The Orchid Garden

New at growing orchids

Question:

When fall arrives (sigh!) and we begin to heat the house, will the drop in temperature caused by turning the lights off at night be sufficient, or will I have to make it drop further? Get a low and high thermometer.  You must answer this question yourselve.

        I have to agree there.  And if you have the time, make a note of the high and low as often as you can, so that you get a good idea of how the this changes over the year.  I regret not doing this last year.  You can get a good max/min thermometer for under 20 bucks.  Well worth it.  It will record the lowest temperature over the period, and the highest.  Nothing in between.  So, if you only record the data once a week you are getting the highest and lowest temperature that your area got to in the previous week. This is VERY useful information.           This year I am going to start keeping track!  Said that last year at some point too…  But this year for sure!  *grin* Rob  Rob’s rules to live by:                        | Send me seeds!   (1) There is always room for one more orchid. |   (2) There is no rule 2.                       | Future starving PhD.    (2a) When one has insufficient credit to buy |                                                   |  Rob has a homepage (ooh, high tech!):  http://pubweb.acns.nwu.edu/~rhalgren

Response:

(Robert G. Halgren) writes: You can get a good max/min thermometer for under 20 bucks.  Well worth it.  It will record the lowest temperature over the period, and the highest.

I got bored with re-setting the mercury Max-Min thermometer – and so became the proud owner of a digital Max-Min Temperature/Humidity meter. From Radio Shack, $20, give or take.  Great little machine, except that one does have to read the directions, for it takes a different technique to re-set the temperature reading from the technique to re-set the humidity reading.  Maybe by now this is corrected? Anyway, lots of very helpful information.  Go get one….. Elinor

Response:

This is my first post to this group, and my first intent at growing orchids. I first bought Taylor’s Guide to Orchids, then I ordered two plants: Cattleya intermedia and Encyclia cochleata. I based my choice on the "easy" labels in the book, plus the pictures and the availability of the plants where I ordered them (Huronview Nurseries, Ontario, Canada). They are under fluorescent lights (4 tubes, on for 14 hours a day, at a distance of about 8-10 inches). The two pots (4" plain plastic for the Cattleya with coarse bark medium, 4" slatted plastic for the Encyclia, with a more "peaty" mix" but with styrofoam at the bottom) are sitting on top of pebbles in a tray with water at the bottom. I water them every 4 days on the average. Am I on the right track?Yes, but make sure the water is below the pot bottom. Also try not to be so fix in your watering.  Various

factors such as humidty and temp come in to play.  Stick your finger in the soil before you water, the Encyclia if its cool and moist don’t water.  Remember in the wild these plants have a rainy season where the pusedobulbs are growing and storeing water.  Then a dry season. Try to simulate these conditions.  A trick, the encyclia is native to South Florida, look in your local newspaper for the temps and rainfail in the Miami area.  What should I change or add to my care routine? Try to maintin good air circulation, maybe a fan, and humidity.  I haven’t begun fertilization because the plants arrived only 2 weeks ago, but I will begin soon. Should I use 20-20-20 or 15-30-15, or something else? I understand that it should be applied very diluted, but often.

Based upon you setup, i would recommend 20-20-20 at each watering.  Use a 15-20% dilution. Leach the pots once a month.  This means flood them with water to miminze salt buildup. When fall arrives (sigh!) and we begin to heat the house, will the drop in temperature caused by turning the lights off at night be sufficient, or will I have to make it drop further?

Get a low and high thermometer.  You must answer this question yourselve. Any other suggestion or information will be appreciated. Thank you in advance. look at the culture info in our Web Site.

http://www.wacahoota.com — Archie Green, Wacahoota Orchids  See our Web Listing at http://www.wacahoota.com

Response:

This is my first post to this group, and my first intent at growing orchids. I first bought Taylor’s Guide to Orchids, then I ordered two plants: Cattleya intermedia and Encyclia cochleata. I based my choice on the "easy" labels in the book, plus the pictures and the availability of the plants where I ordered them (Huronview Nurseries, Ontario, Canada). They are under fluorescent lights (4 tubes, on for 14 hours a day, at a distance of about 8-10 inches). The two pots (4" plain plastic for the Cattleya with coarse bark medium, 4" slatted plastic for the Encyclia, with a more "peaty" mix" but with styrofoam at the bottom) are sitting on top of pebbles in a tray with water at the bottom. I water them every 4 days on the average. Am I on the right track? What should I change or add to my care routine? I haven’t begun fertilization because the plants arrived only 2 weeks ago, but I will begin soon. Should I use 20-20-20 or 15-30-15, or something else? I understand that it should be applied very diluted, but often. When fall arrives (sigh!) and we begin to heat the house, will the drop in temperature caused by turning the lights off at night be sufficient, or will I have to make it drop further? Any other suggestion or information will be appreciated. Thank you in advance.   — Colette Tremblay Quebec Canada zone 4b

Response:

Filed under: Growing Orchids

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