The beginner must watch his plants carefully, ...

The beginner must watch his plants carefully, ...

The beginner must watch his plants carefully, combining all his knowledge of orchids with solicitous observation and a strong admixture of green thumb.

Experimenting with orchids is extremely precarious because their life cycle is so long, five to seven years from seed to bloom, and the cause of damage may have been forgotten in the six or eight months before it is evident.

The grower should vary heat conditions to balance other conditions of the house and plants.

As in most native habitats, the temperature can be some degrees lower in winter than in summer.

This is another point on which there is difference of opinion.

Some growers increase the heat a bit during the winter day, reducing it again at night to sustain balance.

As was pointed out in Chapter 3, the ideal set-up for growing the widely differing genera would be the three-house system.

One house would be for orchids tolerating 45 to 48 degrees F. minimum night temperature in the winter-Cymbidiums, some Laelias and Cypripediums,

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Stay tuned for more orchid-growing advice tomorrow! :)




Woo hoo!