Thank you Arthur for explaining your growing conditions and 'hard-canes.' I have absolutely no room for them, that is the reason they get tossed on a corner, left dry and ignored until Spring. They are tall, but you can get away with stuffing them in small pots. Howard - Southern Exposure?? OMG! Before I knew anything 'formal' about growing orchids, I always had dens. Some nobiles, but mostly hard-canes. Rarely got the nobiles to flower (some hybrids did), but they grew and grew. Hard-canes stopped growing after flowering and I assumed they went dormant. So I put them away until I saw sign of life. They rarely got watered (which I know goes against the rules). I do not put them under lights because they are too tall. They have few leaves and because of this don't require strong light. They are potted in rock or Aussie and maybe given a bit of water once a month. They are bone dry. They couldn't rot if they tried. They could dry up (that's happened) but if I notice any major shriveling, I give them some water - not much. I keep the nobiles in the window, but the hard-canes are in a North corner, not by a window. But my room is bright. I don't have room for them in winter. I have too many high light orchids which need the windows and lamps. They don't seem to grow any differently with or without light...they don't grow over winter! Plus, they are ugly sticks and I hide them until spring. I think the big mistake is treating them as if they are growing. Just leave them be and they will wake up when the time is right. Its the care they receive over summer that determines the amount of spikes. These plants are tough but so magnificent when they bloom well. If you get it right, you will have more flowers than any other orchid you could grow. They become giant bushes of flowers. I love them. Jane

Thanks for your responses. First, I should say I always have an orchid plant (or 2) on my coffee table. There is a large picture window about 7' from the table. It does get blazingly hot in the afternoons through this window, so I do keep the blinds closed when severely hot weather is predicted. (It also keeps my house about 10 degrees cooler and saves on the electric) I'm not great with houseplants (unfortunately), but I have always done well with orchids on this table in my lr. They really seem to love the amount of light they get there. I am looking at the plant now. The two top leaves, as well as a leaf under one of the top leaves, are almost completely yellow. One of the top leaves has a brown edge to it. Not to sound stupid, but I really don't know what root rot looks like in an orchid. I did check the roots now, and they look fine to me. Noting appears soggy or mushy, if that is what I should be looking for. The pot I have planted it in is glazed. I had another orchid in it before this new one. I do have 2 other clay, unglazed pots, specifically for orchids. Should I transplant from the glazed pot into the unglazed? And, yes, there is a hole on the bottom of the pot and a dish underneath. As far as watering: this is what I always do: Put the pot into the kitchen sink. Turn the faucet on low and allow the water to steam in slowly, not getting on the leaves. When the water starts rising out of the top of the pot and some of the plant mulch matter gets loose on the top, I turn off the water. I allow the plant to drain in the sink for at least an hour before putting it back on the table. As to what I do with the old orchids: Because my house if very tiny I do not have another place to keep the orchids growing. I just recycled 3 plants on freecycle.org. I felt bad about throwing them away and on freecycle there is someone willing to take just about anything. Someone who loves orchids and has room for them picked them up from me. Great new way to recycle just about any household item that is still useable! I appreciate your expertise with my problem!

I have a beautiful Phalaenopsis "Sand Spots" Orchid that was given to me as a gift on Jan 17th. It had 4 or 5 blossoms on it when I received it and then a couple more openned later. One didn't open but fell off. Today is March 16 and there are still six blossoms between the two spikes. One spike is 15" and the other is 11" or so. there were originally 7 leaves, however the two smallest lower leaves yellowed and fell off last month as did another small lower leaf yesterday. I have fed the plant once per month with Schultz Expert Gardener Orchid Food 19-31-17. I also water and drain once per week. It seems very happy except for the three lower leaves that were lost. We live in the mountains of north Georgia and it has been cold. I keep the inside temp between 72 and 76 degrees. We have high ceilings, so the heat rises. The plant has been located at countertop level. Occasionally I set it near a bright window. Today I raised it to a level of about 6 feet and about 4 or 5 feet from a light fixture that is about 2 feet higher and has 5 60 watt light bulbs in the chandalier. I am hoping that will do the trick...more light. On warmer days, maybe I should put it out under a deciduous tree in my shady yard. What do you think?

suburbanrancher, it's advised that the best time to repot (since, as you say Meyers seem to always be in some state of flowering) is during a dormant period just following fruit set and just before the next flush of leaves. This usually corresponds to early summer (around June or thereabouts). jkom, what an interesting question you ask about in-ground vs pot ripening times for IMLs. I actually have 3 Meyers in the ground and one that's potted, and I had every intention of (taking it a step further and) making this a full-time houseplant. After all, I'm able to successfully flower both a Cattleya orchid and a plumeria (no longer alive) at an East/Southwest facing window so I'd hoped to successfully fruit the Meyer at this location. But I've chickened out (and my potted Meyer is now an all-outdoor plant), as nobody's seemed to have done 100% indoor cultivation of a Meyer and gotten it to fruit - if anyone has evidence otherwise, I'd love to know! Maybe I should just do the experiment to determine the answer for myself...and also answer your fruit-timing question. Tim