Greetings from New Mexico, US!

[ThoughtSprocket]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Psocids don't harm living plants. They eat decaying organic matter.

Very true from my reading. I just prefer not to have them. Thank you for the info. Much appreciated.

[Louis_W]

[QUOTE/]
Very cool! Nice to meet you here on Orchid Board. Do you find that our dry climate creates issues growing your orchids? We have evaporative cooling during the summer, so mine appear to benefit greatly from the humidity. During the heated months, thankful so few of them, I run a mist humidifier in the bedroom where I have my orchids growing on shelves under grow lights. I think my greatest challenge has been finding that sweet spot regarding watering. And now I am having my first pest situation with psocids in some bark media. It's actually in the bag of media and I didn't know it. Thank fully, it is only one plant...so far. We shall see![QUOTE\]

Ya It can be. My space also has intense temperature swings (last year it got to 150°f once!). Because of this I only alow myself to get certain kinds of orchids. It's easier to select plants that can handle my conditions than it is to change my conditions. That's why I generally grow only bifoliate cattleya, which seem to have no problem with the low humidity or being 100° most days. Now to keep them from freezing....

[Mountaineer370]

Welcome to the Orchid Board! It's so nice that you are able to share an enjoyment of orchids with your mom. You'll find plenty of dog and cat lovers here. We have a section of the forum dedicated to pets.

[ThoughtSprocket]

Originally Posted by Mountaineer370

Welcome to the Orchid Board! It's so nice that you are able to share an enjoyment of orchids with your mom. You'll find plenty of dog and cat lovers here. We have a section of the forum dedicated to pets.

Thank you! I'll have to find the section dedicated to pets. That's pretty awesome.

[Mountaineer370]

Originally Posted by ThoughtSprocket

Thank you! I'll have to find the section dedicated to pets. That's pretty awesome.

On the far left side of any page of the forum you are on, you will see "Site Menu." The second option down is "Forums." Select that and it will bring up a list of all the various sub-forums here, grouped by topic. Scroll all the way down to the bottom and you will see "Off Topic Totally." Among those selections, you will see "Pet Depot."

I'm making it sound a lot harder than it is. Also, FWIW, there are tabs across the top of the screen, and there is one there called "Forum Menu," which presumably should get you to the same place, but that tab has not worked for me in a long time. (Or, more likely, that tab isn't supposed to do anything and is just telling you that the red tabs to the right of it are the Forum Menu.)

Please let us know if you have any trouble navigating the site. I use a desktop computer, but I believe things may look different for people using their phones or tablets. Not sure. But if that's how you get onto the OB, there are others here who would be able to answer questions in that regard.

[ThoughtSprocket]

I found the pet forum! Thank you for your guidance.

---------- Post added at 06:59 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:53 AM ----------

Ya It can be. My space also has intense temperature swings (last year it got to 150°f once!). Because of this I only alow myself to get certain kinds of orchids. It's easier to select plants that can handle my conditions than it is to change my conditions. That's why I generally grow only bifoliate cattleya, which seem to have no problem with the low humidity or being 100° most days. Now to keep them from freezing....[/QUOTE]

That's a crazy intense heat for orchids to have to deal with, and humans for that matter! I'm glad you've found orchids that will work for you. I'll go research bifoliate Cattleyas so as to learn more about them. We d have extremes in our temperatures. Certain times of the the year we can be 30+ degrees colder at night than at the hottest point during the daytime. It's challenging.

[orchidman77]

Welcome and good luck with your plants!

David

[LizB88]

Welcome!

[Toadwally]

Welcome!

[Optimist]

I am in New Mexico, in Clovis. I am on my second collection-- the first was destroyed because I got sick and could not take care of them-- and no one I have living with me has the sense of a mouse, but that is a different story. I also have fish tanks and am into fine art sculpture and writing. I no longer work with salvage orchids, but I plan on getting a few species Phals this upcoming spring. I mainly grow Phrags and Paphs, but have some dendrobiums. The biggest thing about NM problems is that it is so arid, you get a lot of leaf accordions, and also you need to water nearly every day during the growing season. (I lost a lot of plants because the common wisdom is to let them go dry between watering-- not in NM or the desert part of the US-- keep them wet).