offered as plant foods under various trade names. The nutrient formulae for sow- 
ing orchid seed is fine but need not be made with chemically pure salts. 
The orchid pests of the Moth orchid are not difficult to control, Generatly 
sponging the plants two or three times a year will keep them clean of scale. Use 
any mild insecticide (Wilson’s O. K.) or just nicotine sulphate with ivory soap 
flakes (40 percent Nicotine sulphate 1 oz. to 3 gal. of water). Soap enough to make 
water wet the foliage smoothly. Pour excess out of crowns. Ants often are a pest by 
carrying mealy bugs up onto the flower stemsand crown of the plant. Control the ants 
and the mealy bugs won’t have a chance after you sponge them off. You may place 
cotton around the flower stem to prevent them climbing to the flowers. Chlordane is 
the wonder ant killer used as a dust or spray on ground and benches. 
Phalaenopsis generally like to be grown moist—especially during the growing 
season of summer, However, don’t let water stand in the crown of the plant over- 
night, particularly in the winter when chilled water will rot the crown and your 
plant will disintegrate in a fairly short period. In winter spray in the 
mornings and on sunny days. During summer water about once a week thoroughly 
and syringe with water in a fine mist when days are warm and sunny. During the 
winter every 10 days or 14 days unless heating dries them out should be sufficient 
to water. Rainwater is by far the best. 
Phalaenopsis may be repotted every year after flowering or every two years. 
Here again every grower develops his own preferences. They can be grown in 
almost any type of container and they will do well. Some people like wooden 
baskets, others clay pots or bamboo or cypress rafts—cocoanut husks—tree fern 
blocks. They do not need to be potted quite as firmly as cattleyas and often like 
a bit of sphagnum moss to hold moisture. Place charcoal and broken clay pot 
Pieces throughout the osmunda to insure good drainage and aeration. The lighter 
brown osmunda mixed with some dark works out well. 
There is just one thing about the Moth orchid—if you like orchids at all you 
will like this genera. If you can and like to grow orchids you can grow these with 
a minimum of effort. 
GRO We N:GeeP eA EAsEN O'R. S PS acl Na eee Osc br 
To keep moisture around the plants use a tray that will hold at least an inch of 
water (large cake tin or fish acquarium). Set the orchid p!ants upon a half brick 
or inverted flower pot. Then place pebble rock or pea gravel—charcoal or coke 
around the bricks or pots. This will help keep the water clean and sweet. If you 
do not have a thermostatic controlled furnace to maintain nite temperatures as 
suggested—use a chicken brooder heating unit in a fish acquarium or a fish acquarium 
heating unit. Or use light bulbs and place them in a tin can to avoid excessive 
light on plants at night. If you have a closed in space you are heating always allow 
some means of ventilation at top and also at bottom if possible. 
An exposure facing East is considered the best and depending upon your lati- 
tude you can have full sunlight until 9:30 to 10:00 a.m. and after 4 p.m. Then you 
should have some cheese cloth or shade to reduce the light intensity about half during 
the mid-day (this means summertime, June thru August). In winter full light 
generally will not burn the foliage. 
If you can hang the plant outdoors from June thru August this will give fine 
summer growth. Try to give them a protected spot which will not allow winds to 
dry them out excessively. Daily mists of water in summer are encouraging to root 
growth and cooling. Generally a heavy watering every 3 to 5 days is enough in 
summer whereas in winter once in ten days is enough. Do not keep the plants 
wet all of the time, an occasional drying out is healthy. 
20 Greenhouses at Mandarin on the St. Johns River 
