Showering with my vanda

[roseclaw]

My new vanda Pachara Delight came today! It's super leggy for an itty-bitty. This is my first vanda. I was wondering if I could take my vanda into the shower instead of misting it or soaking it daily. During the winter my apartment is only at 60% humidity. I do keep my vanilla plant in the bathroom, and I was wondering if the vanda could benefit as well.

The only thing that worries me is that there is about a 15F difference between in the shower and the rest of the apartment, and I don't want to shock it.

[vanda_obsession]

Vanda's are pretty hardy orchids..... I typically leave mine out until the low 40's outside and they can take quite a beating (I had a issue with kudzu bugs and literally have to shake the plant to death under water to get them off). This time of year I'll leave them out until I deem it cold enough to come in, and I'll take them straight to the bathroom (I have no where else to hang them) and leave them there until I wake up for work the next day. I do several things in the winter for them: I'll put mine in the shower either to hang them to spray them down with my pump sprayer or shower them with the nozzle with very slight warm water, or when I get into the shower and they need to be watered I'll just hang them in there on the curtain railing. Mine are about 5' tall and they do fine in my bathroom. I run a small heater in the bathroom to just take the 'chill' off when your getting out of the shower (bathroom gets very cold). Plus having them somewhere in the bathroom especially after HOT showers and keeping the door shut (we have very low humidity here in the winter, makes me itchy!) keeps the steam and humidity in there for their benefit. I also run a humidifier in the bedroom (for my benefit really, winter=bloody nose) and will hang the vandas on the door frame above the humidifier.

[Anton]

60% humidity is OK for Vandas, mine quite often experience down to 38% to 40% during summer.

Just keep the roots, moist but not wet with a spray bottle in the morning.

[lmartiny]

Gee, I thought I was going to see an interesting photo based on the opening.
But, anyway, mine grow bare root outside and I won't bring them in until it threatens to be low 40's consistently. Or, freezing. Which I'm really hoping we avoid this year.

[roseclaw]

Vanda_obsession, thanks! I thought I was being weird for suggesting taking orchids into the shower. I can hang my vanda right on the curtain rod. It's not blooming size yet, but it's still about 2 1/2 feet, so there's room for us both!

[roseclaw]

Thanks, Anton!

[roseclaw]

No interesting photo, sorry! I'll hang my vanda outside for the summer, but it's waaaay too cold to have it outside now. The low last night was 13F. Such is winter in New England.

[vanda_obsession]

I try to give mine as much humidity as possible here, it can get down into the 40% range... I know when my skins gets itchy and starts to hurt, I know it's too low. I even have one starting a spike nubbin

[orchids4me]

I do the same as Anton with mine...
The kittys have the roam of the back 1/2 of the house and that's were the shower is and they play in the tub and meow when they want the fawcet on in the tub. Tey also eat any live plant or flower in site I mean find a way to get it if you try to set it so they can't. So they knock down everything to get to it .... So this is why they have the back half of the house which is the biggest part .

What Anton does works well for me misting in the mornings and a good soak in a tub every other day or 2 someties in the winter months. Summer is a whole different ball game