So, I had put the Phal. basically on the other side of the window it had been living in for months, only on the ground. The East window had no screen, was less than a foot away, and the light had been "filtered" by the branches of a massive oak tree. The spot outside is also further shaded by another part of the house, only getting direct sun intermitently thoughout the morning hours. It is not so hot today (though very humid), should I take her back outside? Haven't repotted yet, can't remember to buy the stuff. Know I'm asking for trouble. I figured to bring it in if it was going to blow or hail (60 mph winds are blowing). All this in and out is going to be terrible for her I would think. So, is there an overall solution? Is it too late to acclimate her to the outdoors before I just have to bring her in again? Or just leave her out until October? It won't get below 60 before then. Can I temperature acclimate the orchid in a different (less climate controlled) part of the house? If yes, will the not East window do any harm? Ya'll rock.

Hi everyone - Here where I live on the South Coast of New South Wales Australia, I find that to get good colour in any brom, especially Bill's, you need good light. All of my Billbergias are grown beneath 75% beige shade cloth and where space will allow I hang as many as possible high up near the roof. Larger plants are on benches covered with galvanized âÂÂMini-Orbâ (corrugated iron with small corrugations). I find the reflective quality of the galvanized finish increases available light by reflection. The only time I feed is when plants are repotted and at this time I add Osmocote High âÂÂKâ at the rate of 1gm per 1â of pot.; e.g. a 4â pot would get 4gm an 8â pot 8gm and so on. This will be supplemented three times per year with a feed of liquid Potash in the form of CondyâÂÂs Crystals (Potassium permanganate) dissolved in water at the rate of 1.5gm per 100 L of water. I find this gives my BillâÂÂs good colour, however I still keep looking for better ways of improving the colour even more. All the best, Nev. Some of my plants on the "Mini Orb" covered bench.

If you are remodeling a kitchen and have a permit, then your local government folks have a written record of you purchasing some big ticket appliances. I suspect that extends to knowing exactly where you bought them, because I think they want to see invoices in order to assess the increase in property value. I also don't know whether they join the dots between the property tax people and the use tax people. You have to ask yourself whether you want to take the risk of not declaring these purchases... Even in a remodel, it's often possible to delay replacing some appliances until after the permit has been finaled if you are desperate to save a few $$ on your property tax. AIUI, the value of appliances included in a remodel is included in the increase in property value, but appliance replacements at any other time are not counted for that purpose. (For folks wondering what the heck the obsession with property tax is, the OP is in CA, which has the famous "Proposition 13" that caps property tax increases due to open market valuations. This means local government looks for any and every reason to hike up taxable values.)

The Seneca tiles are gorgeous. They show up well in photos, and yet are even nicer in real life. I Originally picked a nice light olive/ sagegreen for a kitchen backsplash. It was green in the photos. When I contacted the manufacturer, discovered it was actually beige and only looked green in that particular photo. I am having two bathrooms done using the Seneca tiles. Using the blues and greens.