Hi All, after finally deciding that my orchid cactus had grown so much it was time to take some cuttings a funny thing happened. I'm not sure if this is the normal growth pattern of the stems and I just didn't notice on the older ones because I wasn't digging around them (totally possible) or it's a sign I've changed something and it's getting unhappy. The new stem growth is very slender at the bottom. After about 5 inches each will widen out into the stems I know and love. Many of them are branching out as well, both from new growth at soil level and from older leaves. I have read that spindly stems means low light but I'm not sure if this is the same since it's only the bottoms that look spindly. It is in the same window it's been for a year. The color etc is all great. Can anyone offer an opinion? If I had any computer saavy I'd post a picture but no such luck. thanks!

I don't think that tea will attract bugs. My sister ( a botanist with a degree in entemology) uses it on her orkids. She says it mimics the natural fertilizer that a tree loving plant would get. Sugar is another thing. I have enough piss ants in my house as it is. Your growth will not be blooms . The plant is too smal for blooms. I use a dilluted sea weed or fish fertilizer on my epyphillums. I just had a E. oxipetallum with 35 blooms on it one night. As it gets toward fall , I stop the fertilizing and start it in February or March. I am in Texas so I do bring it in for some of the winter.

Thanks DbarronðÂÂÂ, but a psychopsis would actually fall under the Oncidium alliance, which produce sheaths, a phalaenopsis does not have psudobulbs so it don't produce a sheath. But a phal spike would normally come below the third leaf from the top an in the leaf axil. I actually have 32 of them âº, they are my favourite variety. If you don't have any as yet I would suggest you try one, they are easy and the blooms last very long. Thanks again Velleta

That looks very healthy!