Hello

[Carol the flower girl]

I am new to this particular site and am introducing myself. I was fortunate to visit Hawaii recently and instantly fell in love with the Cattleya Orchids growing there in a greenhouse. So I ordered two of them to be delivered to my home in Southern Indiana. They were ready to bloom when they arrived, several deep purple buds and yellow buds. They all promptly fell off. So now I have two very green plants with these little buds beginning to grow out of their bases. I have them in a southern exposure window, on a humidifier pan I made, feeding them some of my left over african violet food, sprtizing them with water every day or so. Now, what??? I would like to know the anatomy of these interesting plants and what I should leave on or prune off from them and when it should be done. My goal is to make them grow AND bloom. The foliage is very healthy looking. I don't know what the tuberous growth is below the leaves where the blooms fell off. YOur responses will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

This growth at the bottom of last years (blooming) growth is next years psuedobulb, leaf AND flowers. If you give the plant lots of light just short of burning it, and you water the plant only when it is completely dry, you should get flowers in about a year. Some will bloom twice a year, but most do not. Fertilizer is good, but not overly important, so don't try to push it. Use about 1/2 strength of what you use for your african violets, once every other watering. When you water, take the plants to the sink and run a ton of water thru the pot to get a good soaking of the mix. Dump a little fertilizer solution in the pot afterwards. Feel the leaves to make sure they don't get too hot while the sun is shining, as they can burn as the summer heat comes on. A little more than luke warm is OK. Search on 'skewer' for a test method for watering, the most important aspect of growing orchids. Get the watering right, and you are most of the way there. Get it wrong, and it is the fastest way to kill an orchid.

[Carol the flower girl]

Thank you for your assistance. The windows where the orchids are living gets southern exposure. When the sun is out it is grat, but in the winter months we have several cloudy days with no sun at all. Would a plant light be beneficial, if it is turned on only when there would normally be sunlight and turned off at night? Is there a specific book for growing Orchids you find especially helpful that you could recommend? Have a nice day.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Been too long since I have been a beginner to know any good beginner books, but someone else will recommmend some I am sure. A plant light put on a timer I am sure will help, but it doesn't need to be on only when the sun is not out. Flourescents are cheap to run and are cool for the plant. You should change the timer every couple of months to match the day length plus a couple of hours if you want to cheat a little and add more growing time. This chart may be useful to you.
http://www.orchidculture.com/COD/daylength.html