Welcome to orchids. It is a great hobby and there are orchids that will grow well for you. I have a few words of advice. 1. Don't wait to start on the greenhouse modifications. It takes longer than you would think. And more expensive. 2. Slow down on the new purchases. Enjoy each one for awhile. 3. Get the Ortho book "All about Orchids". It is a good beginner's guide. 4. Don't expect to be able to grow every orchid. Just like garden plants, each has a micro-climate it prefers. You don't have a place for all of them. 5. While orchids like a lot of light, direct sunlight through glass can burn an orchid in just a few minutes. The rule is if the leaf feels warm, it is too bright. Orchids can be very satisfying. We are here to help and encourage. Richard

Hello, all, thanks for the reply! Special thanks to over_n_under. Well, I did a list about what I want and what I've got in the marriage and gave it to my husband, then asked him to tell me what he wanted for life or in the marriage. He told me that he hoped that love could make us live peacefully together. I might have overstated his untidiness and indifference to me. I was mad at the moment. Well, he isn't that bad. He actually picks me up from the station every day, calls me to tell me to take care of myself. He also massages for me when I come back after work. What troubles me is his occational extremist acts. I was very depressed when he lost his temper again against a stranger, who raced the car on the road last week. He followed the person's car so closely that he scratches his car. Lucky they didn't have a fight. And then we had a dispute relating to his family, about his sister's old trick of generosity.He told me that he couldn't care less about my problem with his family. He didn't want to deal with them. And he didn't want to support me either. I was heartbroken so I told him that I wanted seperation and it upset him a lot. He told every one in his family that he hated them, then he left home at midnight and slept in the car outside his father's place. I emailed him and said that I only decided to leave because I couldn't put up with all the stuff any more. He replied and said that I was his only hope of life, he really loved me and he would have nothing if I left him. (I trust him on this although he doesn't have the ability to support me in terms of mediating for me and his family.) I stayed. He talked to me today and said that his biggest problem was the depression that he's suffering. He said that the depression comes and goes all the time, sometimes,he only saw the dark side of the world. And he told me that he's depressed because of his parents. Honestly, there is nothing I can do to his family. I talked to his mother once about my husband's problem. But she couldn't care less. She feels that it is all my fault that he has a bad relationship with the family. Well, his family is not good at communication, they would either fight or escape. Any suggestion about how to help my husband out of the depression. (Something other than seeing the consultants, he doesn't trust professionals. He talks to his friends sometimes, but he never speaks of his problems.) One good thing about our relationship is that we start to communicate again. Call me stupid, actually I am still in love with this man.

Agree with what daxeek said... It is definitely etiolated. That color - from reddish to darker, almost brown - is desired by many. It happens in strong light. Acclimatizing any succulent to full sun is important for any plant, to avoid sunburn. Which is different from suntan :) Just MO, but it is overpotted - pot too large for plant. But you could leave it in it, since this plant should grow fast and will fill up that pot eventually. In the meantime, it is important to make sure it doesn't sit in soil that is wet for too long. Big pot = lots of soil/mix = takes longer to dry up. Easiest way to find out how dry it is would be using bamboo skewer (or chopstick, thin dowel or even pencil). That way you can insert it deep inside - more important to know how wet or dry it is deep in the pt. Top will dry up fast, but roots are deeper and will rot if in wet medium for long times. IF MY plant, I would cut it quite a bit. Something like this (just a suggestion): yellow line is where I would be trimming off long branches and leaving rest (with roots) in the pot; these should continue growing. Blue line suggest trimming long cuttings, they are just too long. But you could cut them into few pieces: Etiolated parts will stay as long as they are, so your plant will not look as neat as it could. That's why you need to trim/behead it. Any cuttings can be stuck in dry medium, and they will root fast and easy. Mine are still outside, and will be until it gets consistently cold overnight. Hoping for few weeks...In the meantime, they are exposed to any rain we get, and none is suffering. Crenda grows many outside (great weather in Fla!), bring them indoors for winter. But you have to assure good light, otherwise it will keep growing same. Above all: do not be terrified :) ETA: Crenda posted great post and photos...and, pls. indicate where you are (best to put that info next to your name as others do).

Could you provide more information? What type of orchid? Where are you growing this plant (zone, Country, State). I have no idea what you are explaining. If you can post a photo it would help us help you. Otherwise, please tell us what type of orchid you are growing. Thanks, Jane