If you go to http://www.orchidsonline.com.au/ausOrchidSocieties.html
there is a sizeable list of Victorian orchid societies towards the
bottom of the listing. With luck there will be one near where you
live. As you can tell from postings here most enthusiasts are happy
to help, so I would suggest ringing a contact number & asking for
advice. Hope your husband is OK.

On Sun, 24 Oct 2004 13:44:53 GMT, "Gramma"
wrote:

I am a slightly stunned wife without green thumbs who has suddenly been
left in charge of her husband's small beginners orchid collection [ all 12
of them] due to his sudden admittance into hospital.

We live near Melbourne Aus. and as he has only started collecting in the
past 6 weeks he does not as yet have a greenhouse, although his orchids are
under shade cloth.

He has some cymbidiums, dendrobiums and a couple of those that cling to
bark, one of which has already fallen off the bark.

I have packed this with sphagnum moss and re attached with nylon stocking
in the hope it clings back again. Is this likely or am I hoping for too
much?

The flowers are dying back on the others and looking a bit tatty - do I cut
the stems off or leave them to die back on their own.

I dread doing anything wrong and killing even one of them so what basic
emergency care do I need to carry out to make sure they survive until he
comes home, which could be 3 weeks yet.

I guess I'm off to visit to the next advertised orchid show and then
library for books on orchid care.

Gramma


Dave Gillingham
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