It's not on the ground, it's on an upside down saucer. You can't see it very well, because critters tunneling around sank it a bit. But, promise, it's not on the ground. Next winter I can put it on a taller pot to get it further off the ground! As to how cold, most of our winter nights were down in the low 30's, with about 18 of them into the high 20's (F). When I knew it was going to be below 32 (freezing), I made sure to pull down the tarp (it's just a milky clear tarp, it's not shade cloth) and clip it at the bottom so any wind wouldn't blow it back up and over. The only frost damage I've had this winter was to the top row of epi's - I think they were too close to the 'ceiling'. The lower row of them came through blemish free. I AM planning on changes to the frame for next winter, yes I am. I want an easier way to raise and lower the tarp - I saw a picture of one that looked like a gigantic pram cover, with tarp fastened somehow to hoops that you raised and lowered, but I couldn't find directions on how they did it... I also need to put down some kind of flooring/pavers/some damned thing, because the soft ground and critters sank 2 of the 4 feet of the plant stand the christmas cactus were on, and it fell over one night, put a hole in the tarp, and one of the plants was outside the tarp cover, and had a chilly night that did it NO good. I know I have only the one plant, I'm planning on getting more at the San Francisco Garden Show in 2 weeks, but I wanted to see if it would live through my winter doing reasonably well before I sank more money into them. After the way my other orchids died last winter, I wanted some proof it wasn't totally frittering away what limited money I have before I went shopping for more. The thing I have the most of is the epi's. Odd looking plants with the most glorious flowers. Yes I'm sure it's buds. The color blob in the center and on the right are 2 of the 3 bud stalks, it's not leaves when it's got a stalk with empty clear space and then lumps only at the end. I need to go out there and see if/where I have regular growth coming up. I think I forgot to look after I realized that not only had it NOT died, but it had the 3 bud stalks coming up! I got the high nitrogen fert a few days ago, I just have to take it outside with me. I can certainly not divide the thing if the consensus is to leave it be for a year or two longer. Not a problem...

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

Cymbidium repotting time here is Spring after the flowers are finished. Do not fiddle with it now! Peak flowering month is August, February there! You need to find some complete culture notes written for the Pacific North West.

You have to find a source for your Cattleyas where the potting mix is compatible with your growing conditions. When I get my order I know that the plants will be fine for a year. So I start going through my collection in August (tidying up, repotting and dividing, or placing the pot into a larger pot with minimal disturbance) and this process finishes around about December. This is for a very large collection of orchids. AND I'm talking about the Southern Hemisphere. So maybe February = August if you are right side up. You do not have to look at the roots if the top part of the plant is healthy and if the plant is growing well you should use Nicks pot within a pot method if you want the plant to grow with minimal disturbance. The other problem with cattleyas is that they flower at different times during the year and that might influence when you repot. As for the potting mix that depends on where you are in the USA. The general rule is the closer you are to the tropics, the more arid the mix. Then there are some "Cattleyas" that do best on a mount......... As Jane said, tell us where you are...