Watering

            Watering Vanda’s (or any other orchid) is one of the most important aspects of care. Over watering or too high humidity can lead to fungus and pest issues, while under watering will leave your Vanda dehydrated and droopy. Our Vanda’s are watered twice per day for about 10 minutes each time, on very hot days we offer a third water just before 11am. The goal when watering is to provide the roots the opportunity to absorb as much moisture over a short period of time rather than an extended soaking. When you receive your orchid from Lady Vanda there should not be any problems with your roots and more than likely you will see plenty of active root growth on your root tips. However, if on any Vanda you have brown/ yellow roots and they look shriveled up or very thin they are more than likely dead and not actively absorbing water, but unlike with potted orchids there is no need to cut these off. As long as your Vanda has more ‘good’ roots than ‘bad’ it will be fine and will absorb moisture. When you first water Vanda roots you want to allow the water to run off the roots tips for a few seconds before moving on to the next plant. Some roots may green up immediately, and some may not. If you have roots that remain white/ silvery these are most likely newer roots in active growth that may take a few minutes to absorb moisture. If you are caring for a large collection of orchids move through your collection watering each orchid until water run-off, at the end return to your first plant and water a second time. The short time period between the first watering and second allows the velamen to absorb water.  If you have an irrigation system you should run your system for 5-10 minutes, 2-3 times per day to allow the plants time to absorb water. Just as important as watering frequency is the time of day you are watering. It is always best to water early morning, before 10am for your first watering, and after 5pm for your evening watering. A midday watering before noon can also be added, this way you avoid watering at the hottest parts of the day as the cooler temperatures allow your Vanda’s time to absorb water without. We have heard of growers and hobbyists watering at all different times of the day and even overnight, such that you are providing lots of airflow, so the plants do not stay wet for an extended period of time.