Getting vandas to bloom...outdoors enough?

[katrina]

Is it possible to get vandas to bloom w/being outdoors in the summer months (about 4 months maybe a bit longer if weather permits) and then under catt lighting during the other months?

I bought 2 seedlings last year -- Vanda tricolor and Rhynochostylis gigantea and both are doing quite well as far as new leaf growth and new root growth...but I'm starting to wonder if perhaps I'll have a problem getting them to bloom.

What do you think?

Thanks!
Kat

[digitalgate]

no you will have no problem. except you have one more year to go.

[kmarch]

Yes it certainly is possible. I judged regularly at orchid shows in Michigan and we always hav vandas of some type in the shows.

[FLaCo]

I had a Ascda bloom for me a few weeks back. My parents tend to have better luck. Their plants mostly Ascda produce roots and bloom. They have the plants in hanging baskets under coconut palms...they seem to love it there.

[Brooke]

There is a local grower here that specializes in the vanda/vanda family and she grows hers outside in the summer, inside under lights in the winter.

A friend in MD grows the Rhynochostilis gigantea outside in the summer and inside in the winter in front of a window - no supplemental lighting at all.

I'm sure you will be successful too.

Brooke

[katrina]

Thanks guys!

I wasn't sure...I've been looking into supplemental lighting in prep of everyone's move back inside. My collection has gotten bigger and my grow space will have to be expanded BUT expanding will require lights. My concern was that I didn't want to have to buy special lights for 2 lone plants. Good to know they'll do well in the catt area.

Digitalgate -- the Rhyno was sooooooooo tiny last year (2 little leaves)...I was thinking it might be 2 years before he flowers. Only has 5 little leaves now and for something called gigantea...he sure is small. LOL!

Thanks again for the replies!

[digitalgate]

mine also have 5 little leaves , i only expect another 1.5 years before it grow any reasonable blooming size.

[katrina]

1.5 years..at least that's a little sooner than I had anticipated.

I bought several seedlings last year and when they arrived...they sure were cute BUT it's when I decided from that point forward I'd get bloom size whenever possible...no less than 1 year from blooms size. I just don't have the patience for a 2-3 (or more) year wait to see a flower.

[jerrymeola]

I hate to discourage you but Rhynchostylis giganta is one of the slowest growing orchids that exists.

They seldom bloom under 8-10 years old. They are a small plant getting about 10 inch leaf span. They require constant water. I can not grow them without daily water.

As to the other two mentioned Vanda and Ascocenda, Ascocenda bloom younger and easier with less light than Vanda. They usually have smaller flowers whereas the Vanda can have those big 5-6 inch flowers. However, they usually bloom more often that Vanda. Many bloom 2-3 times a year.

There are several color varieties of gigantia. Here are a few

[digitalgate]

it all depend on the area where you stay. I have no season, so growing is through out the whole year. Mine bloom after 3 years.
If you have seasons, then 8 to 10 years is a good estimate.
They dont sell any better than other orchid. Urgh......

[katrina]

OH LORD!! 8-10yrs?! I'm in OH and we definitely have seasons. Hmmm..I may have to rethink the gigantia. Guess this is a GREAT example of... one should do thorough research b4 buying. I didn't do that b4 buying the seedlings and well...here I am now.

The tricolor I can live w/the wait on that one...just don't think I can live w/the other. The pictures sure are pretty but I just don't think I have the patience for that wait. Hmmmm......I have some thinking to do.

Thanks for the heads up on this...god knows I would've started to think I was doing something wrong.