SInce the launch of our larger houseplant area outside our cafe entrance, we’ve been looking for some more unusual plants to showcase and sell. I absolutely love orchids, and one of the most impressive and interesting types we stock are Vanda orchids.
In this blog, i’ll tell you more about them – how vanda orchids grow and orchid care tips if you buy one for your home. As is often the case with orchids, after an initial investment to buy them and time to learn how to care for them, vanda orchids can go on providing great value through months of beautiful blooms year after year.
About Vanda Orchids
- Grown for their amazing vibrant blooms and aerial root display.
- In its natural tropical home with high temperatures and humidity it is happy to growing in trees or in crevices in rocks with virtually no growing media, depending entirely on its aerial roots for moisture.
- In the home vandas can be grown in a glass vase without any growing medium, or suspended from a wire, but success will depend on the right care and attention and trying to mimic as closely as possible how they grow in their natural environment.
Vanda Orchid Care
- One of the keys to successful vanda blooms is good light. Most varieties will take and enjoy direct sunlight – I have mine in a south facing window where it gets 4-5 hours direct summer sun and it seems very happy.
- The other vital ingredient is humidity. Vandas take up their moisture from the air, so it’s crucial to make sure they are given good humidity as often as possible. See below for how to do this for hanging vandas or a vanda in a vase.
- In terms of feed, I feed mine once every couple of weeks through spring and summer when it’s actively growing. Feed can be applied as a mist or in the water that you submerge it in.
Watering & Feeding Vanda Orchids
- In order to provide enough moisture, I submerge my vanda’s roots once a week in a container of tepid water (I use Guernsey tap water, but if your water is particularly hard, then rainwater is often recommended). I leave it soaking for about 10 minutes, then once I remove it I make sure any water collecting in the join between the leaf and the stem is tipped out to prevent rot.
- I also mist my vanda’s roots in its vase with water twice per day in summer, morning and evening. This can be reduced in Spring and Autumn/Winter when there is less growth, but remember that central heating can dry the air in the home, so ensure it is still getting enough moisture and keep it away from radiators or other direct heat sources. I use a Gardena Comfort Pump Spray which has a brass nozzle which gives a beautifully fine mist.
- I feed my vanda orchid during Spring and Summer every 2-3 weeks – to do this I either add a little orchid feed (Miracle Gro Orchid Pump and Feed is really easy to use) to the water in which I submerge its roots (follow the dosing instructions on the bottle for the volume of water you’re using) or I use an orchid feed & mist spray like the one from Vitax – both types of feed are available in our houseplant area or in our online shop.
- TOP TIP for maintaining humidity for your vanda – I add a small amount of water (about a cm depth) to the bottom of my vanda orchid vase to help maintain the humidity around its roots. And if you’re going away for a few days, you could add a little more so up to 20% of it’s roots are submerged to maintain a reliable water source and humidity whilst you’re not around to mist it.
How you can buy
- We stock vanda orchids periodically in our houseplant area outside our cafe.
- They are usually sold either hanging on a wire or in a glass vase.
