How I Got Started

Den. Utopia

I began growing orchids seriously in 1994. My first orchid was Dendrobium Utopia 'Messenger'. I didn't succeed in getting it to re-bloom for two years. After meeting several WONDERFUL people on the internet who coached me along, I finally got it to rebloom the winter of 1996. It was very exciting for me and REALLY got me hooked on orchids. Shortly after that, I aquired a small collection of eighteen plants from a cybor-friend (Thanks Tom!). As I'm sure you know, orchid collections grow rapidly.

I grow my plants in a garden window and under fluorescent lights. The window faces west and the temperature ranges from a low of 58* F. during the winter to a high of 85* F. during the summer. All of my orchids set on humidity trays. The dendrobiums, oncidiums, catt types, and other light-loving plants spend the summer outside in an unheated greenhouse.

My light set-up is constructed from a metal shelving unit designed for storage. I have two twenty-four inch, two bulb fluorescent light fixtures mounted on the underside of one of the shelves.

I am getting ready to add four 48" shop lights; this will approximately double or tripple my growing area. This new set-up will be in a north-east corner of my room. There will be two 1' x 4' shelves, one above the other, with one shop light each on the east wall. The other shelf will be 1.5' x 4', have two shop lights side-by-side, and be located on the north wall.

You can find detailed culture guidelines and an up-to-date list of my orchids in the Orchids I Grow section.