Hello Greencurls: My S. japonica is from J&L and is now about 5 years old. Originally I tried to keep it in its plastic pot but it eventually got root rot after just a few months. Near death's door, but with a few leaves, I shifted it to a fresh pot and coarser medium and put it in a terrarium to boost humidity. I watered it very little through the pot, but I let one of the dangling long roots touch the bottom of the terrarium on which i made sure to keep a film of water - it was like drinking through a straw. When it looked like it was recuperated I took it out of the terrarium. I finally found that it perfers to be mounted which keeps it well drained. However, at the same time it wants never to dry out for too long. Finally, after observing other orchids and the way they were grown, I hit on this: mount the littel diva on a somewhat horizontal mount (mine is a wood piece that has a cup-like and channelled surface that drains quickly, then cover the roots very loosely with living moss (from my wood pile). The living moss does a couple of things - it covers and keeps the well drained roots from shriveling beyond the point of no return, lets the roots breath, and if the moss keeps living, it tells you that you are watering enough. A divine balance! Keep the mount dryer in winter but raise humdity and let it have strong light as if it is living in a deciduous tree. Keep it cool, and I mean cool - my tiny greenhouse falls to 45 degrees. I water with a dilute solution of seaweed extract, a little commercial fertilizer, and leftover coffee or tea. During summer when it goes outside (in partial shade), chicken manure is added to the mixture. (All my orchids get this treatment) Do not let her totally dry out when in spike or the spikes will blast! Right now the little diva has 5 spikes - oops I hope I didn't jinx it by mentioning that. Following the instructions on the New World page is a good method of growing both S. japonica and Neofinita. Once I got them out of the plastic pots, which seem to suffocate their roots, I had much better performance from them. You might Use a basket, or perhaps a clay pot which has numerous holes drilled into the sides. Good luck! Maryanne in WMass

That is what I was trying to say. When someone says grow it 'hot,' that can have a lot of different meanings. To me, 'hot' is in the 90s, as it is to many people in the South, Midwest and Southwest. It needed clarification with actual numbers rather than leave it to individual interpretation. Sedirea prefers temperatures in the 35-85F range, just like Neos. They will tolerate some truly hot days on occasion as long as it is not every day. Phals (with the exception of the cool-growing species) prefer much warmer conditions, especially in the winter obviously. Japan, home to Sedirea and Neofinetia, is a temperate country where it snows, rather than a tropical jungle that Phals inhabit. I bring both my Sedirea and all my Neos indoors when it goes much above 90F for a sustained period of time. Other growers with hot summers use wet walls and other types of greenhouse cooling systems to keep an ambient temperature. Just cause a plant will 'tolerate' temperature extremes only means it probably won't croak; it doesn't mean it will grow and bloom well at that temperature.

Plantlvr, though the name escapes me now, there is a particular infection that afflicts monopodial orchids in which the plant kills itself little by little trying to cut off the infection before it spreads. The shriveled roots at the base of the plat (that otherwise look healthy turn green when wet, have nice white, firm vellum when dry) are a good indicator of this. Also, the leaves suddenly turning yellow, shriveling & falling limp is a sign that the infection is traveling upward in the plant. You are partially right in watering the plant because it is not getting the water it needs. But watering the roots will not do anything for the plant because the plant has "shut off" access to the bottom of the plant by the time the leaves start falling off. I am sorry to say that with just one leaf left, the infection has spread to the apex by this point. For future reference, if you notice the plant looking dry & it is well watered, stop watering & take a look at the root system. Treat it with a systemic fungicide like Thyomel & watch for signs of dropping leaves. If leaves begin to shrivel & turn yellow, be prepared to cut the base of the plant away. You will need to chop the plant's stem (sterilizing the clippers/ razor after each cut) until you get to an uninfected section (infected stems will be a brownish color & healthy will be a white or ivory in color.) Be sure to examine the stem closely for any signs of browning. Once all the infected pieces have been cut away, Place the plant in a nice humid environment & apply rooting hormone via a fine mist after a couple days (like K-L-N or any other liquid hormone). Repeat the application of rooting hormone a couple more times & then start the waiting game. I have had 3 of my Vandas infected by these bacteria. I have not lost one yet though my favorite one has been VERY slow to recover IÂm sorry for your loss, I just checked Oak Hill Gardens & they have Blooming size plants at a reasonable price. In case you should purchase another one (or two), do you have any Vandas that you have successfully grown for at least a year? If so trying taking one off its mount & try growing it exactly like your Vandas. I grow mine in the exact same way (light, humidity, fertilizer, water, etc) as all my vandaceous orchids and it has done very well over the last 9 months. -Ray-

Nice flowers, even with being fried. I'm feelin' relieved to know that I'm not the only one with blooms damaged from the lights! Hmmm! You know, I think this is Howards fault!! He must of written the warnings in very small print!;~) I wonder if I should talk to a lawyer about this.