Orchid Culture - Articles by Sue Bottom
A compendium of Sue's articles, many originally published in the Newsletter
General Orchid Culture
General Orchid Culture
Beginner's Guide to Orchids - Oct 09Selecting New Plants - Feb 19
Buying Seedlings - Aug 24
Bringing Home New Orchids - Dec 12
Ferns, Weeds and Orchids Don't Mix - Jul 16
Top Ten Signs That Your Orchid is Happy - Jan 16
Orchid Plant Parts and Why They Matter - Sep 13
Understanding Your Plant Tag - Sep 14
Vegetative Propagation of Orchids - Jul 13
Orchid Toolbox - Apr 15
Wire Products - Dec 17
Adaptation to Epiphytic Lifestyle - Aug 18
Trust, but Verify - Sep 24
Watering and Water Quality
Watering Orchids During Each Season - Sep 12Choose Your Fertilizer Based on Your Water Quality - Jan 12, Nov 16
Citric Acid for High Alkalinity Waters - May 17
Soluble Salts - Mar 19
Silicon Supplements - Nov 19
Fertilizing Orchids
Orchid Supplement... or Snake Oil? - Nov 12Purely Organic Fertilizer - Sep 15
Calcium and Magnesium - Aug 14
Calcium Deficiency in Cattleyas - Mar 17
Orchid Myths - Foliar Feeding, An Evening with Alan Koch - Mar 15
Orchid Myths - Urea, An Evening with Alan Koch - Aug 15
Fertilize Weakly Weekly? - Oct 22
Orchid Potting Media
Orchid Potting Media - Jun 19The Mystery of Sphagnum Moss - Jul 15
Top Dressing Your Orchids - Apr 16
Top Dressing with Mycorrhizae - May 21
Styrofoam - Mar 20
What's In the Pot - Aug 23
Repotting Orchids
Repotting Orchids - Feb 11Does My Orchid Have to be Repotted? - May 14
Learn During Repotting - Apr 23
Orchids Outside the Pot - Oct 16
Repotting Orchids - Wet or Dry - Jun 18
Root Stimulators - Oct 19
Repotting Through the Year - May 19
Repotting Catasetinae - Feb 22
Repotting Bifoliate Cattleyas - Keith Davis Style - Jun 14
Repotting Overgrown Cattleyas - Jun 21
Repotting Hoss Cattleyas - Jun 15
Rebasketing Stanhopeas - Nov 15
Repotting Phalaenopsis - Jul 21
Semihydroponics Inverted - Feb 23
Orchid Pots
Cleaning Clay Pots - Mar 13Selecting a Pot for Your Orchid - May 13
Potting in Tree Fern Baskets - Apr 14
Broken Clay Pots - May 18
Temperature, Humidity and Air Movement
Why Do Orchids Need a Drop in Nighttime Temperatures? - Mar 14Cold Tolerance of Orchids - Oct 13
The Importance of Fresh Air to Orchids - Feb 13
Humidity and Vapor Pressure Deficit - Apr 18
It Ain't the Heat, It's the Humidity - May 20
Temperature and Humidity Monitors - Jan 24
Light
Seasonal Changes in Light - Feb 14Fun Facts about Light - Jul 23
Sunburn... or Something Else - Mar 24
Orchid Growth Processes
Plant Growth Processes - Oct 17Orchid Roots - Jun 13
Apical Dominance and Growth Patterns - Jun 17
Seasonal Tips
Spring into Action - Feb 10Spring Migration - Apr 20
June in St. Augustine - Jun 22
July in St. Augustine, Jul 19
Hot Humid Summers and the Tropical Storm Season - Jul 18
Last Chance Repotting - Early Fall - Sep 22
Fall Preparations - Oct 11, Oct 18
Transition to Winter - Nov 18
Winter Relocation - Dec 18
The Winter Rest Season - Dec 09
Late Winter in North Florida - Feb 21
More Orchid Information
Gifts for the Orchid Lover - Dec 16Words of Wisdom - Feb 17
Secrets of a Great Orchid Grower - May 15
Evolution of an Orchid Grower - Dec 15
Try New Things - Mar 18
Try New Things - 2019 - Dec 19
Different Types of Orchids
Specific Genera
Brassavola nodosa - Battle for Dominance - Dec 21Catasetums and Their Kin - Mar 16
Cattleyas - What Can Go Wrong, 1 Cultural Missteps - Aug 16
Cattleyas - What Can Go Wrong, 2 Common Pests & Diseases - Sep 16
Changes in Cattleya Nomenclature - Aug 13
Bifoliate Cattleyas - C. tigrina (syn. leopoldii) - Sep 20
Summer Bifoliate Cattleyas - Lc. Allen Condo - Aug 22
Laelia tenebrosa - That tenebrosa Lip - Aug 21
Dendrobiums - Oct 09
Now It's Habenarias - Feb 15
If You Can Grow Potatoes, You Can Grow Habenarias - May 23 Paphiopedilum Varieties - Jan 14
Phalaenopsis Get a Bad Rap - Mar 23
Growing Phalaenopsis - What Can Go Wrong - Dec 13
Winter Dormant Orchids Requiring a Dry Rest - Jan 17
Cold Hardy Orchids - Dec 22
Species, Hybrids and Hybridizing
What is an Orchid Species - Oct 14Breeding Improved Species - Selfing and Sib Crosses - Dec 14
Tetraploid Orchids - Oct 23
Orchids Month by Month in 2017 - Jan 18
Orchids Month by Month in 2018 - Jan 19
Orchids Month by Month in 2019 - Jan 20
Orchid Ailments
Diagnosing Orchid Problems
Orchid Pests and Diseases - Oct 09Leaf Reddening - Sign of Stress - Aug 17
Leaf Yellowing - Apr 22
Brown or Black Leaf Tips - Sep 23
Orchid Pests
Thrips on Orchids - Oct 12The Usual Suspects - Common Orchid Pests - Jun 20
Rats - Aug 20
Orchid Diseases
Orchid Disease Control 1 - Response to Disease Pathogens - Jul 14Orchid Disease Control 2 - Bacterial and Fungal Infections - Oct 15
Orchid Disease Control 3 - Bactericides and Fungicides - Feb 16
Bacterial vs. Fungal Infections - Jan 21
Summer Rots - Jul 20
Bacterial Brown Spot - Jun 12
Root Rot Caused by Rhizoctonia - Jan 15
Fusarium in Phalaenopsis - May 16
Leaf Spotting Fungi on Cattleyas - Part 1: The New Anthracnose - Sep 17
Leaf Spotting Fungi on Cattleyas - Part 2: Cercosporoid Fungi - Sep 17
Leaf Spotting Fungi on Cattleyas - Part 3: Anthracnose - Aug 18
Anthracnose on Cattleya Alliance Plant - Aug 19
Rots in Catasetums - Apr 21
Pesticides, Fungicides and Bactericides
Orchid Hygiene - Nov 17Orchid Triage - Jun 16
Applying Fertilizers and Chemicals - Nov 16
Sprays vs. Drenches - Nov 21
Granular Chemicals - Jan 23
Fungicides and Bactericides for Orchid Diseases - Jul 10, Nov 15
Pesticides for Orchid Pests - Dec 09
Hydrogen Peroxide - Jul 17
Physiological and Environmental Problems
Bud Blast and Flower Blighting - Apr 17Edema Blisters on Orchids - Apr 12
Weeds, Ferns and Orchids Do Not Mix - Jul 12, Jul 16
Blackened Tips on New Cattleya Leaves - Nov 20
Orchid Virus
Virus in Cattleyas - Aug 12Virus Testing - Do You Really Want to Know - Feb 20
After the Cull - Oct 20
Early Subtle Signs of Virus - Oct 21