hmmmm. I wouldnt have thought of this idea. Should I try this half cut NOW....January? Or wait till later in the year? If it takes that long to be ready to cut all the way through, maybe you meant now? That will make it put out roots close to the top? Or it is a gamble? I also have a solid red Rhy. in the same basket,but it is in a plastic pot as well, much younger, but will need to be seperated, they bloom at the same time and always 2 stems, from both. They both just finished blooming, the smaller solid red is in a plastic pot but its roots are intertwinded with the big Rhy....but it should be easier to seperate later,or now. My small solid white Rhy. I bought in bloom 2 yrs. ago at the orchid show, hasnt bloomed in the 2 years since I bought it, i have no idea why. It is right next to the others, and no blooms still. Is white harder to grow/rebloom? I invested in that new 'Corrine' variety, the nearly black colored flower Rhy. last year, but it was SO expensive, i only got a baby, it MIGHT be blooming size this coming winter...i hope! But it so far is VERY small and not doing to much,but it isnt dying. I just dont want to loose my big pink/white one, and the solid red....they have been so reliable, but the basket is on its last legs,and its now or never.

Hi Mike, ironically, Cactus, Palm and Citrus Soil has hit IL, so using this soil will be a first. As far as I can tell, it looks okay, but the other mediums you mentioned should be added, too. BTW, what type of sand did you get? Don't use beach sand. I buy Builder's Sand bought at Home Depot. Beach sand is too fine, and will retain mositure. IMO, sphagnum peat is better. You don't want to add moss..Especially to top the soil..it'll cause problems, such as 1. you won't be able to see when soil needs watering, 2. fungus gnats can gather underneath, and 3. soil remains moist. Use all but the moss. I toss in Peat because it's acidic, and Citrus prefer acidic soil. Good luck, Toni

Thanks Josh for the reply! I have them under the ledge of the patio, so they are getting some wind protection. I could put them in the greenhouse away from the fan and they would be better protected wind wise, but I think it may be still too hot for them in there? Yes Josh, I love blood oranges! I have another blood named Vaniglia Sanguigno I got from Logees when I was on vaca in CT, but it is not in fruiting stage yet. I just think blood oranges are so beautiful! And i am also excited for tasting a finger lime. The vesicles are round and the juice is suppose to just pop in your mouth. I was reading some fancy chef article or something that says because the vesicles are round and closed until bit into, the release of flavor in very intense and tasty along with the added addition of texture when it pops open. Again, the article explained it much better than I am here. I hope they have the red finger lime in the US one day. What is considered "too hot" for newly transplanted citrus? Mike, I know the worst part is the change of seasons and hauling the citrus in! I did this for years. But now I have the greenhouse and it has made a tremendous difference! For the first time i did not have to worry about leaf drop due to indoor lighting issues. If I remember correctly Mike, you have a greenhouse, but still bring them in around February when it gets real cold? I kept mine in the greenhouse all winter with heat of course. I only kept it in the low 40's on the coldest nights, sometimes even getting to the upper 30's, experimenting since it was my first year, and the citrus had no issues! I was suprised! Definitely reacted much better to the greenhouse than all the years being in my house with lights. Although I did not have the greenhouse up yet when Sandy came, which was a good thing because who knows if it would of gotten destroyed. But when Sandy came, I had my one room in the house filled with all my citrus and figs and other special plants so I would not lose them in the storm. Then, I had hauled them all back outside just to have them all hauled back inside less than a week later because of our freak Halloween snow storm! I am sure you had part of that too Mike? Oh, before I go, should I give them any epsom salts or vinegar now, or when I first fertlize over the weekend? Thanks guys! Christy

These orchids are very tough and have a strong will to live. A couple of years ago, I bought a cutting off of eBay. Then I noticed that the $$ was refunded back to my account. I thought the transaction fell thru, but the seller shipped the cutting to me anyways. They told me that they felt like it wasn't worth charging any $$ for, so they just gave it to me. When I got it in the mail, it had only two leaves and almost no roots. Shortly after, it lost one of those leaves, so I thought it wouldn't make it. I left it bareroot on a shelf in my bedroom throughout the winter. Occasionally, I would toss it into water to give it a good soak before placing it back on the shelf. When spring arrived, I placed it in a pot and staked it because it still didn't have much of a root system. It finally began growing a couple of smaller leaves and some more roots. Which finally let the leaves plump back up, rather than remaining shriveled up/dehydrated-looking. Then that next winter, I placed it under my grow lights, where it grew another normal-sized leaf. Last summer, it actually bloomed for me. I knew it was budding and was keeping a close eye on it. One evening I started smelling this wonderful fragrance filling up my backyard. I could smell its two little blooms from the other end of my yard. I could only imagine what it'll be like when it's as huge as ShavedMonkey's B. nodosa. I'm so jealous, lmao.