Hi quicksilver,

Finding information about our plants is often half the fun, though it can sometimes be very frustrating. Wildcatt is a great bit of software, but its not about culture. It lists the different crosses and their parents. You could then research each species, but considering that many modern Phal hybrids have a dozen or more species in their background, I donÂt know that that information would actually be of any use to you. The Internet Orchid Species Picture Encyclopedia (www.orchidspecies.com) lists most species and provides some cultural information on each, if youÂre growing any species. A good first step though is to read culture sheets on the genera you mentioned. I'm enclosing a link below to culture sheets produced by the Canadian Orchid Congress, which are my first go-to source.

Beyond that, you've got a lot of different orchids that really don't have the same types of requirements, be it light, temperature, humidity and even special care (e.g. most Lycaste are deciduous and need a dry winter's rest, and you already know that your Cymbidium needs cold nights (leave them out until it's almost frost-time) and very bright days to initiate flowering). You could however group them.

Group A would be your Phal's and Paph's. These require intermediate temperatures, though your Phal's will be happier on the warmer end of intermediate while your Paph's will be happier on the cooler end. They have in common that they require relatively low levels of light. They will happily bloom under 2-4 fluorescent tubes (2 if they're supplementing, 4 if that's all the light they're getting). They also both enjoy the cooler nights in the fall. Humidity is not the most important thing. Both will grow and bloom well enough with "good" house humidity (no need to grow mold, say 40-50%). Water when theyÂre dry, which for me is about every 4-5 days right now and will be every 7-9 days during the winter. I fertilize these very regularly all year long, three out of four waterings. I repot my PaphÂs every year, my PhalÂs every year and a half to two years.

Group B would be your Oncidiums and your Brassia. YouÂre right, thereÂs a wide variety of growing requirements here. Generally, though, youÂre looking at higher light than Group A, say 4 fluorescent bulbs with some CFL action to supplement things, since given the size of many of these, you often end up doing acrobatics to get plants under regular grow lights. They enjoy intermediate temps, with good humidity (50-70%), and a bit of a break between waterings. Fertilize only when the plants are in active vegetative growth  i.e. when the growth has completely matured, stop fertilizing. Start again when thereÂs a new pseudobulb coming in. IÂve found that most of the hybrids also REALLY like the cooler nights in the fall. You can take a look at the Internet Orchid Species Picture Encyclopedia (www.orchidspecies.com) to see the individual species. It can give you some additional clues.

Group C is your Epidendrum. This depends on the plant itself, but it likely needs as much if not more light than Group C, definitely a CFL. It likes warmer temperatures and 40-50% humidity is good enough. You donÂt have to stop fertilizing when not in active growth, but you can. Your Rhynchostylis could also go in group C, though the difference is that it will need higher humidity and should be fertilized all year long. When you water, you really want the roots to get nice and wet. Leaving it in a pot of water for 15 minutes is probably a good thing.

Group X is made up of your "special" orchids. Lycaste generally enjoy high light, like Group C. They enjoy warmer days in the summer, cooler days in the fall. They are mostly deciduous  they will lose their leaves in the fall. The shorter days and less frequent waterings give it a signal to go to sleep. At that point, no water and no fertilizer especially. Just forget about it until you see new growth in the spring. At that point, water and fertilize generously. Cymbidiums also enjoy good light and regular fertilizer when actively growing. Most do need at least a monthÂs worth of cold nights  keep them out until nighttime temperatures are almost down to freezing. They also need cooler winter nights and good light during the days. (FYI, after I threatened my first Cymbidium, I finally saw flowers after 4 years. It even put out a nice show with 5 spikes. All was forgiven after that.)

The final ingredient in all of this is patience. Orchids are very adaptable, but they do need time to adapt from their former greenhouse to your growing conditions. Any changes should be implemented gradually and they will also take some time to be seen. When I was finally converted to HowardÂs lumeology (a religion preached by Howard A of this forum whereby plants really need more light), I saw new, more vigorous vegetative growth in about a month and then tons of spikes about 6 months after that, with a few earlier and a few later than that.

I hope that this novel will in some way help.

Julie

I would do two things. First get some idea of the species that are part of your plants and second, find out the conditions each of these species like.

To find parents go to http://www.rhs.org.uk/research/registerpages/orchidsearch.asp

Once you know the parents go to http://www.orchidspecies.com/ to get an idea of conditions, amount of light, temperature range, wet / dry times of the year.

That will help you decide about placement.

I found the websites that Richard lists to be incredibly helpful in determining the required conditions of each of my orchids... and that's what we're trying to do, really, is find the right micro-climate in our homes for each orchid type... one that most closely resembles what nature would give them in their natural habitat.

Julie gave a lot of helpful information, and she's right... learning about each type of orchid we have is half the fun! At least, I think so! I've had a wonderful time learning about the different types of orchids, and it's helped me in figuring out which types I can grow easily, and which ones just won't make it in the environment I have to offer.

I've also learned a lot by reading the forum... even if the post doesn't pertain to an orchid I currently have... I soak up the tips and knowledge, learn by the successes and failures of others, and by my own experiences. Added all together, it makes it much easier to choose and grow beautiful healthy plants!

Good luck!

Julie's post is so full of great information, there's nothing to add except three hobby horses of mine:

1. Use the Great Outdoors to help induce blooming.
A. Cymbids -- I've only bloomed one, but it can stay out way past the 40-50's. Mine was left out until hard frost was expected -- ie 28F. I kept it close to the house for that tiny bit of protection. I bought it that spring, threw two spikes that winter.
B. Oncids are another where seasonal change can help induce spikes. Lots (yes, not all) oncids start to set spikes as the days shorten (and nights cool) in the fall. Last year I left my oncids and Bc's out until lows got below 40 (tho above frost), and I got more spikes on both the oncids and catts than ever. The spikes stayed undeveloped outdoors, but started to develop the minute they got inside. Colors were marvelous.

2. When mature orchids are growing leaves, but not blooms, they probably need more light. Even phals can take and benefit from a lot more light than most people believe.

3. To get good cultural information, I go to the websites of specialist vendors. They have all kinds of good first-hand experience to share with you. For your phals, check the culture notes at Bedford Orchids, Bigleaf Orchids and Robert Beddard Nurseries. Each has a slightly different take, and you will learn a lot from them. Marble Branch Farms has good culture notes for catts and a few notes on how they grow their personal collection of phals.

It may take a while to find specialist notes for each type of orchid you grow, but it's definitely worth it.

Now lets all be careful here, I noticed that most of you mentioned that Cym's can take below 40. What type of cyms, most of the smaller chinese types are not as cold tolerant and prefer it more warm. Also most cym's while setting spikes should be kept dry, do not water at all for 8-10 weeks.

Julie's post is such an amazing distillation of growing wisdom that I hesitate to post my opinions in the same thread with hers but it is here that I think they are most relevant. I do research the various species and families of orchids that I like and/or own and the more sources of such information the better. That said, after all that research is concluded each and every one of them goes onto one of the tiers of the single (presently) light rack that I have set up in the living room. All are lit by the same 160W Wonderlte which runs from 5am - 9pm and all receive the prevailing temperatures of the day or night. Uusally (since last June) 70F night - 80F day. Earlier in June night temps occasionally went into the high 60's, more recently during our two heat waves daytime highs reached 88F. This is saying a lot since outdoors the daytime max was over 100F and we have no A/C. The plants closest to the light are there not always because they need the most light but because they are the smallest in stature. Conversely the tallest plants occupy the lowest tier regardless of the light level they would ultimately like to have. The 16hr runtime of the light evens out some of the difference. The relatively low intensity ensures that no orchid regardless of genus is in danger of burning and the long duration ensures that even those with slightly larger appetites get enough to eat. Slightly being the operative word. An additional lamp would be in order if there were some real light lovers in the collection but no other changes could or would be accomodated. All are watered on Saturday and Wednesday. Occasionally the Wednesday watering is missed because of 'stuff'. More effort is expended to ensure clay pots and decided moisture lovers are watered 2x/wk than in tailoring an individual growing experience by type of plant or species. I am pretty certain that that is the way we all end up doing it even when in our hearts we do the research and know what our species orchids like and receive in nature. So, again, this is less about disagreeing with a finely tailored plant by plant growing regimen as much as reassuring those for whom details become overwhelming that the primary detail neccessary to observe is that there is enough light over the garden. I have seen growers obsess over nuances of culture while there isn't a single CFL in sight. I know this isn't the case with jamcm's growing situation but it could be the case for someone starting out. Most retailers don't inquire as to what exactly you have set up at home to grow their plants with.

H

Fabulous input! Thank you all for your responses. I'll be spending the weekend catagorizing the requirements of my plants and then make adjustments. I am very excited about the potential for visible results within 6 months!

But how much of an adjustment can you make apart from moving them closer or further from the lights (if you are growing under lights).

You have reached the point where it is time to specialise in some Genera and forget the rest.

I have six separate growing areas and would battle to grow some of the orchids on your list.

It is like the aquarium situation that was described here where you start off buying all these exotic fish and mixing them up together. They will not all thrive.

Which Cymbidium do you have? Some of the large standards are extremely poor choices for indoor growing. Perhaps you might do better with some of the so called warmth tolerant types developed in Florida.

Which Genera have you flowered?

Julie and Howard, it couldn't have been said better!
This post is the most concise, comprehensive information about orchid culture I have seen on this site. I liked especially Julies grouping info, as I too am growing various kinds of orchids, and am forever trying to figure out which orchid needs more light, warmer temperatures,less moisture (due to overhead misters). I have copied all given websites and am looking forward to the knowledge surely to be gained by it.

Practical experience too is valuable as one can find out by reading the Orchid Forum frequently. A great big THANK YOU to all of you experienced folks for your willingness to be there for us when we call on you for help.

Helga.

Helga, I certainly can't improve on your words, and obviously I am in total agreement. Thank you, arthurm for your input, but I am not really interested in creating a bunch of micro environments for my plants. I just want insight on what should be the ideal growing conditions for the plants that I have.
To give you some insight on my thinking, of the orchids I have are 10 small orchids I bought from Bill Asia on eBay. They were listed as oncidiums, but in reality the mix included cynoches, lycastes, and brassia. Two or three have passed away, but the lycaste has really taken off. When I look at the lycaste I think maybe if I improve growing conditions that the other varieties will do better. If there is anything within financial reason that I can do to encourage growth in my plants, then I'm game. Thanks Julie. Thanks Howard.

Glad the novel helped!

Your Cycnoches will go in Group X by the way. Take a look at the post linked below - there's a lot of great info. In all honesty, though, I haven't had a lot of success with these. I fell in love with them last year and bought six at our annual show. Only two are still alive and seem to be thriving, but I haven't seen flowers yet.

Which brings me to Arthur's post. I dont think that he was advising you to create micro-climates, but just letting you know that eventually, all orchid growers will start focusing their collections towards what they really like and what they can grow without too much fuss. For me, Paph's literally bloom their heads off with very little care from me. Phal's are also easy bloomers. Mini Catt's and mini Vandeaceous (e.g. Ascocentrum, Gastrochilus) do ok, and I really love them. Ive tried Oncidiums, Dendrobiums, standard Cattleyas, Masdevallias, Bulbophyllums, Disas, Dendrochilums, Angraecums, etc. They never do quite as well and it does get to be frustrating, so these are very small parts of my collection and I usually only have a couple.

Anyways, I dont mind investing in equipment for my orchids, but Id much rather be buying new ones [grin I might also just be making a daytrip to Montreal tomorrow to indulge my addiction].

Julie

Julie, that is exactly right, perhaps i didn't put it to well. I'm certainly not advocating that people grow only one Genera because the downside of that is perhaps only a flush of blooms at one particular time of year.

So , if the Lycaste are growing well that says something about the conditions because perhaps Brassia will grow beautiful green leaves in those conditions and never flower.

Again with the Cymbidium, a name would give me a clue as to whether it is a waste of time trying to grow it indoors.

Again with the Cymbidium, they are garden plants here, widely grown by the general public and i've never heard of the dry period mentioned in a post above. Drier, Yes but not totally dry in winter. Cymbidium Heaven? Think of the climate of the west coast of USA, say Santa Barbara and that is the micro climate you need.

What I finally did was make myself a culture calendar. In each month I would put the needs of each type of orchid. For example, in May I would put: All plants outside, catts is strong sun, oncids in half day sun, phals in early morning sun, then shade. Catts dry out, oncids water twice a week, phals weekly. Dens lots of water and fertilizer. And so on. If the advice stayed the same for June, I would repeat it. In September it would be something like: Phals stay outside for three weeks of 15 degree drop between day and night. Stop all fertilizer for nobile dens. Start tapering off water for dens, water the rest as usual. Cut back fertilizer across the board for all other plants as daylight gets shorter.

I would update this calendar as I learned more about the needs of each type of plant for my growing conditions and geographical area. I no longer follow it because I have it in my head now.

There was a lot of good information here. I shy away from following hard and fast rules concerning what to do on a calender basis, simply for the fact that mother nature never cooperates and these are just "guidelines". For example, by now,I would be tappering off the water for my dendrobiums, but for some reason they all spiked now, which is late for them since they usually flower in late June or mid-July. (Especially here in Chicago, where we could have 50F differences at times within 24 hours.)

For the beginer, I would argue that a mixed collection affords the largest possibility for success, since they don't know the nuances of their microclimates, just yet. Over the years, I have found I can grow phals and catts with little bother, yet the cymbidiums and vandas require more work so therefore, I have less of them.

Also, I think a successful grower is one who notices the little things. For example, I have the luxory of several growing areas (home, girlfriends house, and work/office). I keep the high maintenance plants with me at work since that is where I am most often. I can water my vanda three times a day since I am there for 10 hours. At home, I can keep phals without worry since the temps are stable, and since we have no southern windows, thats about the only thing I can grow indoors. Since my girlfriend does not remember to water all the time, I keep some catts and dends there since they can be ok, if they don't see me until the weekend.

Bradarmi, FYI: Unlike phal-type dens, Nobile dens must have a long, cool, sunny and completely dry rest from November to February, or they won't bloom. That's why I mark them on the calendar. Fertilizer must be stopped in August in order to prepare them for the coming winter rest.

Of course there are people with room and time to have a big collection of orchids. Some of these collections have many Genera and i do not know about over there, but here the people who win best grower thingos at the end of the growing year presentation night are favoured by a point system that rewards growing many different types.

The original poster sniffed when i suggested that perhaps it was time to become a specialist, but look at the picture.

{{gwi:149024}}

This collection is owned by a specialist grower of Nobile/Softcane Dendrobiums. A lady who will never win "Champion Grower" at our local Society.

Now when i was taking about different conditions.......
I have.
A 29 x15 foot shadehouse
A 8 x 8 unheated glasshouse
An 8 x 6 heated glasshouse
The backyard (for the extremely tough)
Twelve feet of kitchen windowsill (unheated)
Windowsill and other growing areas in a room with a bit of heating.

A great orchid lady who has gone to the great orchid place in the sky had much more growing space than mine and who managed to grow almost everything did win champion growing thingos at several orchid societies but orchids were her whole life and she had a knack of just observing her orchids and placing them to advantage.

Why become a specialist? I always think of a great grower from the SF area who grew/grows Den. cuthbertsonii to perfection who came across the big big puddle some years ago to lecture at an ANOS conference. Apart from Den. cuthbersonii he does grow other orchids, but they like the same conditions as that beautiful orchid. Sorry, i have forgotten his name.

I understand what you mean... instead of growing many types with mediocre results, grow only a few types to perfection.

Once I figure out which orchids will flourish under my care, with the conditions I have to offer, I'll most likely stick to those... I'd prefer to have orchids that I know will bloom and re-bloom for me, without too much effort!

I know what you mean. I discovered that the smaller cattleyas grow very well for me, so I slowly got rid of the other plants and now I stick to cattleyas, BLC's, LC's, and potinaras. They love my conditions. And because they are semi-mini's, they need less light and take up less room, and they bloom several times a year.

Ok, I read alot of posts here but I need to say something before you go spending massive amounts of money on greenhouses or anything. I have alot of my orchids hanging in their plastic pots and I have everything from species catt to species phal to species dendrobiums to hybrids of all and mine are around a mulberry tree. My phals get direct sun and dappled sun in the morning and afternoon with the leaves even purple on the top sides and the blc's get direct and dappled light so the leaves and sheaths have purple/red spotting. The dend hybrids get direct/dappled light and bright shade and even their leaves and sheaths have dark red/purple veining. My brassavola gets direct sun until about 10-11am and then dappled light/bright shade for the rest of the day. My species dendrobes usually get as much hot sun as they can take from sunrise until 10-11am and the leaves have actually been burned slightly but I found that with species, the light they can handle is usually very very intense for all orchids except the oncidium hybrids which get some unsightly brown marks on leaves when grown bright due to genetics. I spray all my plants with a garden hose and about the other 25-30 pots of kingianum, species dends, hybrid dends, species catts and hybrid plants all sit around the tree on a plastic bin and actually sit in water yet do not get rot because they get enough air and light. they grow so well outside in Florida because it is bright, humid and they need more water when they get more light so things work out. This is my first season growing outside but I plan to keep even the paphs out until temps hit the 40's because most plants need to slightly dry and cool after flowering. This gives them a natural cycle so they bloom in spring and summer and cool and dry off a bit in winter. when they finally get used to growing out in spring and summer, they grow better and growths are bigger and more solid than they are when grown inside. If you dont have trees get some shade cloth and make your own tarp or canopy so the plants still get bright shade or dappled shade and that way they will get enough light and just hose them with water as they need tons of water when outside. I soak all the pots every day as they need copious amounts of water and fertilize much more as well because with higher temps you need more air circulation and lots of water. things are all needed to balance each other out- as the temps go up, more fertilizer and water are needed to maintain leaves and stems because of evaporation and as light and heat increase, the leaves warm as well so you need air movement and more water but also need humidity. I think the best thing is to grow outside as my catts have shot out 2-3 new generations worth of growth and the phals have grown 4 new leaves and are working on 5 in one sripng and summer. phals love humidity but so do most other orchids. As long as you keep things in balance, your plants will do well in one general area but season changes trigger blooming, light fluctuations trigger and so do temps for some species and hybrids so try using bloom boosting fertilizers and grow as bright as the plants can take. I found that plants will bloom better when they are getting the absolute MAXIMUM amounts of light. move things around if you need to but give them as much light as possible without burning and they will start to flower better. that is my opinion and im stickin to it. also, my summer displays have been rewarding because the plants are out.

floridaguy, your post is inspiring.... only, my orchids would be eaten by deer the first night out. I'd love the idea of watering with a hose! How many of you hobbyists do use the hose? I read somewhere cold water is not good for orchids!
I would also like to know what method you use to fertilize, such as by hand or with a hose? Is fertilizer losing it's potential when mixed in a big drum and used up, say within a month?
Thanks.

Julie, I would love to hear more about your growing conditions for paphs. I have very little luck with these but, I love them, and would create the environment, if I knew how.
As is, I grow them in our garage under 4 shop lights. Humidity is mostly 50-60%. Temps are within range, from what I read.

Thanks for responding.

Helga.

Helga, I use the garden hose all summer. I have well water and it is icy cold. Doesn't seem to affect them. My guess is the intense light and warmth of the sun and air. Also, they are in rapid growth. I haven't had a problem.

Jane

Greenhouses do cut down some on light gathering but most orchids are evolved to appreciate/need a certain amount of shade in their environment. What greenhouses really were invented to do is provide shelter from an environment that is unusually hostile to a plant that has evolved to need a very different ambient humidity and/or temperature range than where it is presently being grown. Even Florida is just a little above the Tropic of Cancer (or is it Capricorn?) and therefore technically outside of the zone where unsheltered growing of tropical species (year round) is actually care-free. Obviously it can be done but we can't all do it and so I suspect sales of greenhouses and other plant shelters will continue despite the downsides of light loss which are often exacerbated by the need to maintain reasonable temperatures in summer.

Helga, I tried using the hose this summer but stopped. The water is indeed much too cold. Our water supply is snow melt, yours may not be but temperature aside, the chlorine that is added to the hose water makes it not the best thing you can do on a regular basis. It won't actually 'kill' anything but it isn't the best practice. I don't think fertilizer loses any effectiveness when mixed beforehand but fertilizer usually mixes very quickly and a weeks supply shouldn't be much harder to mix up than a months. In a month of growing with twice weekly watering the majority of waterings are non-fert feeds. I am not sure how you apply fert but I don't quite see how a drum size amount (mixed) gets used in one month.

H

This is a very interesting thread for me, I'm trying to decide what type of orchid I could grow successfully over an indoor pond with an open diffused skylight here in the Yucatan. Heat is not a problem, frost is unheard of, and humidity is high. Plus, there are a lot of orchids growing wild in the jungle around here but I'm a newbie and don't know their names. I'd rather not collect wild ones, I don't think it is a good idea and most of them are not very showy. So, I'm going to buy some but I want to get an idea of what kind. This is the first place I've found any info on just growing them in more or less their natural environment. More info please, and thanks.

/Thank you Jane. I might try it next summer when the temperatures are in the 90s. Once the orchids are grouped outside, I will HAVE to use the hose.

Our water is well water, Howard, so no chlorine present, even though it's a 'bit high in some minerals. The orchids will have to be happy with it.

Thus far I have irrigated the plants with water from a 30 gal. container, via small submersible pump. In order to do away with fertilizing separately, I would like to mix the fert.(equal to 1/4 tsp. p.gal.), combining watering and fert. in one step. At this low rate of fert. is it ok to continue this process year round?

Helga.

Going back to Helga's post about my Paph growing conditions... I don't know that it's actually anything I do or don't do, but more that Paphs seem ideally suited to my growing conditions and habits.

For a long time, Paphs really never did anything for me. Then came my discovery of Paph spicerianums cute little alien face on a show table one December. I was able to purchase one at our April show and it thrilled me by blooming that very same year and again every year in late fall and early winter. Then I fell in love with the elegant lowii and it too bloomed the same year I got it. To make the shipping on lowii worth it, I had purchased 5 other Paphs. They too grew vigorously and the mature ones even bloomed.

I dont know about you, but I started noticing a trend.

In short, I grow most of my plants in a spare bedroom. Summer day temps are in the 80s with night temps in the mid to high 60s. Winter day temps are in the mid to high 70s with night temps in the high 50s to low 60s. Humidity is ok, between 40% and 55%. I have a ceiling fan going on low all day for air circulation. The bedroom faces east by southeast, so it gets relatively good light. Higher light plants are right by the window and I have CFLs for additional light there. Around the walls of the room, I have shelves with fluorescent tubes. The Paphs were under two fluorescent tubes. Plants are grouped by genera and watering habits. For example, Phals in 4 inch pots will be in the same tray, while mounted Phal species will be in another tray. Ill check a couple of plants in each tray every morning and whats really dry gets watered then and there. For fertilizer, given everything is on its own schedule, I fertilize at every watering for 2 weeks, then with fresh water for one week.

(Just for information, you may have noticed that Paphs "were" under two fluorescent tubes. I finally ran out of room in the orchid room a couple of months ago and expanded my basement growing area, which had previously been the summer home of my Masdevallias and other cooler growers. Paphs are now under four fluorescents, since this is their only source of light. Temperatures are also a bit cooler, though the lights do give a nice bump to day temps. I noticed when watering this weekend that there are a good dozen new spikes, so they dont seem to mind their new home.)

I hope that this helps.

Julie

Hi Julie,
Your paph growing conditions are very similar to mine. I have them under 4 (40Watt) fluorescent tubes. Temperatures are also matching yours. The only thing I suspect is that I do not water enough, or, they don't like the mix they are in(wood chips/pumice.) What are you growing them in? In your experience, take paphs more of your time/attention then say phals?
I also noticed paphs susceptibtility to mealy bugs and, have lost plants to that. It's difficult to irraticate them with q-tips soaked in alcohol from the paph's small leaf joints. Any cure for that?

Thank you for sharing your experiences, Julie

Helga.

Hi Helga,

I put my Paphs in a homemade mix, which is roughly made up of 5 parts small fir bark, 1 part perlite and 1 part horticultural charcoal. I also add oyster shell to some. I tend to be an underwaterer and water when they're dry.

Overall, I don't think Paphs require more care than Phals do. Mine get similar light, temperatures (though my Phals are happier when its warmer and my Paphs are happier when its cooler), humidity and watering. I do repot my Paphs more often though, since their mix breaks down faster. My Phals are in mostly grade A New Zealand sphag (the real stuff is worth every penny), with some bark, perlite and charcoal thrown in to prevent it from clumping together.

As for mealybugs, it could be worse. Youll know what Im talking about if you have Catts and Oncidiums. Anyways, I do use Q-Tips. My pharmacy also stocks rubbing alcohol in fine spray bottles. Great for getting in the cracks, though you dont want to do this too often. All buggy plants are isolated and for at least a month, or until there are no more live bugs, they will get weekly washes with a mild detergent, a shower from my kitchen sinks small hose attachment and sprayed with Neem or another insecticide (change it up). You really want to keep an eye on new growths mealybugs love these and this is where they can do the most damage. If youve got a bad infestation, repot NOW mealies can also hide in the media and among the roots.

Julie

hello, everyone, I really appreciate the info in this thread; such wonderful detailed info.
julie, I was wondering: where did you get the oyster shells from and did you notice a significance difference from using it?
thanks,
sue

Oops, I have not been as thorough as you with mealies, Julie. I do spray the medium with a pest/fungicide mix by Ortho but do not isolate.
I have very little problems with phals. They all do and bloom fine in bark/pumice mix. The paphs are under 4 fluorescent bulbs on the same shelf but, not in front of a window as the phals are. I must pay better attention to their watering need. I'll also look for the alcohol in spray bottles. Good idea! I still suspect it's the lack of water that does them in. Unfortunately, I have to haul several pails of it from the outside (or rain water) into the garage as our house water is salt-filtered) Another thing I am going to try this winter is enclosing the paphs with plastic to keep them more humid. This is the last cold season I am going to put up with all this work. If they don't shape up, out they go. Rats!

Good Luck with your growing, Julie.

Helga.

Helga, it's always tough to give up on a genera you really like. Hopefully things will be able to turn around for you. And if you can't find rubbing alcohol in spray bottles already, just buy a normal one from a garden store.

Sue, I got my oyster shell from a Paph vendor in Canada, Zephyrus Orchids. They don't have it on their website anymore, so I don't know if they still carry it. I'm out myself, so I need to contact them soon. As for effect... it has been less than a year, so I can't say with any certainty. About a month after repotting, when I added the mix, several started spiking, including one of my new faves, malipoense. Others, like Paph spicerianum which is supposed to like it, started throwing hissy fits.

Julie

Sue here in the States we can get oyster shell at big box stores in the gardening section - dirt cheap.

Brooke

hello, Julie, thanks for the info. I will contact Zephyrus.
hello, Brooke, it is amazing all the resources which are available in the States and not here.
sue