Elaine, I can't help you with the Paphs and Plals, but for the Cyms, you need the ones that say "heat tolerant". Cyms are iffy around here, but I have a couple old ones that are reliable bloomers. Even those need the 20 degree change between day and night temps in the fall to bloom. They need lots of light in the fall also. Most of mine got severely burned this summer, so I'm just waiting to see what they will do, but my oldest has spikes and buds.

Thanks Carol, and of course I know you're so right. I have been trying to buy the heat tolerant Cyms, but even they don't re-bloom for me so far.

But then . . . Costco had gorgeous huge ones in bloom for $20 bucks. What was I to do?? I'll certainly move them into some more sun, and we have had an amazingly cool November, so maybe . . this year?

Same problem here, Elaine.
Anyone wants a wonderful, relatively large Cym ensifolium? Ensifolium lends warmth tolerance to Cymbidium hybrids and one would think Cym ensifolium would be a piece of cake to bloom. Supposedly one can cool it for a few weeks, bring it into a warmer spot, where it will surely flower. And then repeat the cycle. Tell that to my plant! I saw three measly bloom one Summer two years ago.

I used to flower Cym Showgirl regularly, that one will spike easily during late Summer here in NJ. Santa Barbara Orchids sells it.
And Cym Amazing 'Marlow Orchids' is a small Cymbidium too, it flowers with ease here.

Ursula you know I would take that ensifolium in a heartbeat. I only get a few of those to bloom each year but I do bloom them. Right now I have a goeringii with several spikes. I treat them like my cold ones. I do best with ensifolium xs though. All my cyms go out in full sun (burn and drop leaves) in summer, get fertilized every other week from July on, stay outside till November (I can close the barn doors for frosty nights in October when they are on the "porch"), keep them in minimum 50 degrees for the winter under lights.

Thanks Kathy! I treat mine pretty much the same, I think this one just doesn't like me!

Has anyone found a suitable substitute for Douglas fir bark? This has now become so terribly expensive, particularly when you add in shipping, that I need to find something that will replace it. Lowe's sells a good, clean grade of cypress bark (mulch), but it is not in chunks like the fir bark and there is really no way to truly grade it as fir bark is (fine, medium, large). I stocked up this summer on Douglas fir bark, but with so many plants, I am sure I will run out of this in the spring. I see that a couple of large orchid sellers, one is Carter and Holmes, no longer sells Douglas fir bark and has substituted cypress for that. I don't know if they have a source that does something special to make it more suitable for orchid growing.

For me, the cheapest way to get orchid medium is to go to shows and buy from suppliers to eliminate shipping. I can even pre-order what I want to make sure they bring it to the show. I buy usually from Kelly's Korner www.kkorchid.com/ at shows (they go to SEPOS in Philly and New England shows) but I bet there are suppliers in your area that attend shows. If you are no where near shows, I would call Carter and Holmes to ask about their cypress.

We have no shows remotely near. To make the drive to the nearest show, perhaps Memphis or Birmingham would cost far more in gas than having something shipped. I am stuck! I purchase lots from Kelly's Korner, and though they always apologize for the high shipping cost, it is what it is. That's a good idea to contact C&H and ask them what exactly their cypress is. I won't tell them its an endangered tree though............

I also found this about pine bark : http://www.orchiddynasty.com/n...

Kathy, I also posted a question on your site.

That was an interesting article about substituting pine bark but unless I can use what's sold locally (bagged pine bark at Lowe's), the shipping would still eat me up. Also, there are some really "huge" chunks of bark in those bags of pine bark mulch. I guess I could simply hand-pick them out before using the rest of the bark, huh?

What about a chipper shredder?

I have never used one, so don't know whether there would be a benefit there or not. I guess there are both inexpensive chippers and expensive ones. I would not want to spent many $$ for one, not knowing whether the cost is worthwhile.

Ken, there is cypress mulch available here that is a byproduct of the lumber industry. I think it I'd designated something like 'cypress A'. Haven't tried it as orchid medium but it should be fine enough.

Basically all our mulches are bi-products of the lumber industry. Cypress, being the inner wood, is just so different from bark. I have both the pine and cypress on hand. Right now I am potting up 250 small orchids and those require sphagnum moss and my "baby" orchid mix. I will worry about the mix for my blooming size orchids later.

drdawg said:Basically all our mulches are bi-products of the lumber industry.

Except for the toxic shredded TIRES.

Cypress A is shavings and bark and branches from the sawmills. Large trees are sustainably harvested for high quality lumber.

Cypress B is whole smaller trees mulched up and that's the stuff you should not buy because they clear cut whole hammocks.

I have never seen a label that said "Cypress A" or "Cypress B". Where would one find that information, Elaine?

It's on the bags of mulch. But could be just a local or Florida brand that produces A and B grade,

I will go out and carefully check the bag for that information.

Nope, nothing. The mulch was packaged in S. Alabama but the bag doesn't say where it was sourced.