I don't grow a Didieri, but do grow Angraecum sesquipedale, and Aeranthes in your zone (although I am now in Fla.) I grew my Ang in large bark/tree fern in plastic pots. I have only repotted twice in 6 yrs. It will get repotted this year but I haven't decided what media to use as Florida is not NY. My Aeranthes Grandiose has been growing in small bark with spagh in a plastic pot. I have repotted every 2 years gradually increasing the pot size. This plant likes to be kept damp and warm. I would not recommend mounting anything in your zone unless you have a greenhouse. I would probably keep whatever mix you use, open and airy. We have some 'experts' on this forum who, hopefully will chime in, although I don't know if they are growing in your zone. Aeranthes Jane Angraecum

Orchids in nature don't get repotted. They latch on to their mount and stay there for life. I have some that have been on the same mount since 1996. Also there is a misconception of them 'consuming' their mount. They are not parasites and get nothing out of their mount other than support. Leave them as is, their problem relates to something other than the mount. I would also not mess with sphagnum moss but water them every day when its warm, fertilize like any other orchid. If their roots outgrow the size of the bark its a badge of honor, you have a very successful plant. some of my old mounts are invisible. All one can see is a ball of roots with some wires coming from something inside it. Very happy plants. Would never change that setup. Was given a very large Laelia purpurata in January, took it out of its 14"or so pot and decided to mount it on NOTHING. Ran 2 strong wires horizontally through the root ball producing a cross, then bend the ends up and made a loop. Hung the thing up and its in full bloom right now. The nature of a mount is unimportant to the plant, it just wants to be kept off the jungle floor. Look for the root of your problem somewhere else. Nick

Hi freki, Honestly, there are so many answers I could give you here, but with orchids, you will learn that the answer is often "it depends". First, potting. (P.S. Don't worry about pot depth, Cymbidiums love deep pots.) Personally, I pot most of my orchids, Cymbidiums included, in a mixture of small orchid bark, New Zealand sphagnum moss and horticultural perlite, with a dash of charcoal. However, I'm in the Ottawa area, where summers are warm and very humid, winters are long and cold, and my orchids spend most of the year inside under lights to supplement what natural light they get. With this mix, in my conditions, I water once a week in winter and two or three times in summer depending on the size of the pot, and I repot every 12 to 18 months. If you're in the West, for example, your conditions will be very different. This is the ultimate advantage of joining an orchid society - you can talk to growers who have similar conditions to you and find out what works for them. You can also take a look at the medium it's trying to grow out of. If it's that vigorous with it, maybe try for something similar. As for growing conditions. One of the reasons you may be finding so many contradictions is that there are different types of Cymbidiums each with different cultural requirements. Standard Cymbidiums need as much light as you can possibly give them and night temps down to pretty much freezing in the fall. Chinese Cymbidiums are more forgiving, and will bloom with about the same amount of light as Oncidiums (more than Phals, less than Cattleyas) and a moderate cool down in the fall. And then there are hybrids between the two, with breeders wanting the amazing flowers of standard Cyms with the easy growing habits of Chinese Cyms. A good rule of thumb, though, is to give your Cymbidium as much light as it can stand (experiment by gradually putting it in more light, and see when the leaves start feeling hot to the touch, which means pull it back a little). As well, give it more water when it is actively growing (water it just as it us starting to be completely dry and be diligent about fertilizer) than when you don't (at those times, water when it's dry and fertilize very lightly if at all). I have not found that they are very particular about humidity most of the time, only when it's flowering. If your Cymbidium is putting out new growths and each of those growths is larger than the previous one, you're doing very well, just be patient. My first Cymbidium produced many new growths for almost two years without a single flower. I was thinking real hard about getting rid of it when the bloody thing put out ten spikes. So keep on going, and welcome to the wonderful and sometimes frustrating world of orchids. Julie

I've been growing orchids for at least ten years and I still get confused by info I find on-line. Unfortunately much of it often being contradictory. More of my two cents worth: your plant has a new pot, size should be OK for another year. Watch those escaping roots, as long as they stay nice and silver green in color with greener growing tips they are happy!!! Misting them with a hand sprayer will make them even happier . it will appreciate moving air from a nearby fan and bright light. Temps the same that you and I enjoy. Feed every week or two with a 1/4 strength plant food ( orchid food, IF available). These are ideal conditions for the plant. They will usually grow/bloom with much less than ideal conditions. Be careful to NOT let water sit in the crown of the leaves. If water splashes in there just blot it out with tissue. It's best to water/mist early in the a.m. If that will work for you, then excess water has time to evaporate. Relax and enjoy your plant, after all you've grown it already for well over six months!!!