BarbaraH wrote in message
Bob Williams wrote:

Me too!
I buy a healthy flowering plant for $20 and it will live for about 4
months.
I figure $5/month is a reasonable price for enjoying those beauties.
They pose nicely for me to photograph them too.
See Attachment

I did manage to keep one alive for 3 years and got 2 flowerings out of it
before it finally karked.


I can't believe you have problems with Phals, they seem to be one of the
easiest orchids to grow for me. They grow on a couple of S. facing
windowsills with a bit of shade from a tree and most are constantly in
flower.
As soon as I get one I repot it into a larger clear plastic pot in 50/50
bark chips and live sphagnum moss. If the temp is over 70°F don't let the
compost dry out. Always water first thing in the morning with rainwater to
allow any that gets into the crown to dry out by sunset, I dry the leaves
off with a bit of kitchen paper towel which cleans them at the same time. If
the crown stays wet it will rot. Don't let the pot sit in water though, let
it drain away. Use a feed every other watering and flush the pot through
with clean water between feeds to avoid a build up of salts.
If you can keep the moss growing so will the orchids IME.

If the temp drops then watering is more fraught with danger, I let mine dry
out between watering but have to be careful the roots don't stop growing and
loose that green tip. It's difficult to get them to start up again.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
just W. of London