For me, growing Phals was definitely NOT a no-brainer! Everyone keeps saying how easy they are, but I've had a heck of a time getting any to stay alive and actually grow! For my environment, bark works the best. I use a combination of natural window light and a bit of supplemental lighting from shop light fixtures. I water when the bark mix is nearly dry, and with the low humidity of winter, I mist them a couple of times daily. I've resigned myself to the fact that I don't have the best conditions for orchid growing, and I've decided not to baby any of them. Funny thing is... the few Phals I have are responding and actually growing! One has a spike growing... Phal equestris, I believe. What made the difference for me, I think, was the addition of the lighting fixtures. That, and simply not hovering, which leads to over-watering for me. Everyone has slightly different conditions to contend with, and I think you just have to find that happy medium of cultural advice. Good luck with your Phals!

John, Jean, Mike, Monica, Pip313: Thank you so much for your comments, sincere suggestions, and for not being judgemental (even in the face of 2C fertilizer & 1:0 isopropyl alcohol). This may have been a disaster, but your support really does make me want to not give up on being a gardener/parent of a happy citrus tree. J I’ve learned many lessons, many I’m sure seem like “gardening for kindergarteners”, but I’m hopeful that I can do better next time with all that I’ve learned + can learn before spring comes. J Can you recommend any great citrus guides/books for me to read this winter? Mike, I had already cut below the graft line when I received your last message. I was feeling so horrible that I really wanted to do whatever I could as quickly as possible (obviously not very rational…) ~ Overall, I think it might be better for my sanity to let Mandy (since she was a mandarin tree) RIP, and try again in the spring, with ideal weather, ideal soil, drainage, no scale, happy sunlight, etc...and having read up on growing citrus. Although I highly respect the lengths you’ll go to save a tree!! Would you recommend using fir bark or pine bark mulch instead of a mix potting soil, perlite + bark chips? Also, what space heaters do you recommend? (how much heat, how close to the plant, etc.?) – I’m considering if, because of my less than ideal living situation (SE & more east than south) that a 365 indoor life with controlled conditions might be more successful... Again, thank you all so much. I really appreciate your help. In honor of Mandy, I’m posting a picture from Oct 21st, when she at least seemed happy and was scale-free (although perhaps you experts can see some tall-tell signs...I'm sure she was over-fertilized since May - Welp!) Best, Kate.

Hey everyone, the tree is starting to really look nice and green with about 30 micro blooms beginning to form all over. It almost makes me nervous with that many blooms popping out as it could be that last hurrah that occurs with trees acting in a desperate way to reproduce. Still cautious until i see some new foliage but honestly this is about the best turnaround I could've hoped for. I'll wait some time before taking pics next as it would be cool to get more of a dramatic time lapse as it changes for the better. This process has motivated me to purchase about 5 cubic feet of fir bark and plan on slowly moving my other trees over to the 511. Feel like I've seen enough to know what's better for the trees. Have also had an issue with leaf browning on my key lime that I'm suspecting may be due to soggy soil. Why not take that variable out of the equation? On the inorganic vs organic topic , really interesting stuff and makes you think. My philosophy has been to go inorganic on the non-edibles and organic on anything edible, but with a container garden that does complicate things a bit. Looking at the EB Stone Azalea's soil packaging, they do include "essential" microbes and mycorrhizae as a bit of a risk hedge for an full organic gardener. Not sure at the end of the day any of that matters and will keep an eye out for any issues. Dan

Hey everyone, just thought I'd bring back an update. So I've been caring for the plant as much as I can, and I am still not seeing great results. Much of the tree continues to brown and die (stem included), though a few new sprouts have come in. These sprouts have purple leaves. I have a few other plants in the house, and they are also pretty young. They are facing a similar issue where they are browning and wilting. I have tried killing the bugs with home made sprays (still nothing store bought), but again, I haven't been sure if it's the microscopic bug that people have mentioned. I also purchased a moisture and PH gauge. I have been able to maintain a 4-6 moisture level (on a scale of ten). The PH gauge, however, reads 8 (the max on the meter) on ALL of my plants. I have only added lime to one plant, and only because of the 5-1-1 recipe that I read about. Could this be the issue? Maybe my water is causing the soil to become basic? Or do we still suspect bugs? Any insight would be appreciated! I'd be pretty bummed if I couldn't keep plants because of this. For reference, here are 2 of the other plants as of this evening (a kumquat plant and a mint plant):