Hi jennie, "Tepid water ? What is this ?" Lukewarm ~ it's easier on the plant, than icy cold. The spray I used was called "Schultz Expert Gardener Houseplants and Gardens Insect Spray," but is no longer available by that name. The essential part is that the active ingredients are Pyrethrins 0.02% and Piperonyl Butoxide Technical 0.20%. You should be able to find Schultz's new product or one with the same ingredients at any garden center. The label should list your bug as a target insect and orchids as safe to use on. Just follow the directions on the bottle, but avoid spraying blooms, because they will not survive. I sprayed as noted in my first message, but picked the cottony bugs off of the plant and flowers by hand. You could also use any brand of insecticidal soap or neem oil listed for orchids (and mealybugs), but I have never used them. Maybe someone here can recommend a brand for you. The sap is called "honeydew." Some orchids put it out at different parts of their growth cycles. One of my Phals formed tiny drops of it around the edges of a half grown leaf this spring. It had no bugs, so I think it was just getting rid of a little excess water through little openings (stomata) under the leaf edge. Another Phal puts out a drop or two from tiny glands below the bud just before each bud opens. A third reason for honeydew formation is insect injury; so, when you see it, check your plant for sucking insects, just in case. It is ok to use a little alcohol diluted with lukewarm water to wipe up the honeydew--probably a good idea, too, since it can attract insects, as well as provide a starting medium for some molds. About watering ~ Because seasons and sun exposure change throughout the year, and because your plant uses water at different rates, whether blooming, growing, or resting, it is not really advisable to water on a schedule (like, every so-many days). It is important to take care not to overwater, as this is the cause of most root rot. To test for watering some use a dulled shishkebab skewer, left in the medium, pulling it out to check moisture level by touching it to cheek or lip. If it is damp or cool, the medium is still damp. Others can gauge moisture by how heavy or light the pot is when they lift it. I use the more direct finger test for moisture, described in my first message. Phals can take a little direct sun, but not as much as some orchids. If you lay your hand on a leaf exposed to the sun, and it feels more than a little warm to the touch, you may need to adjust its placement to prevent sunburn. Your Florida orchid sounds like it may be a Cattleya, about which I know next to nothing. If you can post a picture of it, I'm sure someone here can help you with any questions you have about it. I hope that helps a bit. Sweetcicely

Well, the damage has been done, so please don't fret yourself into a sleepless night. I have burned them, froze them and generally made myself a target of the plant police. They can be tough. If you get it back to the place where they thrived before, it could conceivably re-start. Keep it warm and moist, but not wet. Do not trim it anymore, let the pieces wither and shrivel. Do not re-pot or otherwise disturb it any more. Remember that with less greenery, it will need less water. And wait. This is not the time of year it makes new stems, so if it just sits there, that is normal. The parts nearest the soil need to be somewhat succulent for re-growth to occur. The brown bark nearest the soil covers the green that photosynthesizes. If you have even 1/2 inch of sturdy stem, you will probably have a little plant in the spring.

The handwash or delicate cycle tends to use marginally more water to cushion the clothes ... but otherwise, no, there's no way to get more water other than perhaps by manually adding it through the detergent drawer. If you end up adding too much more, the machine will trigger a flood fault and go into drain. People are not understanding that these machines are designed, engineered, and intended to work with a minimal amount of water ... that's part-and-parcel of the high-efficiency, energy-and-resource-saving aspect. You either accept the situation and modify your laundry habits accordingly, or get another kind of machine ... such as a traditional agitator toploader that fills to cover the clothes. My suggestion for getting the residual detergent rinsed out of your clothes is to keep running them through full cycles WITHOUT detergent until the water runs clear. No need to use the intensive sanitize cycle ... a warm wash on regular or delicate or whatever cycle is appropriate for what's in the load is sufficient. Then start afresh with proper amounts of HE detergent, load sizes, and cycle selections.

That Orchid Romance does look great, zz! How I wish I hadn’t returned mine when I discovered it wasn’t Sweet Mademoiselle! I have two Princess Charlene de Monaco‘s, and I absolutely love them. I was totally thinking Sweet Mademoiselle was going to be a pinker version of PCDM. All the Romantica roses have done incredibly well for me. I just never expected SM to be so bright and coral looking. I actually felt irrationally annoyed every time I saw her blooms last year. I had no one to help me remove it, and I felt like SM was taunting me with every fluorescent neon bloom. She was SO bright I couldn’t stand it, and not even 100F heat and full sun would fade her. It could be that she’s just that artificial color in my soil and climate. I’ve seen pictures of SM that looked great, and nothing like my gaudy beacon of a thing. If she looks like that again this year, I’ll have to call in some favors and have one of my sons come remove her. I too, prefer the softer colors of DA’s. I did purchase Boscobel last year, and that’s a stretch for me. Boscobel is a little brighter than I prefer, but it changes with the temps. Boscobel‘s color is more like what I thought Sweet Mademoiselle would be. Sweet Mademoiselle likes to grow super tall, too. It looks like Orchid Romance stays shorter. Oh, this thread has me regretting my return all over again! Lisa