RESTING ORCHIDS
Whilst we may definitely say that all Orchids require a resting season
in some degree, the cultivator must be careful to arrange the resting
season, in the matter of its duration and other particulars, in
accordance with the nature of the plant, for in some classes of Orchids
it is very easy to do much mischief by subjecting them to a too
prolonged and rigorous resting time. Seedling Orchids, as a rule,
require little or no resting season until after their first flowering,
and Cattleyas, Laeliocattleyas, and other evergreen hybrids require a
rather shorter period of rest than deciduous species.
Bulbophyllums, Cirrhopetalums, and many other small-growing Orchids are
frequently killed by attempting to give them a dry resting season,
although there is a section which lose their leaves in winter like the
deciduous Dendrobiums, and these are benefited by being dried off in a
cooler house when the leaves fall, keeping them dry until growth starts
again, in the same manner as _Dendrobium nobile_, _D. Wardianum_, _D.
crassinode_, and other deciduous Dendrobiums.
The evergreen Dendrobiums of the _D. densiflorum_ and _D. Farmeri_ class
require a short rest in a lower temperature, and should be watered a
little occasionally, especially if they show a tendency to shrivel,
which is not a good thing for any Orchid.
Aerides, Vandas, and Saccolabiums require a lower temperature in winter,
and less water. Many of these begin to grow in March; after that season
they require heat and moisture more liberally.
As a rule, the plants themselves give the best indication when the
resting season has arrived, and, in the case of those which lose their
leaves, they show how much rest is necessary. The starting of the new
growth indicates when growing conditions should be restored. In respect
to the very small-growing species, and especially evergreen kinds, it is
much better to ignore the resting season rather than to lower the
vitality of the plants by a severe drying off.