I'm a newbie to the Orchid Board

[Dorothy]

Roslyn Harbor isn't far from me at all .. maybe 5 mins .. I have heard of Tuxedo .. it isn't too far upstate ..

[cb977]

Hi Ginny
Welcome to Orchidboard

Retirement is wonderful! You'll get used to it in no time

You've found a great place to talk about orchids and meet some of the best folks around...everybody is here to help each other and we all enjoy each other's company.

If you need help with anything, let us know

[ginnyr]

Thanks Susanne B. I'm delighted to have stumbled on this website. I've been looking for a good orchid one as the ones I've been to in the past were not very responsive at all.

[camille1585]

to Orchid Board.
I used to be your "neighbor" as well! I'm originally from Fairfield, Connecticut, so that's not very far at all.

I think that you have one of those branching phals. Multiflora phals alo do that most of the time. Those are my favorite type. And maybe your Catts need more light?

[ginnyr]

What fun that there are two people (at least) who used to be from my neck of the woods!

Camille, they are all in a south facing slider and get some direct sun from about 2 PM till sundown. One of them (I have 3 different ones) is quite big, has tons of surface roots and I'm thinking that it needs to be split and repotted. I'll do this in mid Spring. I fertilize with a reduced solution (Norman's Optimum) every time I water. I only water when the medium is somewhat dry. Since I had them 2-3 years I'm beginning to lose hope that they will bloom for me but I'll hang in a bit longer.

[Ross]

Originally Posted by ginnyr

Since I had them 2-3 years I'm beginning to lose hope that they will bloom for me but I'll hang in a bit longer.

Ginny, some folks have found success (me included) with a short 2-3 week cool down in fall or winter. I keep mine pretty cool at night and warm during the day. By cool I mean 62 degrees or so. This seems to help the Phals set spikes, maybe it will help with the Cats?

[Leisurely]

Welcome aboard the Orchid Board Ginny. Hope you are enjoying your retirement and that you have a lot of fun here.

[ginnyr]

Originally Posted by Ross

Ginny, some folks have found success (me included) with a short 2-3 week cool down in fall or winter. I keep mine pretty cool at night and warm during the day. By cool I mean 62 degrees or so. This seems to help the Phals set spikes, maybe it will help with the Cats?

Hi Ross,
I have wonderful results with my phals, it's the cattelayas that are problematic. The temp in the room where all of the orchids reside drops to 62 at night. It would seem that I'm doing all the right things, with no apparent success. Very disheartening, but I'll hang in there a bit longer.