[journorchid]

So in the last couple of days, since joining this forum to ask about the unexpected wilt of my phal -- turns out my houseguest had misted the blooms, which i gather is a no-no -- I have discovered what most of you seem to know: This stuff is pretty addictive. So I spent the weekend making the rounds of some of the local stores looking for bargains (clearance at big-box or sales at nursuries), and have amassed a sort of instant collection.

The three easy (relatively) are the phals --
1. The original one, which is hangin' on with one tiny bud at the end of the original spike, and which I repotted a few days ago.... expecting dormancy on that one pretty soon... any tips on special care after I trim the spike (which has already sent off a branch once, per my earlier posts) would be great.

2. A new phal, small and lovely yellow flowers -- two, one of which is damaged -- but lots of promising buds. The only concern here is that the leaves are droopier than they should be based on what I've read. But I don't want to mess with her while she's blooming/budding (unless you advise otherwise), so I'm just giving her the southern light/cooler evenings treatment and hoping for a glorious burst in a month or so. Two stalks, y'all. $1.99 at the bigbox thanks to some damage which I have already pruned.

3. An enormous, glorious-looking phal with a spray of large white flowers, some in bloom and some about to burst, and from the same stalk, another branch with many promising-looking buds. Major concern here is that the plant isn't too firmly rooted in the medium. THere are a bunch of woody aerial roots but seem to be only two major roots in the medium. Again, don't want to pull this out int he midst of such a beatiful display, unless you instruct otherwise.

Now here's the problem child
I obtained at a Trader Joe's for shockingly cheap a plant that was labeled only "Orchid Intergeneric." It looks a heck of a lot like someof the odontoglossum pix I've seen but more than anything it looks like a pic I saw on some site labeled "Beallara Peggy Ruth Carpenter's Morning Joy." Somewhat thin petals, white with red spots on the blooms... Wish to high heaven I could post a picture. Anyway's it has 3 main bulbs and one tiny new one, with the spike off the central bulb. It's about 30" tall and has a bunch of buds yet to open. Not bad for five bucks. But.... the leaves do not look good. Some are wilty, some have brown/spotty discoloration toward the ends, some yellowing near the ends. I feel like the plant is is a crucial stage, because the flowering indicates some vitality but the leaves mean I must get the lighting and humidity situation correct for the transition to my house. So. With love to all of you, please -- send me some tips on what to do or think about the leaves, and on how to care for this plant. I'd post pictures if I could, but... you know...

And if you have thoughts on the phals, send those along as well.

Thanks in advance and a million times over.

Dan