I personally don't think you can just lump all of these together -- it's a
very diverse group. Many do well for me, others don't. Some of the ones
that don't do well for me do fine for Bill, just 60 or so miles north.

You need to talk to your vendor and get specific care instructions -- and if
your vendor can't give them, then you need a different vendor.
--
Kenni Judd
Juno Beach Orchids
http://www.jborchids.com
"J Fortuna" wrote in message
news:RVk7d.573$1g5.286@trnddc07...
My local plant nursery has some really attractive intergeneric hybrids for
sale, including Bllra Marfitch 'Howard's Dream' and Colm Wildcat, and I am
quite tempted to buy one of them, however I would not want to buy them if
my
conditions are such that they couldn't possibly do well.

I grow on the windowsills or rather on shelves next to north-facing
windows.
I supplement this with growlamps so that I can achieve medium light right
under a lamp, but I am not sure whether I could have medium light at leaf
level for a Bllra since they are rather tall plants. So the light is low
to
medium, but mostly low.

The temps in our apartment are usually around 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sometimes in the summer the air-conditioning doesn't work though and then
it
can be in the upper 80s or in the low 90s for a short period of time. In
the
winters, especially at night the temp might be in the 60s.

Humidity-wise we try to keep it above 50% at all times -- easy in the
summer, harder but doable in the winter.

I successfully grow Phals, Dtps, Paphs, and a cochleanthes (though the
last
has a bud-blasting habit, it's currently blooming and has a chance at a
second successful bud at this point, so I guess it counts as a success
though the conditions are definitely not ideal for it). I have never tried
anything else yet.

Based on all this would you advise me to go ahead and try an intergeneric
Onc hybrid, or should I leave it alone? I am also considering getting a
miniature cattleya at some point and putting it right under a lamp.
Anything
else I could try in these conditions? It's really important to me that I
don't get something that does not really have a chance at flourishing
here,
but I am feeling like experimenting a bit with non-Phals.

Your advice will be greatly appreciated!

Joanna