Care of Moth OrchidsWritten by Robert Roy, orchids-plus-more.com
Do you have a knack for being with moths? Most people would say, "no way". Yet, moth orchids that I am talking about are ones that sway nicely in breeze and some of newer hybrids have a nice fragrance. These moths are easy to care for, especially a beginner. These moths are found very frequently in gardens. These are phalaenopsis orchids. Phalaenopsis orchids are one of easiest orchids to care for in a home. Their blooms can last up to 3months and there are some of most colorful hybrids. Like other orchids they require light, water, temperature, fertilizer and humidity. Seems like a lot but it really isn't The best light is indirect light. It can be bright but not direct sunlight. If you have a west facing window sill this will do just fine. Direct sun can damage leaves of moth orchid. Humidity is needed for moth orchids. They actually grow in wild in humid rain forests. In warm months it would be nice to mist them every day or two. They also enjoy a bright bathroom. Let's look at temperatures that phals like. They are an intermediate temperature orchid. This means they like temperatures from 55 to 75 or 80 degrees. As a must, must be a temperature gradient of 10 to 15 degrees for at least 14 days in fall to stimulate their flower spike.
| | Grow Carnivorous Plants with ConvictionWritten by Jacob Farin of Sarracenia Northwest
In high school, my music teacher taught us that if you are going to make a mistake, do it with conviction.What he meant by that was that if our mistakes sounded sheepish and tentative, we were most likely playing sheepishly and tentatively, which ruined overall effect of performance. But, if our mistakes were loud and obvious, then most likely we were playing with conviction, which enhanced entire performance. Oddly enough, audience members were much more forgiving when a mistake was done with conviction. The same is true with growing carnivorous plants. Your confidence in providing right growing environment will show in your plants. If you grow them sheepishly and tentatively, they will grow sheepishly and tentatively. If you grow them with conviction, they will grow with conviction. Even if you accidentally provide wrong growing environment and plant dies, it is not end of world. The Carnivorous Plant Police will not come out to arrest you. You will not face a federal court and have to spend 5 months in Club Cupcake.
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