000 - 5,000 footcandles of light our strap leaf vandas which means we usually use 50% shade netting. But be careful. Change your light conditions GRADUALLY. If it is not getting enough light, GRADUALLY change your light conditions. If you get any leaf burn, back off a little. The plant may need time to adapt.

3. The best time to repot is mid to late spring when it is getting plenty warm and the roots are starting to grow. However, if you have root rot, you may need to do it right away. Does the media inside the shell smell bad? If so, probably root rot. Can you move some of the media aside and examine the roots? The roots should be firm, grayish white when dry and bright green when wet. If they are brown and mushy, then you have root rot.

4. If you must repot:

a) gently remove the plant from the current container
b) wash media from roots, rinse roots with Physan
c) stake the plant is a slatted wooden basket. This is VERY important. The plant should NOT rock back and forth at all. Movement of plant during new root growth can chafe the ends of the roots and cause plant death.
d) if your environment is very humid, do not put any media in the basket.
e) if your environment is on the drier side, add a few chunks of horticultural charcoal in the basket
f) water your vanda nearly every morning
i) water until the water is running off the roots
ii) wait 15 - 20 minutes and then water the vanda again until the water is running off the roots

iii) continue this procedure until the roots are solidly bright green. No white spots
iv) if your environment is humid, some mornings it may only take ONE watering cycle before the roots turn green. Other mornings it make take 3 or 4 cycles depending upon the time of the year and how dry it is
v) if your environment is humid you should generally try to avoid watering your vanda past 10 or 11 in the morning; however, the earlier the better. I have a VERY humid environment and I water my Vandas as soon as the sun comes up
vi) If your environment is drier, it may be best to water early and then water a second and even a third time later in the morning. Here in South Forida, we get a WARM, DRY spell in our early Spring. For about two months, I have to water up to 3 or 4 times per day. 7 AM, 9 AM, 11 AM and on the very driest and hottest days again around noon or 1 PM. During our most humid part of the year when we get near monsoon like rains, I may not water at all for some days. Also, if temperatures get below the ideal (60 degrees F for most vandas), I will also skip a day of watering to let the plants dry a little more. They tend to better withstand cooler temperatures if they are dry.

[mstribling]

Originally Posted by Hobby Orchidist

mstribling:

You do not mention where you live or the name of the plant. This makes it more difficult to really give good advice.

1. How humid is it where you live? Generally, Vandas like lots of water. However, they like to have their roots to dry out fast. Sounds contradictory, but true. In a very humid climate, I would never place a Vanda in a coconut shell. It generally will hold the moisture toooooo long and cause root rot. If the roots rot, then the plant will drop leaves. I suspect that is your problem. Temperatures 55 degrees F and below can also cause leaves to drop depending on the species and variety.

2. Vandas generally require quite a bit of light. To give your orchid the optimum light, you need to know what species or hybrid it is. If it is a Mokara as one has suggested, then it can take a good deal of light. I grow Mokaras and I give them nearly FULL SUN all year. But please note, I live in South Florida where on our brightest day we get 10,000 footcandles of light. In many places, the light is not that bright, and most Mokara can receive FULL SUN. I must say your plant looks more light a strap leaf vanda to me. We provide between 4,000 - 5,000 footcandles of light our strap leaf vandas which means we usually use 50% shade netting. But be careful. Change your light conditions GRADUALLY. If it is not getting enough light, GRADUALLY change your light conditions. If you get any leaf burn, back off a little. The plant may need time to adapt.

3. The best time to repot is mid to late spring when it is getting plenty warm and the roots are starting to grow. However, if you have root rot, you may need to do it right away. Does the media inside the shell smell bad? If so, probably root rot. Can you move some of the media aside and examine the roots? The roots should be firm, grayish white when dry and bright green when wet. If they are brown and mushy, then you have root rot.

4. If you must repot:

a) gently remove the plant from the current container
b) wash media from roots, rinse roots with Physan
c) stake the plant is a slatted wooden basket. This is VERY important. The plant should NOT rock back and forth at all. Movement of plant during new root growth can chafe the ends of the roots and cause plant death.
d) if your environment is very humid, do not put any media in the basket.
e) if your environment is on the drier side, add a few chunks of horticultural charcoal in the basket
f) water your vanda nearly every morning
i) water until the water is running off the roots
ii) wait 15 - 20 minutes and then water the vanda again until the water is running off the roots

iii) continue this procedure until the roots are solidly bright green. No white spots
iv) if your environment is humid, some mornings it may only take ONE watering cycle before the roots turn green. Other mornings it make take 3 or 4 cycles depending upon the time of the year and how dry it is
v) if your environment is humid you should generally try to avoid watering your vanda past 10 or 11 in the morning; however, the earlier the better. I have a VERY humid environment and I water my Vandas as soon as the sun comes up
vi) If your environment is drier, it may be best to water early and then water a second and even a third time later in the morning. Here in South Forida, we get a WARM, DRY spell in our early Spring. For about two months, I have to water up to 3 or 4 times per day. 7 AM, 9 AM, 11 AM and on the very driest and hottest days again around noon or 1 PM. During our most humid part of the year when we get near monsoon like rains, I may not water at all for some days. Also, if temperatures get below the ideal (60 degrees F for most vandas), I will also skip a day of watering to let the plants dry a little more. They tend to better withstand cooler temperatures if they are dry.

Thanks for the excellent advice.
I think I have solved the problem. I was checking the medium this AM and there was nearly 10 centimeters of tops soil in the bottom!
It seems my youngest daughter knocked it over last week and top it off with dirt in the bottom.
I have removed it and placed it in a wooden basket and it is now getting full sun. This should help I hope
Thank you for the watering tips.
I live in a extreme humid environment so I will water early. No worries about the low temp, will never see it
Curious about the seasons though. I only have dry (Jan-Feb), hot (Apr-Aug), and wet (Sep-Dec).
Thank you for your very helpful advice.

[digitalgate]

Originally Posted by mstribling

I only have dry (Jan-Feb), hot (Apr-Aug), and wet (Sep-Dec).
Thank you for your very helpful advice.

[digitalgate]

I only have 1 climate.
wet, from Jan to December.

[mstribling]

Originally Posted by digitalgate

I only have 1 climate.
wet, from Jan to December.

Yeah, you have a ton of rain down there.

[LouisW]

I dont know if anyone has mentioned this yet but the plant looks dehydrated to me. It appears that there are wrinkles along the length of the new leaves which might suggest that they are not getting enough water to grow properly. Could be a root issue could be a watering issue.

[Hobby Orchidist]

LouisW,

Yes, it is very difficult to tell the difference between root rot and underwatering. When the roots rot, the plant cannot take up water and the plant looks dehydrated. Of course the same thing happens when you under or improperly water the plant.

mstribling,

Be careful with the FULL SUN. Some vandaceous orchids will take full sun, but others will not. Do you know what they name of the species or hybrid is? I would suggest GRADUALLY moving it to more sun. If you begin to see any white spots on the leaves, I would back off on the sun. Given that you have a very humid environment, you may also want to start an antifungal spraying program.

[mstribling]

Originally Posted by Hobby Orchidist

LouisW,

Yes, it is very difficult to tell the difference between root rot and underwatering. When the roots rot, the plant cannot take up water and the plant looks dehydrated. Of course the same thing happens when you under or improperly water the plant.

mstribling,

Be careful with the FULL SUN. Some vandaceous orchids will take full sun, but others will not. Do you know what they name of the species or hybrid is? I would suggest GRADUALLY moving it to more sun. If you begin to see any white spots on the leaves, I would back off on the sun. Given that you have a very humid environment, you may also want to start an antifungal spraying program.

Thanks. I'll do that gradually. No idea what the names are, other than what the Thai's call them
Hmm Ill look into antifungal spraying.