Dear Doc:

Can you please tell me how to get blooms in 10 days?

Matadial

Dear Matadial:

Like everything else, it takes time, and only in taking care of the plants will they reward you. You have to get more involved, a gardener alone won't do. Fertilise your plants at least three times per week, and spray to keep off insects and fungus. Beware of the fact that there are insects that prevent the orchid from blooming, and please don't be a 'function-coming-up' gardener. If you take care of your orchids, they will bloom.

Dear Doc:

The heat has been giving my Phalaenopsis orchids a warm time. Do you have any suggestions to beat the heat?

Jackie

Dear Jackie:

When the time is this hot, increase the percentage of shade and movement of air. The heat helps the growth of the leaf and the length of the stem but does not increase the amount of buds. Too much heat shortens the life of the blooms.

Betty Ashley is an avid orchid enthusiast who has spent decades successfully cultivating orchids for herself, as well as for orchid lovers across the island, earning herself the title 'Orchid Doc'. Send your orchid questions and/or concerns to: bettymay@flowja.com.