Question
QUESTION: plant not doing good. losing old leaves.only one new leave in six months. no new roots. humidity 60%. perhaps low night temp?- 14 degrees celcius- day temp 25.was kept outside in shadehouse.now brought into house.please advice emergency treatment!

ANSWER: Hello Gladys,

Sorry to hear about the plight of your Vanda Robert's Delight.  Although you didn't say where you live, you did talk in celcius so you are not in the U.S. of A.  Also, because of this I am not certain what season it may be where you live.  

Most vandas prefer very warm temperatures and 14C is right around the bottom range, kept above 17C would be better.  Not knowing where you live and growing outdoors under a shadehouse may or may not be enough light exposure for it as they prefer high light for them to grow and bloom well.  

Not sure what emergency treatment to advise you about but here are some things you can try.  If it is still indoors, place it the brightest window you have.  Mix about a half teaspoon of high nitrogen orchid fertilizer in a liter of water, fill a spray bottle with the mixture and mist the entire vanda in the morning.  There should be a little gentle air movement around it along with humidity above 50%. If it is in a pot, go easy on the watering by allowing it to become barely moist between waterings.  

Hope this helps but if you can provide a bit more information, I may be able to offer better advice.  

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.




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QUESTION: live in south africa in mosselbay- a seaside town.humidity very high. season is summer, but a very cool and cloudy one.thanx for advice. will try.plant is bare root. gladys

ANSWER: Hi again Gladys,

Living along the South Africa coast, humidity is not a problem I would imagine.  Found Mosselbay on a map and you may be a bit farther from the equator climate wise for the vanda, as I mentioned earlier, they love very warm temperatures.  There are a few vandas that can withstand cool temperatures down to 10C but your Robert's Delight is not one of them, it will sulk until things warm up.  

Since it is bareroot, be sure to mist the roots too with the fertilizer mixture.  When fully hydrated the roots will turn somewhat greenish.  

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: thanx for your advice. will try and let you know what happened in time
gladys

Answer
Hi Gladys,

I hope it does get better and starts to grow for you.  If it does, be patient as it may take several years for it to gain enough growth and energy to produce blooms.  Speaking of patience, that is one thing orchid growers learn to deal with as orchids will do as they please, your job is to make sure they are pleased.  (grin)  

Once outdoor temperatures remain above 18C you can move it out under partial shade where it gets morning and afternoon sun but with about 50% shade during mid day.  Keep up with the misting and watering as it will tend to dry more quickly outdoors.  

Good luck with it.  

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.