Hi alienbox, Welcome to the addiction! ;-) It does sound like it will make it, especially with such good intentioned care. I would like to add some suggestions to help you out. The light sounds ok, but your Phal would probably be much happier if it were in an East-facing window, if you have one available to you. The problem with a North-facing window is that it doesn't actually get any sun. It may be bright to the naked eye, but your plant may not agree. Forget all that "bright indirect light" crap you read on orchid labels - they're talking to people in Florida. We're in the North (some of us more so than others) and plants need all the light they can get, especially since it's not exactly sunny all the time up here at this time of year. Having said this, if you can move them into more light, do so gradually. Think of it as building a base tan to be able to tolerate more light. You said your plant had not done anything in the time you've had it. All those wild roots that were around it - are they new, do they have green growing tips? That means your plant is happy. First come new roots, then new leaves and then finally flowers. You should also note that these orchids are tropical plants that enjoy warmer temperatures. You'll notice it'll really perk up once the days get longer and your apartment gets warmer. That's likely when you'll start seeing a new leaf. Repotting it was a good idea, but you need to use stuff meant for orchids. The stuff for outside use, which the Mosser stuff sounds like, is treated differently and the size is not quite right for orchids. You can go to any Lowes or HD and buy a bag for less than $10. As tiarella advised, you do need to soak it before you use it. Don't water it again - the reason you need to presoak bark is that the bark has been kiln dried to kill off anything bad. It also repels water in this state, water rolls off of it like off of a duck's back. Pre-soaking and rinsing it a couple of times gives it back its water retentive qualities and gets rid of any dust. I'm kind of concerned about the ceramic pot you're using. Ceramics are glazed not to let any water or air through, and orchids are epiphytes that need air as much as water, as tiarella said. They also rarely have lots of holes in them. Most of us put our plants in plastic pots, then slip them inside a decorative ceramic pot. It makes watering very easy, too. As your plant dries, it will get lighter. This will be really easy to tell if your plant is in a plastic pot rather than a ceramic pot. I've included a culture sheet on Phal's that I think will help too. Best of luck! Julie Here is a link that might be useful: Phalaenopsis Culture Sheet

MMQ, I think the little pots I have started them in will be okay. The foxglove I just pushed into the soil. All of my containers are at least 3" in depth. I think I will find something suitable to move them all into the bed of the truck. But not today, temps are still only 18 degrees. Token, Since I only started these last week and it was really nice weather, nothing has sprouted yet. So I should have a chance to move them into the bed of the truck. My biggest problem will be to make sure nothing blows away in our infamous KS wind. I think I have an idea about just how to move them.... I am getting excited this just may work out!! Mary Freaking freezing KS z 5b

Ingrid - I would not worry much if I were you. Even if you have the spores that came with it, you don't have the climate to cause concern.Blackspot does not live on the clippers. I hate to tell you this - but cutting it back did very little. Blackspot lives on the canes of the rose. When roses from the southeast go west, they are boxed up after being sprayed with fungicides to kingdom come. Even with all that, they sit and stew in moist hot conditions during transit (I'll bet you had plastic everywhere in that box) and even though they are sprayed, that will cause blackspot. It's not unusual and we see it all the time. Rest easy. Jean

Lisa, I am sorry to read about the loss of your dog. I just wanted to share my own experience with a similar situation...maybe it will help you feel better about your choice. I took my 13-year old cat to the vet because of sudden weight loss and markedly poor coat. X-rays revealed an intestinal mass and I was given three options. I could put him down right away, put him through more testing that would stress him physically and emotionally, or send him for exploratory surgery. In the end, I chose the surgery. I thought "I know cats that have lived to 18 or 20" and to be honest, I was young, he was my first pet, and I was not ready to let go and have him euthanized. The vet did warn me that it could be difficult for him to recover, but she said she would make the smallest incision possible. I was at work on his surgery day when she called to tell me it was a huge mass involving his stomach and intestine and that due just to the size of the tumor, he would never have good quality of life again. She recommended euthanasia, which I of course realized was the best thing for him. I was unable to leave work so she euthanized him while he was still under for surgery. To this day I am devastated when I think I could have let him go without the trauma of that last overnight at the vet, the surgery, and especially not being able to say goodbye. As others have said, it is so very difficult when we have to make these kinds of decisions, and it's worse when you feel like you don't have time to think and weigh your options. But I believe that you chose well and did the most loving and caring thing left to do for your dear dog. I hope that time brings you peace with your decision.