American orchid - Origin, characteristics, care

Vanda denisoniana is a wild orchid with large flowers with elegant yellow, strong fragrance at night, learn how to grow & care for it here.

If you love orchids with large, beautiful flowers and sweet fragrance, you definitely cannot miss the American orchid - one of the rarest and most attractive wild orchids today. With its delicate yellow flowers, soft petals and sweet fragrance that spreads strongly at night, Vanda denisoniana has become the top choice of orchid lovers in Vietnam.

In today's article, let's learn in detail about the origin, morphological characteristics as well as how to grow and care for this orchid with a graceful name .

Origin of American orchid

American orchid is a beautiful and fragrant wild orchid.

Vanda denisoniana, also known as Vanda denisoniana, is a native wild orchid species of Southeast Asia, commonly distributed in the following countries:

• Vietnam: Lam Dong, Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Nong,..
• Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, China,...

Currently, in Vietnam, My dung da huong is considered one of the precious wild orchid species and is sought after by orchid collectors, therefore their number in the wild is increasingly seriously declining due to overexploitation.

How to identify American orchid

Close-up of the stem, leaves and flowers of the orchid My dung da huong.

Right below we will share with you in detail the characteristics of the stem, roots, leaves and flowers of the orchid My Dung Da Huong to help you recognize and distinguish this rare orchid species.

Close :

• Single stem orchid, grows straight, no branching
• Cylindrical body length from 50cm - 1m depending on care conditions
• The segments are evenly spaced.

Leaves :

• Thick leaves, 20 - 50 cm long, 2.5 - 4 cm wide
• Grows alternately on both sides of the stem, has a dark green color, is slightly shiny, leaves grow close to the stem
• The leaf tip is slightly notched or split into two lobes.

Roots :

• Air roots, strong growth
• The roots are silvery white, large, the tips of young roots are often green or light purple.

Flower :

• The flower clusters grow from the leaf axils, each cluster has 3 - 7 large flowers with sizes from 5 - 7 cm.
• Round, thin, slightly curved petals, evenly arranged
• The flower lip is divided into 2 lobes, the middle part is slightly curved, has a darker color.
• Flowers are usually creamy yellow, greenish yellow, dark yellow or light orange depending on origin.
• The flower has a sweet scent like vanilla, and its scent is strong in the evening and late at night, hence the name "Night Fragrance".
• Flowers usually bloom in spring - early summer, flowers bloom for 3 - 4 weeks

How to grow & care for American orchid

Detailed instructions on how to grow American orchids.

If you want to try your hand at growing the American orchid but are worried because you don't have much experience growing single-stem orchids, please refer to the detailed instructions on how to grow and care for this orchid species shared below.

Selecting and preparing before planting American orchid

Choosing the variety, choosing the substrate and pre-planting treatment are extremely important steps if you want your orchid pot to take root and grow well. Please follow the instructions below to ensure the most correct technique.

Choose good American orchid varieties :

• Prioritize choosing seedlings with strong, sturdy stems, dark green leaves, and no signs of pests or diseases.
• Choose plants with long, silvery white roots, plants with 2-3 or more roots.
• If you choose to remove the forest, you should choose a tree that has roots.
• If choosing tissue culture products, do not choose seedlings that are too small.

Orchid seed treatment :

• Trim old, damaged roots, wash away remaining substrate on seedlings.

• Soak the tree roots in a diluted solution of B1 + Atonik + Ridomil Gold for about 15 - 20 minutes to both stimulate roots and prevent fungus.

• Remove the seedlings and let them rest for at least 1 day before planting/grafting.

Select and process the substrate :

• Prioritize substrates that have good ventilation, moderate moisture retention, and are not easily waterlogged.
• Suitable substrate Driftwood, star apple wood, longan wood, pine bark, charcoal, coconut fiber, moss,...
• The substrate needs to be soaked in lime water, diluted salt water, then washed, dried and then planted and grafted orchids.

Techniques for growing and grafting American orchids

If you are new to growing American orchids, please follow the instructions below to plant and graft orchids. Your orchid pot will grow quickly and bloom soon.

The right time to plant American orchid :

• This orchid should be planted at the beginning of the dry season, from February to April of the solar calendar because at this time the air is cool, there is little rain, creating good conditions for the orchid to take root soon.
• Do not plant orchids when the weather is too cold or rainy for a long time.

How to grow American orchid in pots :

• Line the bottom of the pot with a layer of substrate 3 - 5 cm thick.
• Place the orchid root in the middle, cover with the growing medium but do not completely cover it.
• Use soft wire, wire hooks, and sticks to secure the orchid roots.
• Place the orchid pot in a cool place, avoid watering for the first 2 days, then spray lightly to let the plant slowly get used to the new environment.

How to graft American orchid :

• Place the orchid root on a wooden surface or cork board.
• Use soft wire to fix the orchid root to the substrate, spreading the roots out naturally.
• Hang the orchid in a cool, sunny place, do not water for the next 2-3 days.

Ideal living conditions for orchids

If you want the orchid to grow strongly and bloom on time, you need to maintain ideal living conditions, specifically as follows:

• Light : Natural light from 50 - 70%
• Temperature : Ideal from 18 - 32 degrees Celsius
• Humidity : 60 - 80%
• pH : Neutral or slightly acidic from 5.5 - 6.5
• Growing space : Cool, sheltered from rain and sun

How to water orchids

Watering the orchid also requires the right technique because if you water too much, the orchid will be waterlogged, watering too little will cause the plant to not have enough moisture to grow. Please note the following.

Basic principles :

• Water in the early morning and late afternoon.
• Water only when the growing medium is dry.
• Do not water directly on orchid tops.

Reference watering schedule:

• Dry season : Water 1-2 times/day, water more if planted in grafted wood style
• Rainy season : Only water when the substrate and roots are dry.
• Cold season : water once every 3-4 days, can water in the sunny noon.

Fertilizing orchids according to each stage

For each stage of development of the orchid, you need to apply appropriate fertilizer to help the plant grow strongly, have strong roots, large flowers and bright colors. You can refer to the following ideal fertilizer suggestions.

Disease prevention for American orchid

American orchids are susceptible to a number of diseases such as fungus, leaf spots, root rot, aphids, red spiders, etc. if not properly cared for. And here are some effective disease prevention measures, please apply them immediately to help your orchid pots get the least amount of disease.

• Disinfect and prevent fungus: Physan 20 SL every 2 weeks.

• Disinfect and sterilize: Spray Nano silver - copper every 3 weeks

• Increase resistance, inhibit fungus: Spray biological products such as EM, Trichoderma every 2 months

• Natural pest control: Spray diluted garlic, chili, ginger water once a week

Price of American orchid

Currently, American orchids are sold at many different prices depending on their origin, place of sale and size. You can refer to some of the information we have compiled below.

• Wild-cut American orchid : 150,000 VND/kg
• American orchid seedlings sold on Tiki : 80,000 - 120,000 VND/plant
• American orchid seedlings sold on Shopee : 80,000 - 87,000 VND/plant (small seedlings, no long roots)

Questions and answers about American orchid

What month does the American orchid bloom?

American orchid usually blooms in spring and summer.

Is the orchid fragrant?

Yes, My dung da huong is a very fragrant Vanda orchid with a characteristic Vanila scent and the ability to release a strong scent at night.

Is it difficult to grow American orchid?

No. This orchid is quite easy to grow, you just need to maintain a cool environment, diffused light and some care conditions as instructed above to help the plant grow strongly, bloom beautifully, and in season.

How is the orchid propagated?

There are two ways to propagate the orchid: by separating the top shoot (keiki) - the most common method, or by tissue culture.

Image of American orchid

Please enjoy the entire collection of images of the My Dung Da Huong orchid in full bloom to understand why this wild orchid is known as the "muse of the night".

Close-up of the face of the American orchid.

The American orchids are blooming beautifully.

A beautiful, delicately structured American tuberose flower.

Special variation of the orchid My dung hyacinth with a brilliant deep orange color.

The hyacinths are in full bloom.

American orchid with creamy yellow color.

The American orchid flowers have a strange yellow-green color.

With its elegant beauty, impressive color and sweet fragrance, the My Dung Da Huong orchid deserves to be a "muse" that anyone who loves orchids should own to decorate their garden.

Hopefully, the experiences that orchid-vn.com shares through the above article will help you feel easier in your journey to conquer this Vanda orchid species. Don't forget to read more articles in our Blog section to discover more useful orchid growing experiences.