them a good drenching, letting them dry out before 
watering again. Hang your plants or set them on 
a rack—it is essential that the air reach the roots from 
the top and bottom. DO NOT OVER-WATER— 
that is the best way to kill a Cattleya orchid or any 
other orchid. If in doubt, keep them on the dry side. 
As long as the foliage is plump or the surface or 
aerial roots show green tips, they’re getting enough 
water. (Note: Root tips will not be green while 
the plant is resting). Never water on cloudy days— 
there’s enough humidity then to give the plant all 
the moisture it needs. On bright days, sprinkle the 
foliage once or twice a day. The small amount of 
water that will drip off the leaves will give the roots 
all the water they'll need between heavy waterings. 
Should all of the leaves of your plant begin turn- 
ing a yellowish green, that’s a sign that they’re get- 
ting too much light or too much water. The cure is 
to give more shade and less water. A good color for 
the foliage is about halfway between a deep blue- 
green and a yellow-green. 
WINTER CARE OF ORCHIDS AS 
HOUSE PLANTS 
Winter care is similar to summer care, although 
your plants probably will need less watering. Do 
not set them above or near a steam radiator or hot 
air duct. unless you can shield them from the direct 
heat; such a location will dry them too rapidly. They 
should, of course, be kept near a window where 
they will get as much light, short of direct sunlight, 
as possible. A good way to “break” the direct sun 
rays is to place a net curtain between the plants and 
the window. You will, of course, want to keep the 
plants where they will not freeze at night. For con- 
venience in watering during the winter, some own- 
ers set their plants in a tray containing an inch or 
so of sand, charcoal or granite (poultry size) which 
is kept moist. ‘This helps supply humidity around 
the plant. 
If you want to go to a lot of trouble you can, 
of course, build a case and keep your orchids in it, 
but that’s usually more trouble than its worth, un- 
less you have a very large number of small seedlings. 
If you have only a few small seedlings, you can give 
them greenhouse or case conditions by placing each 
small pot beneath an inverted tumbler, propped up 
just slightly on one side to permit air to get to the 
plant. 
CARE OF SEEDLINGS 
Established seedlings in general require approxi- 
mately the same care as mature plants except that 
they will have to be watered oftener. Being in small 
pots they will dry out more rapidly. Seedlings can 
