How to Grow and Care for Vanda Orchids

Many of these have been reclassified as Papilionanthe, which is part of the Vanda alliance, but no longer considered a Vanda species.

Those with more broad, strappy leaves usually thrive in cooler, shadier conditions.

Light

Generally, provide bright, indirect light all day or, even better, direct morning sunlight with bright, indirect light the rest of the day.

Warm weather types do best with just a bit more sun than that, but be sure to protect them during the afternoon heat.

Better yet, take them outside and place them in all-day dappled sunlight. If you are using a light meter, aim for about 4,000 foot candles of light.

If you can’t provide this in your home, consider using grow lights.

Receiving enough sun is absolutely key for flower production. If you aren’t seeing good flower growth, the first thing to do is try exposing your plant to more light.

You should always increase light gradually.

Growing Medium

Remember that these plants are typically epiphytes, which means they don’t grow in the soil.

They grow attached to a tree with moss covering the roots. Our goal is to give them similar conditions without actually attaching them to wood, though you can do that, too.

There are lots of good commercial orchid-growing substrates on the market. Most of these are a mixture of fir bark, moss, and perlite.

Some might contain added goodies like coconut coir, lava rock, or charcoal.

You could even make your own potting mix by combining four parts medium textured bark, one part perlite, and one part sphagnum moss.

I’ve had good success with Better-Gro Special Orchid Mix, which contains bark, charcoal, and perlite.

Better-Gro Special Orchid Mix

You can find it at Amazon in four-quart bags if you’d like to give it a try. All of my epiphytes seem to thrive in it, from orchids to staghorn ferns.

If you decide to mount the plant, no potting medium is necessary, but you’ll want to cover the roots in sphagnum moss.

Water

Regardless of the type of medium you choose, the substrate needs to be kept consistently moist at all times.

It shouldn’t be soggy, however. For terete types, allow the substrate to just dry out between watering.

Our guide to watering orchids has more details.

Humidity

Humidity is the other part of successfully growing vandas. The humidity around them should be at least 65 percent, with 80 percent being preferable.

Most homes aren’t anywhere near this, and growing your plant on a pebble tray or in a bathroom isn’t going to cut it. You’re probably going to need to use a humidifier.