Vandas are orchid royalty, but they can be challenging to grow. They need sun, warmth, regular water, high humidity, and lots of space for their long, dangling roots. Since they don’t like being potted, they’re usually grown on mounts or in baskets, with their roots hanging freely. That makes them difficult for home growers, who have to battle low humidity to keep those roots happy. Fortunately, there’s a great trick. By placing the plant in a glass vase, it’s much easier to give it the moisture it needs.
I’d seen this method used over the years, and recently tried it myself for the first time. The amazing results are pictured here. I bought a small Vanda at an orchid show, and also bought a 5 inch (12.7 cm) wide glass container. Thick Vanda roots are firm enough to hold the plant in place in the vase, even when large blooms make it very top-heavy. As the roots grow, they curl around inside the glass. In warmer weather, I water it every day by filling the vase, letting it soak for a few minutes, and then pouring the water out. There’s always a little water left to evaporate and provide humidity. On hot days, I do this twice daily, or let the plant soak longer. It’s easy to add fertilizer weakly, weekly. At cooler times of year, I water as little as once a week, but still keep humidity levels high.
It’s best to use a vase with a wide opening, remembering that you’ll want to remove the plant occasionally to clean the glass. If lots of algae builds up on the roots, let them dry more between waterings. British botanist James Wong recently wrote about a slightly different method that works for growers who are really fighting low humidity. Keep the vase 20% full of water at all times. This guarantees the roots won’t dry too much. Growing Vandas in glass is an elegant and easy way to enjoy their big, bold, colorful blossoms.
