Vanda testacea

I finally manage to get a decent shoot of this miniature Vanda. I was thinking about crossing i with Ascocentrum miniatum or with Renanthera monachica. Hummmmm.

Vanda testacea (Lindley) Rchb. f.

SYNONYMS: Aerides testacea, Aerides wightiana, Vanda parviflora, Vanda vitellina.

HABITAT: This species is widespread in India, Ceylon, through the Himalayas eastward to Manipur, Burma, Yunnan Province in China and the mountains of northern Thailand. It generally grows at 300-1200m with temperatures between 6C to 30C.

LIGHT: 39000-50000lux (3500-4500 fc). Plants require bright light but may need some protection from direct midday sun. My plant don’t get this much light but it seems to do OK any way.

TEMPERATURES: I grow all my plants at the same temperatures. 15C as a minimum and the up to 40C some days in the summer. If plants are grown in temperatures over 30C you must make sure that you have a lot of air circulation.

HUMIDITY: Some ware between 50-90% is preferable.

WATER: Rainfall in the habitat is very heavy from late spring into autumn. In the winter it has a dry period of 3-4 month. My plant gets watered every day during the summer and about every other day the rest of the year.

FERTILIZER: My plants a fertilized about two times a week in the summer and every other week in the winter. I use Peters 20-20-20.

GROWING MEDIA: I grow my plant mounted on a cork slab. Plants are usually grown in hanging pots or slatted wooden baskets filled with open, fast-draining medium.

PLANT SIZE: The steam is usually short, 10-30 cm. But as for all monopodial epiphyte they can grow large with time. This one is a slow grower like Renanthera monachica that grow about two new leaves a year.

LEAVES: Are between 7,5-12,0 cm long and 1-1,2 cm wide.

INFLORESCENCE: 7.5-20.0 cm long.

FLOWERS: 6-15 per inflorescence. Flowers have yellow sepals and petals and a lavender or pink to purple lip and spur. They are small, measuring 1,2-2,0 cm across.