While a west window would be good for this spcies, I just noticed you live in Tampa. You could grow this one outside for most of the year!

That is quite a few hummers!
I really like the humming birds, too. I grow stuff that the hummers would like but I don't put out feeders. We normally have a nest either in the front or back yard. Once I had to put the babies back in the nest after a storm. Last autumn, they did something a bit odd. A group of eight were flying from fruit tree to fruit tree together...not fighting. I figure they must have been getting ready to migrate together? No idea.

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I am glad to hear of the monarchs. They have been having a rough time. For thirty-five years, I raised and released them. This past summer, one of my daughters collected and raised a bunch.

Hi! I just got some peters 15-15-15 from orchid specialist down the road where I live. Was asking what should I use for calcium. I could use since it's emergency. He just gave me a quite bit than more... He offered. He's so nice... He has like probably over 100 orchjds that I just looked around. ....drooling.... Beautiful landscaping. Yes I do live in Tampa. East side near Brandon. Surrounded by swamp lands. We have big bald eagle nest up the cellphone tower on farm land. Beautiful!!!


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Yes, I have west one window, that is in kitchen. I got some neat ideas. Need to make some hook to hold clay pots, two for now... And hang it on cabinet or I have shellhanger that holds two pots. Need to check out n see what I could do, probably tomorrow...


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Hi Orchid lovers,
Wanna share something with you about my b. cordata. It wasn't doing well in clay pot among its coarse soil which you guys gave me advice. I just learned that it wasn't doing well. Lost several more leaves. AAARRRGGGHHH! No no no way! so I took it out and put it in small cedar basket and hope for the best.... Hoping it'd live. Please, b. cordata live!!! It doesn't like cold weather... I learned from florida orchids ppls through facebook.... Only mount but I've seen one that's in cedar basket, which that's all I have for now....:bowing
Please live, I'm:bowing you b. cordata!!! please please live. Have a good day!

Sorry about your plant, I hope it makes it.

Your plant looks fine to me and trust me I'm super picky when it comes to any marks on the plants.

I just had a quick look to all my Brassavola and hybrids. I have about dozen. Well, only two are perfectly green all the way to the tip of the leaves while the rest have slightly black tips.
I remember they have always been like this, and I don' think it is something to be concerned about unless the black area progresses.

I doubt this is Ca deficiency for two reasons.
One, Brassavola is not the cattelya group that is prone to black mark caused by Ca deficiency.
Two, black marks due to Ca deficiency on Cattleyas appear on newly growing leaf. Fast growing leaves need lots of chemical elements to grow properly and Ca serves as a growth regulator thus is a must in order to have a cell growth. Hence, not enough of it, cell collapse which then shows up as black necrotic area.

One possibility I suspect is dehydration. I think at least for my nodosa, the black tip was never there until I severely underwatered it during the summer.

Houseplants that are often allowed to dry shows basically the same thing. Dry black tip surrounded by brown dry patch.

I suspect DealOrchidLover might be more concerned with loosing more leaves than the black spots. I know I would be, but I tend to freak out when I loose a leaf on some of my orchids.