On Sun, 15 Feb 2004 13:21:57 -0500, "Ray"
wrote:

Here's my take on that subject: Ample food , water, and warmth when in
active growth, continued through blooming. After that, cooler conditions -
especially at night - to slow respiration. Don't remove back bulbs until
they are spent.

Basically, seedlings, being small, have less surface area for food
production and less volume for storage. Once a plant matures, it is robust
enough to grow at "gang buster" rates.

I think it is the balance of food and water to support the amount
of light. The more light the plant has, the more food it needs
and the larger it can grow. We had some "mature" plants when we
moved from Chicago to CO. The difference in pbulb size was
dramatic. Many are 1/3 to 1/2 again as large. The better light
just produces better growth.
SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/albums.php