Sheila, I do consider this to be a miniature cattleya. That's not to say you shouldn't expect inflorescences. But your original post mentions that you only had two original pbs--maybe it is getting established, since 4 o 5 would give it a better start. I do feed weakly weekly, with a one week break every 3 weeks or so. So far my fight with scale has involved swabbing with an alcohol-laden Q-tip, which only gets the ones I can see, but seems to do the trick. You might try neem oil as well. I examine my plants every week, and keep on them if they have any infestations. I am not yet comfortable with mounts, in my climate (am trying to avoid having to water plants on a varying schedule, according to media). The picture is of a plant I have had for a few years, and is in a 4-inch pot, with bark/perlite media.

Of course you can make it any size you see fit, and using any materials that are easily available to you. Though I think 6 inches wide will probably do, I would opt a little wider 8-12 inches wide. Here's how I planed to build mine. First plywood would be stronger, but OSB board would be cheaper and still strong enough. It runs about $7-$8 for a 8x4 sheet around here. I plan the inside diameter to be 12 inch deep, about 12 inch wide, and 8 feet long. Make it as long as you want also, 8 feet is all I need. Though I plan to build 2, set them parallel with each other about 5-6 feet apart, and place a A-frame trellis between the two trenches. You already have your trellis. To strengthen the box structure, I plan on running 1x2's (they run $0.84 ea here) along the outside for added support. You can use 2x4's but would be about 3-4 times the price, and 1x2's should be enough support. For a trench box that long, I would probably run one horizontal row of 1x2 along the top and bottom of the box. Then periodically place vertical pieces between them. Here in the desert I need to insulate the roots from the heat, you probably wont want to do this part, especially if you are going to have the trench in the ground. My trench is planed to be on top of the ground. The inside of the box will be lined with probably 2 layers of 1/2 inch (or 1 inch) thick Styrofoam sheet insulation. Glued in with PL300 foamboard adhesive (it's made specifically to glue Styrofoam insulation to wood and construction materials. Then I plan to line the inside with vinyl sheeting. I don't know if Low's or Home Depot carry it, but ACE hardware just down the street from me does. They have 3 different thickness that run from about $3-$6 a square yard (in one yard widths). For the inside diameter I plan, it should just fit nicely without even overlapping it (except the end pieces. I plan to use 100% silicone to seal the ends and glue down the vinyl sheeting (as well as all corners and edges after the Styrofoam is glued in). Fish pond liner would be just fine, and plenty durable. I don't know how much it runs, but I think I will look into pricing that as well. For the drain I plan to cut a hole just big enough to run a pvc tube through the wood, and a little smaller than the wood hole in the Styrofoam (for a snug fit). Then glue it to the Styrofoam with the foamboard adhesive. Then run beds of silicone, and screw in a pvc connectors on both sides of the tube and snug it down. Making the lip of the connector on the inside of the box as short as possible (but still durable), so as much water will drain out as possible. I may decide to have more than one of these drains per box. But if one side of the box is raised a little, the water should flow nicely to the side with the drain/s. Because the heat and sun is so bad here on things. I plan to paint the outside of the box with a roofing material. I forget what it's called, but it's white, thick, durable and flexible. They use it on rooftops for reflecting the suns rays (overall cooling the building). That will also add another layer of insulation for the roots for me (reflecting the heat). But I need to find somewhere where they sell it in one gallon buckets. The 5 gallon buckets are way more than I need, and it's not exactly cheep (a one gallon should run about $10-12). That should protect the wood from moisture if you plan to bury it in the ground as well. However there is another material for that also, but it's black. I forget what they call that also, but they use it to protect walls that extend underground so they don't absorb moisture (like basement walls, underground stairways etc.). I don't know how much it runs, but you will want to protect the wood from ground moisture if you place it in the ground. And products like Thompson water seal wear off and need to be reapplied regularly. Once the box is ready, I plan to simply place a section of inexpensive furnace filter screening ($2, I just cut the screening material out of a inexpensive furnace filter) on top of the drain holes. Then I will place a layer of rocks on top of that to about 2 inches deep along the bottom of the trench. This will hold the screening in place and help with drainage all the way through the box. Then just fill with the growing medium and plants, setup the drip system. You should have a very durable planter box that will withstand the weather and you can use year after year. .

Here's my story... I am a newly engaged electrical engineer working on his master's degree. I am also a former collegiate pole vaulter, still training and competing post-collegiately. In the rest of my spare time I downhill/freeride/dirt jump mountain bike. I wanted to start my own garden of a few peppers to eat them, but found that a hobby that does not make your heart race and adrenaline gland pump out of control is kind of nice! So I went a little further, bought a few more heat mats, a couple more lights, and a few more seeds. Now I am running out of room, and I love the new hobby! I also have always enjoyed learning, and I am doing alot of it with my first year of pepper/tom planting. It is relaxing to come home and check on the peppers and toms and see how everyone is doing each day... thats why I do it. Oh, I also LOVE spicy food and eating my own produce sounds like a rewarding way to make a meal.

The reason they are producing so early is because they have stressed by conditions, probably before they were planted, so they go into survival mode and make some seeds early. I always choose the plants without flower buds at the nursery, then they grow more normally, not sure of your situation. As said you could pinch off the early peppers in the hope that plant will get bigger and more productive in summer. Or you could let them grow to eatable stage but pick them quickly, don't let them sit there and ripen, and your plant will still be fine if growing conditions are good.