How will i know if i have a vanda or ascocenda? what is the difference between the two? I put all of my vanda and those similar to its family to a driftwood and exposed to sun with no protection... But recently i have bought a rhyngostyllis not sure of the spelling i dont know how to care for it but i put it in a small wood with the roots dangling and it is also near my vandas with full sun exposure... Please advice.... i am from the philippines and its a tropical country
That may be a bit difficult to discern. Vandas in the group Ascocenda are normally hybridized orchids as a result of a pairing of Ascocentrum and a Vandaceous species. Ascocenda orchids are quite common in cultivation. Typically, they produce smaller flowers. I'm checking this morning in Dr. Martin Motes' book on vanda orchids to see if I can find anything more definitive. If he says anything remarkable I'll let you know.
According to TROPICOS, which is a service of the Missouri Botanical Garden, Ascocenda is a horticultural term, and is not scientific. Therefore, vandaceous orchids with that abbreviation would not be species. I found in Dr. Martin Mote's book Vandas, Their botany, history and culture, the names of some Ascocenda orchids with heritage but nothing directly relating to their classification. I've read many articles that speak of Ascocenda "species", but it appears, at least from the scientific sources, these are not species orchids. As you likely know, laymen often confuse scientific terms with horticultural terms. Horticultural terms are those primarily devised to make botany somewhat simpler to understand. But horticulture often directly conflicts with botany. These orchids are a man-made hybrid classification largely defined by the size of the flower. As a result, all you can do is keep all your Ascocenda orchids together with the tags that accompanied them.
hello thanks for the info. Greatly appreciate it Steve.... I had visited your website and its a big help....Hope you can inform of sites where i can see flowers of orchids so i can identify my collections here....Btw i dont know if this is true, i have two vanda with a brown root and it is already stiff the other one have no roots at all but the leaves are still healthy... some say that i should put it upside down and wait for new roots or leaves and i have to put it in a shaded place...i sprayed it with hormex (a rooting hormones if i am not mistaken) It was perfectly healthy before and had bloomed several times witha white flower with purple line at the edge of the flower...I dont know what happened i just saw it yesterday when i was tinkering with my orchids. I think it is an ascocenda though not so sure... Is there anything i can do to save it.
Interesting advice. I'm not sure how successful it will be in helping out the plant though. If you go check out vandaceous orchids in the wild (I assume a few grow in your country) you'll find they grow attached to trees in all sorts of directions. But the roots will always be hanging downwards from the plant. They can grow attached to a tree trunk or tree branch and I've photographed them in Singapore growing upright or growing sideways as well. Some vandas do grow in direct sunlight. But the majority I've seen prefer a bit of filtered light. I used to go out to Dr. Martin Motes nursery often when we lived in Miami and he also had some in fairly direct light, but the vast majority were in very bright shade. My first suggestion would be to try a bit less light and water often. As for the dried up roots, once dead, the roots will not come back to life. But I've observed many plants loose the majority of their root system and then grow new roots that hang 3 or more feet downward from the plant. Dr. Motes used to insist it is important to keep the roots moist all the time. The majority of South Florida professional growers water them many times a day. I recall that one large vanda grower, and I believe they were from the Philippines, had a timer system that watered 5 times a day for 5 minutes each time! Now that may be tough, but try to keep the root systems "green" if at all possible. A root that is not green is not filled with water. It is not necessarily dead, but it isn't filled with water. Once a root dries up, it is gone. So keep it plump and green. I don't know if the rooting hormone will help. But I doubt it will hurt anything. So give it a try. As for books or websites, the only good website I am aware of for vandas is RF Orchids in Homestead, FL. Try looking them up on the net. Robert Fuchs is very well known in the orchid world and has created many new hybrids in his greenhouses. His is a family business and his family has been growing and hybridizing vandas for many years. The only good vanda book I am aware of is Dr. Mote's book, Vandas. Their Botany, History and Culture. You can sometimes find it on Amazon.com. By the way, I got chastised a bit about comments on the use of fertilizer on another thread earlier. I am not a proponent of over use of fertilizer on any plant. "Weakly, weekly" is the motto I and many others use! But in the case of vandas, giving them dilute fertilizer every week is most important. I know one grower who gives them tiny doses of fertilizer every time he waters! And he does grow some magnificent plants. Just don't fall in the trap of believing fertilizer will fix any plant problem. Nature uses it very sparingly. I suggest we all do the same.
