I won a vanda at the last meeting and it is bare roots in a plastic basket. I've never had one of these. Do I leave it like that or pot it up in orchid medium as I normally do?

Congratulations on winning the plant!

No potting medium is necessary at all for Vandas! In fact, if you were to repot it into a typical orchid medium, most likely the roots would rot and die, along with the plant! They LOVE air flow around their roots and do not like for their roots to remain soggy or in a medium that restricts air flow. Healthy roots will be plump and large, while older or dessicated roots will be dry and thin.

The basket merely provides a convenient "hold" for the method of attachment (ie, a place to put the wires to hang the orchid up). While some people use very fast drying, course medium (everything from wine corks to Styrofoam peanuts among others) in their baskets or pots for vandas, truly no medium is required.

Vandas are notorious for NOT liking their roots disturbed - so even when "repotting" (ie moving from one basket to another or from a pot to a basket), it is BEST to leave the original (or what's left of it) pot or basket and simply set it into a new, larger one with disturbing or breaking the roots as little as possible. The Vanda will be very happy with its roots just dangling in mid air.

Now that we have that down..do you have a greenhouse? Vandas need (most varieties, that is) VERY VERY HIGH LIGHT AND VERY WARM TEMPERATURES to bloom and grow well. That doesn't mean DIRECT sunlight, but very bright slightly shaded light.

What they also need is CONSTANT watering. That doesn't mean their roots should stay wet - but they need to be watered DAILY during spring summer and fall, and perhaps a little less frequently in winter.

Some growers actually water SEVERAL times per day, always making sure the plant (at least the leaves) are thoroughly DRY by nighttime. In winter months, try and water ONLY the roots and avoid water on the leaves of the Vandas as these can encourage bacterial or fungal problems, spots and other issues.

These (Vandas) are GREENHOUSE plants and NOT indoor plants. I've heard it said MANY times that "you can't grow a vanda indoors" yet I've seen several people display vandas they've grown and even bloomed indoors - in West or South facing windows (very high light) - but that is the EXCEPTION not the rule. Vandas also (again generalizing, but most) get VERY LARGE.

Some people put their vandas (shaded slightly) outdoors during the summer months and only keep them indoors during the winter - I'm not sure if any members of the Sacramento Orchid Society does this or has luck doing this (comments? suggestions from other members?)

If you do not have a greenhouse or a very bright sunlight or enclosed patio, I would STRONGLY encourage you to perhaps TRADE your Vanda to a fellow society member who has a greenhouse... in exchange for a plant you could grow indoors.

Does that answer your question? Society member Dick Murrell is our Vanda Expert, if you're a member you can contact him directly through our Membership roster with any further questions. There are several other members who also grow Vandas, as well.

Good luck! ...and feel free to ask more questions!

For more growing tips, see the AOS caresheet hosted here on our website under 'Growing Orchids' or click here:

VANDA CARESHEET BY AOS on SOS website

Scott Farrell