'repotting' vandas?

I guess it depends on how you grow your Vandas. I am in the subtropics, so I often grow mine with no basket at all. They're just suspended bareroot, and the roots grow every which direction. Those who grow in drier climates may do better trying to keep the roots contained in a basket with a moisture-retentive medium. Therefore, they would need to continue potting up as the plant grows.

Other than that, there may be an asthetic component. Some may not like the top heavy look of a giant plant in a tiny basket.

So to answer your question, given appropriate humidity, a 6' Vanda should be perfectly happy in a 4" basket. Of course, you will soon not be able to see the basket at all.

 

I have some vandas from RF Orchids that came potted up with one basket in another. I've never bothered doing that to any of mine. The basket just gives me something to put the hanger on.

 

We are neighbors! I'm on University and Econ!

 

If the roots are completely entangled in and around the basket and/or adhering to it, it would be more harmful to try to take the basket off than to just leave it. I wonder why people feel the need to add larger baskets as the plant grows larger? They're really just a convenient way to hang the plant bare root, so as long as the hanger is functional that's all that matters.

 

Because usually people wrap the roots up in the new basket. Some folks don't like having all those roots messing with their hairdos ;>

 

Stephen, the grower probably did it for asthetic reasons. Either (1) they don't like the proportions of a big plant in a small pot; or (2) like me, they dislike the look of plastic. And then there's what Candace mentioned: they don't like being attacked by an army of roots everytime they walk by. I know walking thru my Vanda section evokes the sensation of visiting the Amazon basin!

 

Yeah. Several people who come in my GH refer to the Vandas as the "Attack Vandas". I actually like the look of the hanging roots.

 

Up here, many people who grow vandas put a mix in the basket to help retain a bit more moisture. So, when the mix breaks down, they do need repotted.

Our greenhouse has a high relative humidity, so I don't bother with media or potting. The empty basket simply serves as something to hook wire to so that I can hang the plant. "Attack vandas" is a great phrase. The roots do go crazy and get tangled in everything! I have to admit that I rather like the look of hanging roots and the jungle-like feeling it evokes.