Live in central OH and keep several vandas in my conservatory on a humidity
tray. The leaves turn yellow and fall off then it dies. What else do they
need? Dendrobiums, cattelayas, phalenopsis live in the same room and are
thriving. Varigated papheopedolums have healthy foliage but don't bloom.
Any suggestions?

Alicia Moïse wrote:
Live in central OH and keep several vandas in my conservatory on a humidity
tray. The leaves turn yellow and fall off then it dies. What else do they
need? Dendrobiums, cattelayas, phalenopsis live in the same room and are
thriving. Varigated papheopedolums have healthy foliage but don't bloom.
Any suggestions?


I also live in central Ohio and grow indoors during the winter, in three
growrooms; my humidity is usually too low there. You don't say how much
light the vandas are getting or in what/how they are potted. I grow mine
potted in plastic pots with large bark mixed with sponge rock #4 (the
largest I can get) and water them as often as everything else, usually
every 4/5 days or so. They sit immediately under the 400W light.
I have even bloomed a few:

http://www.orchidcourt.com/vandpics.html

Perhaps yours aren't getting enough water. Vandas are actually
waterloving plants; they just don't like to be too wet around the roots
at night.

Don't know if you're a member of the Central Ohio Orchid Society

http://www.coosinfo.info/

but there are a lot of long-time growers there who are more than happy
to help out with whatever insight and experience they may have, and even
more newer growers full of excitement and questions.

Of course there are other possible problems: thrips, disease, etc. Hard
to say for sure without more info and seeing the plants.

Alicia,

Our orchid society, (Orchid Soc. of MN), recently had a symposium and one of
our members spoke on her success with Vandas.

Besides lots of light she also mentioned potting and water.
For potting she uses large chunks of bark (sounded like 1.5 to 2 inches) and
places them on edge in the pot around the roots. This lets the water drain
away quickly and the bark lasts a longer period of time while giving some
support and higher humidity to the roots.

She waters with warm water. Her reasoning is that the roots have a waxy
coating that doesn't allow water out but also doesn't let it in. Cold water
doesn't soften the wax. She also waters three times, maybe 5 minutes apart.
She wants the roots to turn a bright green. If you can't get them to take
water then submerge them in a pail of water for a while. This maybe
necessary if they are really dried out.

Bob

"tennis maynard" wrote in message
...
Alicia Moïse wrote:
Live in central OH and keep several vandas in my conservatory on a
humidity
tray. The leaves turn yellow and fall off then it dies. What else do they
need? Dendrobiums, cattelayas, phalenopsis live in the same room and are
thriving. Varigated papheopedolums have healthy foliage but don't bloom.
Any suggestions?


I also live in central Ohio and grow indoors during the winter, in three
growrooms; my humidity is usually too low there. You don't say how much
light the vandas are getting or in what/how they are potted. I grow mine
potted in plastic pots with large bark mixed with sponge rock #4 (the
largest I can get) and water them as often as everything else, usually
every 4/5 days or so. They sit immediately under the 400W light.
I have even bloomed a few:

http://www.orchidcourt.com/vandpics.html

Perhaps yours aren't getting enough water. Vandas are actually
waterloving plants; they just don't like to be too wet around the roots at
night.

Don't know if you're a member of the Central Ohio Orchid Society

http://www.coosinfo.info/

but there are a lot of long-time growers there who are more than happy to
help out with whatever insight and experience they may have, and even more
newer growers full of excitement and questions.

Of course there are other possible problems: thrips, disease, etc. Hard to
say for sure without more info and seeing the plants.

Alicia: The most common causes of excessive leaf drop in vandas are (1)
too dry; (2) too cold. You should, however, expect most vandas to drop
1-2 bottom leaves each winter. Some more than others, and as best I can
figure, genetics plays a big role in that.

On the too cold, most really like to be warm. We heat to 55F and still have
more leaf drop than we would like, in winter. But we have to compromise,
since we don't have a whole separate vanda house (although we do have a
separate watering zone for them, that's a must).

Being indoors, you probably have to pot your vandas, which means you can't
do what we do to prevent "too dry" (make it "rain" on them for 12 minutes
every am). But the poster who mentioned getting the roots to turn green
each time you water was right on target. It might also help to feed the
vandas more, compared to your other plants. The more water, the more food,
is a good rule of thumb.

I don't think that low light would cause the leaf drop, although it will
interfere with blooming.

Good growing,

--
Kenni Judd
Juno Beach Orchids


"Alicia Moïse" wrote in message
t...
Live in central OH and keep several vandas in my conservatory on a
humidity
tray. The leaves turn yellow and fall off then it dies. What else do they
need? Dendrobiums, cattelayas, phalenopsis live in the same room and are
thriving. Varigated papheopedolums have healthy foliage but don't bloom.
Any suggestions?