Hi folks,
I have a newbie question. I have been enjoying my dgmra Winter Wonderland
for about 8 weeks now. That's 8 weeks in bloom, I bought it about 4 weeks
before that when it was in bud. Now that the blooms are dying, what action
do I need to take? Cut the inflourescence? Where? Leave it alone? does
this plant go into a rest? I have been watering it 2X/Wk by dunking it into
a water bath for about 5-10 minutes. Should I change this routine now that
the blooms are done? I keep it inside (So. Ca. evenings are still in the
55F range) at a sunny window that has a screen. Window is open during the
day and closed at night.
Thanks,
Jack

Hi, Jack: There's no rush to cut the old spike, but to my knowledge these
don't rebloom on old spikes, so you may trim it if you wish -- wherever
suits your aesthetic eye. I personally like to leave enough of a stub to be
able to see at a glance where the plant has previously bloomed, others like
to trim them lower. It should not go into a rest at this point -- it should
start making new roots and new growth. Whether 2x/week on water is enough
or too much, I can't say long distance; the idea is to water it thoroughly
when it is _almost_ dry. If it is busting out of the pot, keep an eye out
for the appearance of those new roots/growth, they signal a good time to
repot. 55F is by no means too cool for this plant when out of spike/bloom;
with the exception of buds or tender new growths, it's hardy down to 40F or
even a little lower, and even new growths won't be harmed by 55F.
--
Kenni Judd
Juno Beach Orchids
http://www.jborchids.com

"Roman Terps" wrote in message
...
Hi folks,
I have a newbie question. I have been enjoying my dgmra Winter Wonderland
for about 8 weeks now. That's 8 weeks in bloom, I bought it about 4 weeks
before that when it was in bud. Now that the blooms are dying, what
action
do I need to take? Cut the inflourescence? Where? Leave it alone? does
this plant go into a rest? I have been watering it 2X/Wk by dunking it
into
a water bath for about 5-10 minutes. Should I change this routine now
that
the blooms are done? I keep it inside (So. Ca. evenings are still in the
55F range) at a sunny window that has a screen. Window is open during the
day and closed at night.
Thanks,
Jack

Thanks, Kenni. That's great input.
Jack

"Kenni Judd" wrote in message
...
Hi, Jack: There's no rush to cut the old spike, but to my knowledge these
don't rebloom on old spikes, so you may trim it if you wish -- wherever
suits your aesthetic eye. I personally like to leave enough of a stub to
be
able to see at a glance where the plant has previously bloomed, others
like
to trim them lower. It should not go into a rest at this point -- it
should
start making new roots and new growth. Whether 2x/week on water is enough
or too much, I can't say long distance; the idea is to water it thoroughly
when it is _almost_ dry. If it is busting out of the pot, keep an eye out
for the appearance of those new roots/growth, they signal a good time to
repot. 55F is by no means too cool for this plant when out of
spike/bloom;
with the exception of buds or tender new growths, it's hardy down to 40F
or
even a little lower, and even new growths won't be harmed by 55F.
--
Kenni Judd
Juno Beach Orchids
http://www.jborchids.com