Howard... bear in mind that you are equating July with summer heat. That didn't happen in my area. barely reaching 70 June & the first 3 weeks in July. If someone is growing indoors and has the a/c on, it's the same issue; lack of heat and temp flux, although I am not convinced that is the only issue here. Even with proper light and heat I still have spikes holding. I agree that 2 23w cfls are not enough for an oncid SB, especially at 8" from the plant (much closer Larissa) however, I have my oncids including SB outside in all day sun and they are holding. Started in the Spring. Twinkle has been holding Since about May. Outdoors, acclimated to full sun. Been in the 80's since August with a few cooler days. Still no "pop". There was a recent thread about Twinkle's holding spikes. It was not a zone confined problem; z-9 to z-4 (outdoors) had the same issue. So I contacted OHG. This what I got as a response: "Be patient. Many varieties send out spikes (or sheaths) prematurely, well before blooming season. The Twinkles bloom usually between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so it is way too early to expect buds at this time. Keep the plants on the cool side at night to provide some temperature fluctuation, and give good light. And don't stress out about it - " Larissa, I have not been able to find a housing that "properly" fits a 42w or 85 w cfl. The bulbs stick out. You don't want a skinny fixture. It traps heat and fries the bulbs. What I did was I got the 10" silver disk work lights, and made them look cool by hanging them in a row. That was as deep as I could find. They still stick out but have some "directionality". I don't use the clamps, but rather got a plumber's bracket from HD, strung the cord through the U shaped clamp that I screwed into the celiling and let the fixture hang, kind of like the modern kitchen/dining room lights. When they are in a row, they look nice. I've also hung 1 in a small window. A Nieghbour thought it was "cool" and didn't realise it was a cheapie HD shop light I suppose you could krylon/rustoleum the outside if you wanted to add colour to the fixture. (wouldn't paint the inside) I haven't been able to find anything that has been able to accomodate the monsterous 42's or 85's. I am not really sure what the intended use is for an 85w cfl is. :-) and what people are screwing them into. Clara

Linda welcome back. WE missed ya. Now I hope that you do not have to do without your computer again! Elizabeth ha ha ha I just finished playing my GD Webkinz account lol. I keep it going and on the day she is here, she gets to play. She does not have a computer at home. Bob it is especially bad if you need those to WORK! Even though I can not fit the microwave in there. lol Lucy

Donna, as far as I know, the immature RT males do have the white throats but might have a speck of black on them. I noticed several like that a few years ago and assumed they were females with specks of black and thought, good deal, now I'll be able to ID these hummers! LOL! Needless to say, I later learned that what I was really seeing were juvenile males. It was LATE in the season, probably September, when I saw the young males with a black speck or two. I have no idea how long it takes for their true colors to develop by I assumed it would be several months after they've hatched. I'm seeing lots of "what I think are" females right now. Some probably are young males. Janie

Sidnee, I have some advice or at least something to keep in mind for future reference. Unless you bought the fat quarter bundles at a very good sale price, you can ~usually~ do better, price-wise, by purchasing a half yard (=2 fat quarters) or a full yard (=4 fat quarters), etc. Now I will admit that I am a sucker for fat quarters & have quite a stash of them, but sometimes (when I am "thinking") I follow my own advice, LOL, & when the urge to buy a fat quarter hits, I will often get a 1/2 yd instead. But of course sometimes a person really only wants a small amount of a particular color/print, so just buying a fat quarter is all you need or want. Looking at fat quarter bundles gives you a good idea of how to mix or pick out the colors that appeal to you, before you proceed to the bolts of fabric. Good luck with your project & glad to hear you are going forward with it!