Quote Originally Posted by Dorsetman View Post
They are the best house plants ever invented I think, although They just don't like my greenhouse conditions. I grow them in my bathroom, after the store bought flowers are over, and when they have gown a new leaf or two, put them in a less heated spare bedroom to encourage more flower spikes, but they very rarely produce as good a display a second time. But I would not want to be without them.
Geoff, mine never do well. But, this group got new "experimental" treatment this year. I chose a well protected corner of the back porch and put a step style shelf there with the phals. I sat some heavy wood baskets and such around them so they wouldn't fall over and arranged them so I could easily reach them to spray. Basically in three months I may have watered them 4 or 5 times in total. I only watered when the daytime temps rose above 65 and they could get lots of sun. I sprayed for bugs and rot, no fertilizer of any kind, with an abnormally weak mix so I could spray extra and let them have a little smidge of misting from the sprayer. They got so dry the pots were light as air a couple times before I would water again. But it worked. I thought so little water would kill them and instead this spring they look like grocery store phals. Multiple branches, and perfect flowers. I let them stay outside even when nighttime temps were in the 40's. Only one phal got a couple leaves that look icky from it, the others did fine. I am beginning to learn some of my orchids actually need that cool snap. I had been raising orchids for nearly a decade but it is still hard to leave them out in the cold like that, dry and neglected. lol When they started to spike I put them in a corner of the greenhouse where they got good sun and water every 3 or 4 days. I haven't started the blooming fertilizer back yet, another week or so and I will. I am learning to watch the local orchid societies newsletter so I know what week they start and stop. It has made a huge difference with mine.