21 January 2008 Monday, showers

Good rain showers early this morning. Orchids, cymbidiums especially, love good rainwater. The pseudobulbs swell up and the leaves have a clean fresh sheen. No salty residue, no black tip burn, just clean happy leaves and well hydrated plants. It's worth setting a couple of buckets out and collecting some rainwater this week.



Today's chilly rain is really a change in the weather from last Monday. It was the perfect balmy Santa Ana warmth last Monday for tying up any straying cymbidium spikes. Just be careful not to get a leaf tip or stake tip too close to your eyes. Lots of buds promising to open soon, just don't know exactly which day or week. Also, time to put out more snail bait and keep those critters from chewing on the buds and flowers.

Wilbur Shigehara predicts a milder/wetter winter with only a couple of nights in the 30's and not the dry freeze with temperatures in the 20's for several nights like we experienced last year. We've had a couple of frosty mornings but no really severe low temps........so far.