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[Ross]

Originally Posted by Tindomul1of9

Hey everyone. I hope you took a looksy at my Restrepia suggestions. But I also like the suggestion of challenging myself with a Dendro. At first I was unwilling to get one that would require a winter rest, but then where would the challenge be? Afterall I have aroids that go completely dormant in the winter, why then am I unwilling to give my orchids a rest (those who need it). So I would be willing to go for a medium sized to miniature Dendrobium. Thanks for the suggestion. Sue, do you happen to remember the name of that orange Dendro we interested in during the very first Chat Project?

Tindo, I discussed winter rest very thoroughly with Harry at Andy's Orchids because I have had a theory for a while that winter desication (if you will) may not be required all the time. He agreed with me that sometimes it's more important to "build up" the plant by maintaining same water/fertilizer regime during winter (the normal rest period for those of us in Northern Latitudes) and getting more roots, etc. then to force blooms on potentially weaker plants. The reason I say this is that you might not want to turn down a plant that is supposed to go through a supposed-dormancy just because that would be a problem for you. The "winter rest" might not be required for bloom and also might not be encouraged with a smallish plant that you want to grow bigger in the first place. Just think about it.