#orchids
Todd: Sounds like you've got excellent conditions for the light-lovers.
I'd hesitate about the 5-50-17; you're going to eventually lose leaf growth
because of flower production – blossom booster ratios should be more than
plenty. You also might wait til september to apply that. Research has
shown that you get more benefit from the fertilizer if applied more often
in weaker strength, like once weekly for three weeks, at a quarter or half
the strength you're currently using monthly, then watering with plain water
to flush salts out the fourth week.
Digbyana needs an incredible amount of light; you could probably double
what it's getting now to make it finally bloom. They do tend to be
reluctant; leaf color needs lots of red at the tips for flowers to
initiate. Some cultivars bloom easier than others; do you have a named
clone? Worth the trouble to bloom it; unbelievable scent and color. I
love digbyana. Do you also have R. glauca? White, but even more
unbelievable scent.
Seven weeks for Oconee 'Mendenhall'! Must be the cool conditions. Cold
always does make the color richer; nice to hear they'll bounce down to the
30's – actually, that's probably your secret to good bud initiation.
Do you belong to your local society? I lectured there once, I think; do
you know Paul and Elaine Sawyer at Sawyer's Exotic Greenhouse in NH? Some
of my favorite people.