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Old 04-05-2007, 01:05 PM posted to rec.gardens.orchids
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Default Vandas and Spanish Moss

I recently acquired 3 decent sized used Vandas. 2 were in the
standard slatted wooden boxes. they have air roots about a foot long.
draped with the roots is a mass of Spanish moss. is this a good Idea,
or a bad idea. the third orchid was laying on a mass of std potting
debris. I removed it, put it in a box identical to the other two, and
stuffed some sphagnum moss around the in the box part. the roots are
hanging down naked. should I get some Spanish moss for those roots?
should I get Spanish moss to put in the box around the standard roots?
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Old 04-05-2007, 03:33 PM posted to rec.gardens.orchids
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Default Vandas and Spanish Moss

On May 4, 7:05 am, gerald wrote:
I recently acquired 3 decent sized used Vandas. 2 were in the
standard slatted wooden boxes. they have air roots about a foot long.
draped with the roots is a mass of Spanish moss. is this a good Idea,
or a bad idea. the third orchid was laying on a mass of std potting
debris. I removed it, put it in a box identical to the other two, and
stuffed some sphagnum moss around the in the box part. the roots are
hanging down naked. should I get some Spanish moss for those roots?
should I get Spanish moss to put in the box around the standard roots?


Live and growing drapes of Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides) get
along very well with the live and growing drapes of vandaceous orchid
roots in my greenhouse. They both like lots of moving air and
moisture. The living moss may help keep vanda roots healthy in a less
than perfect environment. It would be difficult to keep either very
happy in a low humid environment like a house.

In my greenhouse, I let the spanish moss grow with the roots of one
Asctm curvifolium basket and the plant is now massive with a huge
drape of roots and moss tangle topped by a giant plant. This plant
looks far happier then the baskets without moss growing among the
roots. (I do believe Spanish moss is a weed and it is possible for it
to begin actually competing with the plants. I don't know if it would
be wise to pack it into the basket as a 'potting media'. Use it
drapped from the basket to help hold humidity around hanging roots but
be prepared to rip most of it out if/when it starts to compete with
the vandas.

I think using sphagnum as a potting media in a vanda basket would
cause problems for me the way I grow them. They do not respond well
to being planted. I have seen indoor growers be successful with
vandas planted "on" clay pots filled with very large chunks of
charcole or course gravel or even large bits of broken clay pottery
are the "potting media"

In my opinion it is going to be a struggle if you want to grow a vanda
in an open basket in a house. On the other hand, in a greenhouse, you
don't need any potting media at all; you could hang them on hooks...
you just need to douse the roots and spainish moss with water/
fertilizer every day and provide lots of light and warmth.

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Old 04-05-2007, 03:37 PM posted to rec.gardens.orchids
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Default Vandas and Spanish Moss

On May 4, 7:05 am, gerald wrote:
I recently acquired 3 decent sized used Vandas...


Used?

"Tell you what, folks, this plant's got just a few miles on it. It
bloomed only on Sundays..."


J. Del Col

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Old 04-05-2007, 03:40 PM posted to rec.gardens.orchids
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Default Vandas and Spanish Moss

On May 4, 7:05 am, gerald wrote:
I recently acquired 3 decent sized used Vandas. 2 were in the
standard slatted wooden boxes. they have air roots about a foot long.
draped with the roots is a mass of Spanish moss.


I've visited several vanda growers in Florida who don't use -any-
growing medium with their vandaceous plants. I use diatomite with
some, but let others grow bare-rooted--literally. They seem to do
fine.

J. Del Col

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Old 04-05-2007, 08:26 PM posted to rec.gardens.orchids
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Default Vandas and Spanish Moss

Some of ours have Spanish moss around the roots, others not. Personally, I
think the biggest benefit of the moss is that it enhances the overall look
of the plant. I don't see any difference in growth. Like Al, I have a huge
curvifolium covered at the base with the stuff. It looks great. We use no
media at all for our Vandas.

Diana

"jadel" wrote in message
ups.com...
On May 4, 7:05 am, gerald wrote:
I recently acquired 3 decent sized used Vandas. 2 were in the
standard slatted wooden boxes. they have air roots about a foot long.
draped with the roots is a mass of Spanish moss.


I've visited several vanda growers in Florida who don't use -any-
growing medium with their vandaceous plants. I use diatomite with
some, but let others grow bare-rooted--literally. They seem to do
fine.

J. Del Col





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Old 05-05-2007, 12:15 AM posted to rec.gardens.orchids
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Default Vandas and Spanish Moss

The Spanish Moss is primarily decorative. It _might_ serve some purpose as
an "indicator plant" -- i.e, if the moss dries up and dies, maybe you are
not watering the vanda enough???

I have no experience in potting vandas to grow in a low-humidity
environment, so will leave that to others. Our vandaceous are all grown
"bare in the basket" or, if we have an opportunity to dispense with the
basket altogether (plant will come out easily, or we take a topcutting),
then just on vanda hangers, no basket at all. But growing this way does
require a thorough watering, every day in warm weather and at least every
other day even when it's cool.

Good growing, Kenni
"gerald" wrote in message
news
I recently acquired 3 decent sized used Vandas. 2 were in the
standard slatted wooden boxes. they have air roots about a foot long.
draped with the roots is a mass of Spanish moss. is this a good Idea,
or a bad idea. the third orchid was laying on a mass of std potting
debris. I removed it, put it in a box identical to the other two, and
stuffed some sphagnum moss around the in the box part. the roots are
hanging down naked. should I get some Spanish moss for those roots?
should I get Spanish moss to put in the box around the standard roots?



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Old 05-05-2007, 03:09 AM posted to rec.gardens.orchids
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Default Vandas and Spanish Moss


"Diana Kulaga" wrote in message
. ..
Some of ours have Spanish moss around the roots, others not. Personally, I
think the biggest benefit of the moss is that it enhances the overall look
of the plant. I don't see any difference in growth. Like Al, I have a huge
curvifolium covered at the base with the stuff. It looks great. We use no
media at all for our Vandas.


How then do you water and fertilize them? Do you take them down and dunk
them in a bucket of water?

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Old 05-05-2007, 03:32 AM posted to rec.gardens.orchids
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Default Vandas and Spanish Moss

We have quite a few Vandas. So, a few years ago, Frank rigged a watering
system using sprinkler heads, PVC and a simple timer from Home Depot. The
water comes on at 9 AM every morning and lasts for 5 minutes. We water more
often in the dryer months, and less when we have our summer rains. We can
set it for twice daily if needed. Fertilization is done a couple of hours
after watering, by hand, twice weekly. Sometimes we shut down the system and
just do the fert. Ideally, if we could follow Martin Motes suggestions (and
he's surely right), we'd fertilize with every watering. We're not set up for
that.

I would never have enough time to water them by hand. They'd suffer. And, we
love them, so needed to do something to give them what is needed.

As far as the bucket method is concerned, the only time we use that is if
we're disinfecting, i.e. using a fungicide. Otherwise, I'd be concerned that
we could spread pathogens. Of course, if a plant, Vanda or otherwise, is
dehydrated, then a sterilized bucket is fine. Just our two cents!

Oh, by the way - we grow outside, under screens around a pool area and in an
extended lanai. I am sure that makes a difference.

Diana

"Manelli Family" wrote in message
...

"Diana Kulaga" wrote in message
. ..
Some of ours have Spanish moss around the roots, others not. Personally,
I think the biggest benefit of the moss is that it enhances the overall
look of the plant. I don't see any difference in growth. Like Al, I have
a huge curvifolium covered at the base with the stuff. It looks great. We
use no media at all for our Vandas.


How then do you water and fertilize them? Do you take them down and dunk
them in a bucket of water?



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Old 05-05-2007, 03:56 PM posted to rec.gardens.orchids
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Default Vandas and Spanish Moss

On May 4, 9:09 pm, "Manelli Family" wrote:
"


How then do you water and fertilize them? Do you take them down and dunk
them in a bucket of water?


I don't have that many vandaceous plants, so I water them indoors
every couple days by spraying them in a utility sink. Outdoors, I
just use a hose and a fine spray nozzle. I use the same method on
Nepenthes. I fertilize them with a sprayer.

The bucket method seems to me to be a good way to spread disease.

J. Del Col

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Old 06-05-2007, 03:55 AM posted to rec.gardens.orchids
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Default Vandas and Spanish Moss (Diana & Jadel)


"jadel" wrote in message
oups.com...
On May 4, 9:09 pm, "Manelli Family" wrote:
"


How then do you water and fertilize them? Do you take them down and dunk
them in a bucket of water?


I don't have that many vandaceous plants, so I water them indoors
every couple days by spraying them in a utility sink. Outdoors, I
just use a hose and a fine spray nozzle. I use the same method on
Nepenthes. I fertilize them with a sprayer.

The bucket method seems to me to be a good way to spread disease.

J. Del Col


Thank you. I only have 8 orchids at the moment and have used the bucket
method when fertalizing, never giving a thought to disease spread.






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Old 06-05-2007, 08:11 AM posted to rec.gardens.orchids
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Posts: 4
Default Vandas and Spanish Moss

On May 4, 9:40 pm, jadel wrote:
On May 4, 7:05 am, gerald wrote:

I recently acquired 3 decent sized used Vandas. 2 were in the
standard slatted wooden boxes. they have air roots about a foot long.
draped with the roots is a mass of Spanish moss.


I've visited several vanda growers in Florida who don't use -any-
growing medium with their vandaceous plants. I use diatomite with
some, but let others grow bare-rooted--literally. They seem to do
fine.

J. Del Col


Hi,

Vandas are very flexible and easy to grow provided all the appropriate
requirements like lighting,
watering, temperature are met. I remembered having a Vanda Madam
Rattana from Thailand.
I was grown in a 1.5 inches plastic thumb pot with nothing in it and
it was hanged from the normal
hanging wire. It grew in my garden and it produced regular flowers
like others.
Nutrients absorption is also conducted through the mob like
roots.Therefore care must be taken
not to injure it.

Contributed by Fred from http://orchid-orchidcare.blogspot.com/

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Old 06-05-2007, 05:44 PM posted to rec.gardens.orchids
SuE SuE is offline
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Default Vandas and Spanish Moss

On Fri, 04 May 2007 08:05:28 -0300, gerald wrote:

I recently acquired 3 decent sized used Vandas. 2 were in the
standard slatted wooden boxes. they have air roots about a foot long.
draped with the roots is a mass of Spanish moss. is this a good Idea,
or a bad idea. the third orchid was laying on a mass of std potting
debris. I removed it, put it in a box identical to the other two, and
stuffed some sphagnum moss around the in the box part. the roots are
hanging down naked. should I get some Spanish moss for those roots?
should I get Spanish moss to put in the box around the standard roots?


When we buy Ascda or Vanda type plants I often find the stump of a top
cutting has been stuck in a pot so that the hanger can be attached to
the pot. Then a large chunk of bark, charcoal or lava rock is used to
brace the plant. The roots grow out over the edges of the pot.

When I plant such a growth for my gh I used a net/or wood basket and
use peanuts to help support the plant in the basket, but the first
watering the peanuts shot out. SO I used sphagnum moss to maintain
the peanuts. This is not a good situation. The roots immediately
headed for open air and so we now use just enough wire, charcoal, lava
rock or large bark chunks to balance the plant in the basket. Most of
them grow better with less.

When I top a plant a want a keiki from the bottom I will drape spanish
moss to help collect the humidity or most in the gh. It seems to
help. Of course it could all be in my head. Enough wishes and a few
will come true/
SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/main.php
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Old 07-05-2007, 04:37 AM posted to rec.gardens.orchids
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Default Vandas and Spanish Moss

On Fri, 4 May 2007 21:32:21 -0400 in Diana Kulaga wrote:
We have quite a few Vandas. So, a few years ago, Frank rigged a watering
system using sprinkler heads, PVC and a simple timer from Home Depot. The
water comes on at 9 AM every morning and lasts for 5 minutes. We water more
often in the dryer months, and less when we have our summer rains. We can
set it for twice daily if needed. Fertilization is done a couple of hours
after watering, by hand, twice weekly. Sometimes we shut down the system and
just do the fert. Ideally, if we could follow Martin Motes suggestions (and
he's surely right), we'd fertilize with every watering. We're not set up for
that.


Anyone that does the automatic sprinkler for vandas or similar use
use a fertilizer siphon in the system?
How are the results?

--
Chris Dukes
elfick willg: you can't use dell to beat people, it wouldn't stand up
to the strain... much like attacking a tank with a wiffle bat
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Old 07-05-2007, 11:49 AM posted to rec.gardens.orchids
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Posts: 479
Default Vandas and Spanish Moss

I water my entire greenhouse with overhead spray nozzles, which spray RO +
MSU fertilizer injected into the feed stream.

The vandaceous plants - in everything from wooden baskets alone, to baskets
plus charcoal or PrimeAgra, EpiWeb baskets, or hung from bare wire - all do
just great.

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies. Books, Artwork, and lots of Free Info!


wrote in message
g...
On Fri, 4 May 2007 21:32:21 -0400 in
Diana Kulaga
wrote:
We have quite a few Vandas. So, a few years ago, Frank rigged a watering
system using sprinkler heads, PVC and a simple timer from Home Depot. The
water comes on at 9 AM every morning and lasts for 5 minutes. We water
more
often in the dryer months, and less when we have our summer rains. We can
set it for twice daily if needed. Fertilization is done a couple of hours
after watering, by hand, twice weekly. Sometimes we shut down the system
and
just do the fert. Ideally, if we could follow Martin Motes suggestions
(and
he's surely right), we'd fertilize with every watering. We're not set up
for
that.


Anyone that does the automatic sprinkler for vandas or similar use
use a fertilizer siphon in the system?
How are the results?

--
Chris Dukes
elfick willg: you can't use dell to beat people, it wouldn't stand up
to the strain... much like attacking a tank with a wiffle bat



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Old 09-05-2007, 04:00 AM posted to rec.gardens.orchids
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Posts: 40
Default Vandas and Spanish Moss

On May 4, 9:33 am, wrote:
On May 4, 7:05 am, gerald wrote:

I recently acquired 3 decent sized used Vandas. 2 were in the
standard slatted wooden boxes. they have air roots about a foot long.
draped with the roots is a mass of Spanish moss. is this a good Idea,
or a bad idea. the third orchid was laying on a mass of std potting
debris. I removed it, put it in a box identical to the other two, and
stuffed some sphagnum moss around the in the box part. the roots are
hanging down naked. should I get some Spanish moss for those roots?
should I get Spanish moss to put in the box around the standard roots?


Live and growing drapes of Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides) get
along very well with the live and growing drapes of vandaceous orchid
roots in my greenhouse. They both like lots of moving air and
moisture. The living moss may help keep vanda roots healthy in a less
than perfect environment. It would be difficult to keep either very
happy in a low humid environment like a house.

In my greenhouse, I let the spanish moss grow with the roots of one
Asctm curvifolium basket and the plant is now massive with a huge
drape of roots and moss tangle topped by a giant plant. This plant
looks far happier then the baskets without moss growing among the
roots. (I do believe Spanish moss is a weed and it is possible for it
to begin actually competing with the plants. I don't know if it would
be wise to pack it into the basket as a 'potting media'. Use it
drapped from the basket to help hold humidity around hanging roots but
be prepared to rip most of it out if/when it starts to compete with
the vandas.

I think using sphagnum as a potting media in a vanda basket would
cause problems for me the way I grow them. They do not respond well
to being planted. I have seen indoor growers be successful with
vandas planted "on" clay pots filled with very large chunks of
charcole or course gravel or even large bits of broken clay pottery
are the "potting media"

In my opinion it is going to be a struggle if you want to grow a vanda
in an open basket in a house. On the other hand, in a greenhouse, you
don't need any potting media at all; you could hang them on hooks...
you just need to douse the roots and spainish moss with water/
fertilizer every day and provide lots of light and warmth.


Hello the Group! I hope y'all are doing well (and here's a hug if
you're not).
I have one Christieara (thanks to Kenni and her recomendation) which
while not technically a Vanda, has a bit of it in it's background.
Every year it sends up three infloresences (one at a time) with about
16 flowers each. It is in a basket with some chunks of bark. There
are several roots and they have branched (in fact there is new root
activity now along with the start of the final spike. I soak it in a
bucket of water, for about 15 minutes almost every day, all year
long. Next to it I have a small clump of Spanish moss I got when the
plant care company they use at work changed the moss. I just happened
to be there the day it was changed and the new moss was very fresh, so
I took some home. I was delighted to see it was alive and it began to
grow. I have it draped around a division of Den biggibum, mounted on
a piece of tree bark. Sharing the bark are two other small
Tillandsia. This is also watered almost every day, with a pump
sprayer. The spanish moss is over a year old.
The point - yes, there is a point g - while it would be much
easier in a greenhouse, it is possible to grow certain orchids in a
home, that wouldn't seem at first thought to be good choices.
Just my two cents. I would never have brought that Christieara
without a little push from Kenni at JB Orchids, thinking it would
never survive, let alone flower, in my windowsill. Without a
humidifier or fan.
Thanks for letting me share!
Bob Campoli - Philadelphia, Pa

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