It probably is but I've read that cal/mag deficiency can mimic black rot. I think it was an article in Orchids Magazine a while back. I have had it happen to a few Catts over the years and found it spread quickly through the plant. It never spread to my other plants. I became suspicious that it might be something else because it didn't spread. It certainly appeared to be black rot and wiped out the plants quickly. In NY, my plants were cramped together due to space issues. I was surprised it didn't spread. When I had it happen again on another Catt, I decided to try and treat it quickly. I did salvage the plant, but it returned a few years later on the same plant. Long story short, I took back bulbs from this Catt and grew them. Now in Florida, I'm finding those plants (4 backbulbs) continue to appear weak yet they did flower. I'm going to play with cal/mag to see if anything changes. If it doesn't, I'll toss them. Must be 10 years I'm fooling around with this plant. Jane

Hi Gary, Thank you for sharing your thoughts and ideas. And you are absolutely correct. Tropicals are way tougher than they are sometimes given credit for. I have many tropicals planted in the ground here (even peace plants) that not only survive our winter's here, but as you say, thrive. I live on a high knoll above the river swamp in what is called a Hickory - Oak Hammock. The canopy is massive. The heat collected by the river and swamp during the day is held in by the canopy of trees and keeps me a few degrees warmer in winter than the surrounding flat lands. In summer, there is a constant breeze, and I stay a few degrees cooler. We do get a few nights of frost, and sometimes even a freeze, but that few degrees has saved me from that many times over the years. Cold is not the problem...... Heat IS........lol.......... Where my GH is located the heat is only bad 11:30 - 1:30.........then I'm shaded by tall trees. I tried a lot of stuff ...and added to the shade cloth, and exhaust fan......I finally landed on misters to get me thru this time period. It works, believe me. But........it does wet the plants (orchids) OK, then I have to run more fans to get them dried off. I already water overhead early in the morning, so when the misters come on at noonish.......it's just more water the orchids don't really need, and the humidity just goes wild..... The old gentlemen's theory was something like - don't let the heat into the GH to begin with - so will misting the roof outside keep the heat out?? LOL .....I don't know, but I'm going to try it when it warms up here again. I have about a million questions about how he makes this work - but it doesn't seem he's really into two way conversations ......LOL......bless his heart. I'll keep records Gary, you bet, and if all else fails I can always go with "the open method"................Hmmmm.................... Thanks Gary ........see ya...........

Just a quick little update while I'm over here tonight. I've seen an ENT surgeon and a Head and Neck Cancer specialist over this past week. All three (including the one that first found the tumor) are in disagreement over what it is. We have decided to go with the Cancer doctor. The Rancher has a niece that is a PA. She recommended this doctor and has worked closely with him for several years. She arranged the appointment overnight for us and we are very grateful to her for that. The cancer doctor said he has seen this before and he feels it is possible that it is simply a spot that is there due to some kind of continuous irritation. Making it a precancerous growth vs. a cancer. So he put me on a nasal spray and doubled the dose of my stomach medication to see if we can reduce the possible irritation. I will return to see him on the 9th of September. If the growth isn't smaller or gone he will move forward with a biopsy. I feel a little better and at ease on one hand because I would love it if this nightmare just went away. On the other hand I am a little worried that if it turns out to be a true cancer, we have just wasted four weeks where there is no treatment going on. The ENT that I saw said there was nothing there except a little discoloration on my vocal cords. So I checked in with my regular GP about that answer. She said it would be impossible for it to disappear overnight (literally). Also the other two doctors said that my vocal cords appeared to be fine. Well, that'll leave your head spinning with questions. LOL! I'll let you know what happens after the appointment on the 9th. Hugs, MeMo PS...welcome to the forum ex-lurkers! We're glad you're here. Thank you for your very kind words.

Melissa, I haven't been in GardenWeb in a very long time - and even then, I'm usually a lurker in the Garden forums. We are starting our remodel on our kitchen, master bath and bedroom, so I wanted to see if there were any ideas out there that I could steal because it feels so overwhelming right now, trying to make the right decisions. Anyway, I wanted to tell you how much I love your step-back cabinet (I've never heard that term and I'm going to research it). It looks like it is a wonderful addition to all of the other great design ideas you've created. I love your style.