Vanda leaves Yellowing

[jmalloy]

Hello,
This is a Vanda I got bought for my birthday by my mother last year

when I had it last April it had one leaf going yellow at the Axis and then dropping
since then it has grown about 7 pairs of leaves and recently my first flower spike has come forth

However the leaves have started to drop again quite badly starting from where it left off

I am rather stingy with the water in fear of rotting it, could this be the problem?

I have attached a picture

[Vanda lover]

Vandas really need to have good air circulation around the roots. They do best in a slatted basket. Mine have a little sphag and charcoal in the basket so that I don't have to water as much as if they were bare root, but many people do grow them bare root with good success. You need to water daily if it is bare root, though.
If it were me, I would unpot it and look at the roots.

[Orchids9]

I think Vanda needs more light.

[jmalloy]

Hello thank you very much for replying
I have checked the roots they are lovely and fat plump and firm green when watered grey when dryer.
It was potted up by Burnham nurseries a multi award winning orchid nursery near me I have another vanda in the same set up growing very well and also flowering.

And I do not believe light would be an issue: it is beneath (4 feet away) from a 600 watt Dual spectrum Growlamp at 78,000 Lumens output I have flowered it successfully 2 times the other one once I also grow and flower cattleyas in a similar position. this is why I am stumped.

The only thing I think I may be doing wrong is watering

[orchids4me]

That little section of mossing leaves looks like you had a form of rot that happend there at one time. You need to make sure they are dry in the nooks before night fall when temps drop this is best accomplished by watering early and good air flow to dry by night fall. If I were you and I do this with mine all the time from my own mishap prior is I check the leaf nooks early evening if water is trapped I take a paper towel and twist and end and stick it in the leaf nooks to siphon up and water trapped. Its well worth the effort to not get leaf or stem rot in the long run and its a good protocol to inspect the plant at that time also for any other issues to catch them early.
Good luck and keep a watch on that stem in that area and how the top of the fan is going after that area was afected.

[jmalloy]

Ok thank you This would make sense as this dying back started last April when the nursery had charge of it.

They tend to water with a hose on and stick and it may have not dried before nightfall