Thank you for further opinions/advice. ashes_of_the_fire those roots are gorgeous! For most part I tend to slightly underwater my orchids, before the ailment that is (I always thought it was fine as they flowered and looked healthy) and the roots would be slightly thinner than yours. I am especially grateful for the step by step instructions. I will definitely need them as this will be my first repotting on my own! (mum refused to help as she says last time she got involved it got them to the current state). I have something by Westland called 'orchid compost'. It says it has organic matter, bark and wood fibre. This is the only thing suitable at the shop nearest to us (and that is 30 minutes away). There is another shop that is about 1 hour away in another zone that requires 2 buses. But I am not sure that one is much better. I think I'll repot the worst first (I will do it tomorrow morning when there is more light and might post photos in case I need advise of whether they are actually alive)... to see how they take to this compost. And order the following online: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Elite-Orchid-Compost-Range-for-Phalaenopsis-5-Litres-/261365464855 Does that seem like a good mix? Apparently one of the orchids is not actually a Phalaenopsis that mum owns (since it hasn't had flowers in years I did not know any better). Though she cannot remember its name. meyermike_1micha thank you for the tip ... I have been reading many websites and books about caring for orchids, but none actually go into any sort of detail. Something I read a year ago said that orchids can grow without any medium! in baskets but would require very frequent sprays. Wow! Maybe I need to do that to avoid the bugs. jane__ny thank you for the link! It is very helpful. As I said the books I could get from the library and some websites I came across weren't as helpful. Most of the books had various pictures and species, and talked about reproduction, illness and the fact that orchids depending on the type like various mediums including moss, bark, and something else. No one ever went into basics of how to physically water them (just state that you can spray or pour). Cloths were a strategy to get rid of insects. They have only been covered in them for about 3 months. These bugs are a pain to get rid of ... and one of the solutions is placing a layer of sand on top of the peat ... it cuts air supply to them and cuts their wings when they crawl out. I was a bit apprehensive of doing that (since who knows what the sand will be infected with!) So I saw someone's solution of placing denim to a similar effect ... break the cycle. Each fly lays many many eggs ... and the problem multiplies. Most of these I read were for houseplants ... as no one wrote about infected orchids. But the things is one of the orchids I bought was already infected and it was in bark! So it does happen. Probably not as frequently. I know most of the solutions I was trying were damaging the health of the plants, but as I mentioned these stuff eat roots ... and reproduce fast. So the fact that some of the orchids are still alive is pretty much a miracle. I do not wish this infection on anyone's plants. Oh and I place my stupidity/naivety to the fact that for many years that I have owned orchids they were healthy and I never saw what I have been seeing in the past 3/4 of the year. Thank you so much for your support! I also include the picture of the flies! (this was when the situation was improving too! before then you couldn't see the yellow ... it is a lot a lot better now). Just about 3 or 4 flies per sticker. Another quick question ... do I need to dry out the orchid compost completely before planting? (that is where I went wrong with the peat apparently) Lija P.S. Liquid Oxygen contains Hydrogen Peroxide. It was advised to me as it apparently burns up the larvae which seemed like a pleasant thought.

Pull the plants out of their pots and examine the roots for root mealy bugs. Mealies will look like small cotton fluffs along the roots, and they have an almost fluorescent appearance. I know because I've had them on plants myself. They like it dry and are not uncommon in succulent plant collections, especially plants that may be weak such as yours...the reason I say your plants are weak is because you say they are getting indirect light, are indoors where air circulation tends to be poor, and are watered once a month. The majority of succulents like to have some direct sun for best growth, and watering once a month is way too little during active growth. Indoor temperature ranges are not favorable for succulents in the long run either, they need a large day/night temp differential for proper metabolism. And we don't even know your soil mix, another important factor. The presence of peat moss tends to favor pests and disease in my experience. Let us know what you find. If it is mealies, they are easy to eradicate from individual plants but the bigger dilemma is that many more plants might be affected without any noticeable signs. Try to improve your conditions regardless. Succulents are extremely tolerant of non-ideal conditions and it often takes years until deterioration begins. x

Sorry to disagree, but no, one shouldn't necessarily cut back on watering these Aloes in Winter (or maybe just cut it back a bit). Many Aloes can grow all winter long & since they bloom in Feb. I definitely wouldn't cut back watering in winter -- unless you're keeping them, pretty cool. In NYC, next to cold window over warm radiator, my Aloes stay in growth all winter.

Thanks CactusMharri. I don't have the sulphur, any substitute? DE and cinnamon maybe? Thanks Socks. Yeah, I said that before the last storm and left some out that had previous;y been moved in, big brown spots but no real losses This time when the sun came out I put everything out except the Korean goodies. And I swear, as God is my witness, I will not put them back in:-) Geez I should have new muscles after this year....