Need some ideas from you vanda types.

5 years ago I purchased two Aranda Floraweb plants (Arachis flos-aeris x
Vanda Emma van Deventer). Not something you see around much. These plants
are 40+ years old from the Singapore Botanical Gardens. Both plants were 5+
feet tall....big guys. Both plants had previously bloomed. They had been
neglected and needed some TLC.

I cut them back to reduce the naked stem length and put them in fresh vanda
baskets. Each year I would hang them outside in a crepe myrtle tree in my
back yard and they would grow and look very happy when they came back into
the greenhouse in September. In the greenhouse during the winter they kind
of stopped doing anything....no decline but they seemed to just sit up high
in the light and wait for the next summer to arrive.

No blooms. The larger one is reaching 5 feet tall again and the other is
about 3 1/2 feet. I have to sit it on the ground to see into the crown!

This year I bought a bag of red lava rock from HD and took one of the plants
out of the teak baskets (it was falling apart) and placed the plant in a 12
inch clay pot (a big pot) and placed the lava rock around the base. The
other plant I just put the lava rock in the basket. In May I put both
plants in full sun on a bench. To give them more sun would require putting
on the room of my house!

The larger plant in clay pot is responding well sending out really nice
roots. The smaller one looks good but the larger one is really shining. I
fertilize each week when the other vandas get their squirt of MSU.

SO the question....Does anyone grow anything closely related to this cross
who has bloomed it? Any other suggestions?

BTW...the remains of the old flower spike was over 5 feet long so besides
being an old plant I expect it to be an awesome show. Extra bonus points if
I could get to to bloom in time for the October show. I don't know when to
expect it to bloom.

Good Growing,
Gene

Gene Schurg wrote:
Need some ideas from you vanda types.

5 years ago I purchased two Aranda Floraweb plants (Arachis flos-aeris x
Vanda Emma van Deventer). Not something you see around much. These plants
are 40+ years old from the Singapore Botanical Gardens. Both plants were 5+
feet tall....big guys. Both plants had previously bloomed. They had been
neglected and needed some TLC.

I cut them back to reduce the naked stem length and put them in fresh vanda
baskets. Each year I would hang them outside in a crepe myrtle tree in my
back yard and they would grow and look very happy when they came back into
the greenhouse in September. In the greenhouse during the winter they kind
of stopped doing anything....no decline but they seemed to just sit up high
in the light and wait for the next summer to arrive.

No blooms. The larger one is reaching 5 feet tall again and the other is
about 3 1/2 feet. I have to sit it on the ground to see into the crown!

This year I bought a bag of red lava rock from HD and took one of the plants
out of the teak baskets (it was falling apart) and placed the plant in a 12
inch clay pot (a big pot) and placed the lava rock around the base. The
other plant I just put the lava rock in the basket. In May I put both
plants in full sun on a bench. To give them more sun would require putting
on the room of my house!

The larger plant in clay pot is responding well sending out really nice
roots. The smaller one looks good but the larger one is really shining. I
fertilize each week when the other vandas get their squirt of MSU.

SO the question....Does anyone grow anything closely related to this cross
who has bloomed it? Any other suggestions?

BTW...the remains of the old flower spike was over 5 feet long so besides
being an old plant I expect it to be an awesome show. Extra bonus points if
I could get to to bloom in time for the October show. I don't know when to
expect it to bloom.

Good Growing,
Gene


I haven't bloomed an aranda but have bloomed my share of vandaceaous
types under lights and outsid eof rthe summer

( http://www,orchidcourt.com/vandpics.html )


I have been using MI formula for a couple years, but the old formula was
- no regular fertilizer for vandas, only bloom booster, heavy and often.
I heard a speaker say recently that he doesn't fertilize vandas at all
because that makes them grow leaves and not bloom. Try one with one
plant and the other with the second. It's worth a shot. I definitely
think a lot of light is best also.

Good luck - and we'll expect to see pics in Sept on abpo!

This is indeed a puzzle; most plants that large and mature will adapt even
to less than ideal conditions in 5 years or less ...

Give as much light as possible, esp. in winter. Cut WAY back, or eliminate
altogether, nitrogen fertilizer during the fall and winter months, starting
a month or two before you have to bring them into the greenhouse
[more-or-less in keeping with previous reply, except that I'm not a big fan
of the traditional bloombooster formulas, either].

Another avenue for inquiry/research, since I don't know the answer, but it
sounds like temperature might also play a role. Your note that the plants
seem to "stop doing anything" in winter suggests that your minimum temp
might be too low (we heat to 55F but have had some vandas that suffered even
at that) -- or possibly there's not enough diurnal change in the temp while
they are inside???

Good growing, Kenni


"Gene Schurg" wrote in message
news:iEfli.4795$CJ4.3942@trndny08...
Need some ideas from you vanda types.

5 years ago I purchased two Aranda Floraweb plants (Arachis flos-aeris x
Vanda Emma van Deventer). Not something you see around much. These
plants are 40+ years old from the Singapore Botanical Gardens. Both
plants were 5+ feet tall....big guys. Both plants had previously bloomed.
They had been neglected and needed some TLC.

I cut them back to reduce the naked stem length and put them in fresh
vanda baskets. Each year I would hang them outside in a crepe myrtle tree
in my back yard and they would grow and look very happy when they came
back into the greenhouse in September. In the greenhouse during the
winter they kind of stopped doing anything....no decline but they seemed
to just sit up high in the light and wait for the next summer to arrive.

No blooms. The larger one is reaching 5 feet tall again and the other is
about 3 1/2 feet. I have to sit it on the ground to see into the crown!

This year I bought a bag of red lava rock from HD and took one of the
plants out of the teak baskets (it was falling apart) and placed the plant
in a 12 inch clay pot (a big pot) and placed the lava rock around the
base. The other plant I just put the lava rock in the basket. In May I
put both plants in full sun on a bench. To give them more sun would
require putting on the room of my house!

The larger plant in clay pot is responding well sending out really nice
roots. The smaller one looks good but the larger one is really shining.
I fertilize each week when the other vandas get their squirt of MSU.

SO the question....Does anyone grow anything closely related to this cross
who has bloomed it? Any other suggestions?

BTW...the remains of the old flower spike was over 5 feet long so besides
being an old plant I expect it to be an awesome show. Extra bonus points
if I could get to to bloom in time for the October show. I don't know
when to expect it to bloom.

Good Growing,
Gene

You could send it to me Gene! Ha ha! Cheers Wendy

"Gene Schurg" wrote in message
news:iEfli.4795$CJ4.3942@trndny08...
Need some ideas from you vanda types.

5 years ago I purchased two Aranda Floraweb plants (Arachis flos-aeris x
Vanda Emma van Deventer). Not something you see around much. These
plants are 40+ years old from the Singapore Botanical Gardens. Both
plants were 5+ feet tall....big guys. Both plants had previously bloomed.
They had been neglected and needed some TLC.

I cut them back to reduce the naked stem length and put them in fresh
vanda baskets. Each year I would hang them outside in a crepe myrtle tree
in my back yard and they would grow and look very happy when they came
back into the greenhouse in September. In the greenhouse during the
winter they kind of stopped doing anything....no decline but they seemed
to just sit up high in the light and wait for the next summer to arrive.

No blooms. The larger one is reaching 5 feet tall again and the other is
about 3 1/2 feet. I have to sit it on the ground to see into the crown!

This year I bought a bag of red lava rock from HD and took one of the
plants out of the teak baskets (it was falling apart) and placed the plant
in a 12 inch clay pot (a big pot) and placed the lava rock around the
base. The other plant I just put the lava rock in the basket. In May I
put both plants in full sun on a bench. To give them more sun would
require putting on the room of my house!

The larger plant in clay pot is responding well sending out really nice
roots. The smaller one looks good but the larger one is really shining.
I fertilize each week when the other vandas get their squirt of MSU.

SO the question....Does anyone grow anything closely related to this cross
who has bloomed it? Any other suggestions?

BTW...the remains of the old flower spike was over 5 feet long so besides
being an old plant I expect it to be an awesome show. Extra bonus points
if I could get to to bloom in time for the October show. I don't know
when to expect it to bloom.

Good Growing,
Gene

Wow...and that will make it bloom?


"Wendy7" wrote in message
...
You could send it to me Gene! Ha ha! Cheers Wendy

"Gene Schurg" wrote in message
news:iEfli.4795$CJ4.3942@trndny08...
Need some ideas from you vanda types.

5 years ago I purchased two Aranda Floraweb plants (Arachis flos-aeris x
Vanda Emma van Deventer). Not something you see around much. These
plants are 40+ years old from the Singapore Botanical Gardens. Both
plants were 5+ feet tall....big guys. Both plants had previously
bloomed. They had been neglected and needed some TLC.

I cut them back to reduce the naked stem length and put them in fresh
vanda baskets. Each year I would hang them outside in a crepe myrtle
tree in my back yard and they would grow and look very happy when they
came back into the greenhouse in September. In the greenhouse during the
winter they kind of stopped doing anything....no decline but they seemed
to just sit up high in the light and wait for the next summer to arrive.

No blooms. The larger one is reaching 5 feet tall again and the other is
about 3 1/2 feet. I have to sit it on the ground to see into the crown!

This year I bought a bag of red lava rock from HD and took one of the
plants out of the teak baskets (it was falling apart) and placed the
plant in a 12 inch clay pot (a big pot) and placed the lava rock around
the base. The other plant I just put the lava rock in the basket. In
May I put both plants in full sun on a bench. To give them more sun
would require putting on the room of my house!

The larger plant in clay pot is responding well sending out really nice
roots. The smaller one looks good but the larger one is really shining.
I fertilize each week when the other vandas get their squirt of MSU.

SO the question....Does anyone grow anything closely related to this
cross who has bloomed it? Any other suggestions?

BTW...the remains of the old flower spike was over 5 feet long so besides
being an old plant I expect it to be an awesome show. Extra bonus points
if I could get to to bloom in time for the October show. I don't know
when to expect it to bloom.

Good Growing,
Gene

I will cut back on the fertilizer this fall. The heat in winter is
generally 60 degrees plus with a large variation between sunny days and
night. The micro climate where I put this plant (not many places to put a 5
feet tall plant) should be warmer since it's in a corner where I would
expect it to stay warm.

The previous grower who did have it bloom kept his vandas in the same
greenhouse as his Cymbidiums.

Thanks for the ideas,
Gene