Put your orchid in a large glass bowl with water to emulate the steamy jungle it comes from...
Vanda orchids are true miracles of nature, with dramatic blooms painted in webbed patterns of sapphire blue, purple and lavender that sit high above cascades of silvery roots. But this beauty comes at a price. For many indoor gardeners, this exotic genus of orchids can be an enormous challenge to grow. As soon as they are removed from the coddled conditions of specialist nurseries, they can deteriorate without the right treatment from 3D-printer-perfect to compost-heap fodder in as little as a week. Fortunately, there is an easy trick that can not only dramatically boost your chances of success but also display the flowers to their greatest visual effect – and all you need to do this is a glass vase.
Vandas hail from the steamy jungles of southeast Asia, where they grow clinging to the branches of trees. Suspended in air saturated with moisture, their roots have evolved into long, draping curtains that absorb water from rain showers and the dense jungle air. As these roots are often just as spectacularly showy as their flowers, nurseries usually grow the orchids with no potting media at all, to show them off to best effect.
Continue reading...from Property | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2ZYjU5A
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