The Orchid Garden

temperature

Question:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – It’s been my experience that plants grown too cool will often develop reddening on mature leaves, and new leaves will remain soft, weak, and vulnerable to bacterial infection. Plants exhibiting these symptoms, and moved to a warmer situation usually recover in my GH, if water is reduced until new growth is initiated. Also, plants grown too cool often develop a ‘watery rot’ and new growths fail to develop and mature. Applications of fungicides will perhaps forestall the current infection, but plants will eventually fail if not moved to a warmer and breezier situation. It’s also my experience that plants grown too warm tend to exhibit blackening of new growths before maturity. I’ve not noticed the ‘watery rot’ in plants grown too warm, but only blackening and rapid necrosis of new tissue. Dale

I had a Masd. Machu Picchu that I tried to grow in "intermediate – warm" conditions…it usually saw temps around 85 during the day…had lots of air movement, etc.  It would keep trying to throw up new growths, but they would never fully open…they’d remain furled up.  Eventually, it also caught a rot, that took out a number of the growths, old and new, but it still exhibited the lack-of-maturing new growths.  I chalked it up to bad temps and watched it die before I could send it off to someone else who had temps that might’ve given it a chance. — Prem – Animator, programmer, and orchid and fossil nut extraordinaire… – DNRC Title: Minister of Lightwave 3d Plugin Design Foolishness – Home – http://www.PremDesign.com "We in our foolishness thought we were wise He played the fool and He opened our eyes We in our weakness believed we were strong He became nothing to show we were wrong." "God’s Own Fool" – Michael Card

Response:

Mostly, they just don’t do well – either they don’t flower, don’t grow vigorously, or just plain die.  Hybrids are often easier to grow than species, since the genetic material is so mixed up they can do well with many different temperature and moisture variations, rather than depending absolutely on the conditions of the native habitat.  What exactly are you growing?  If the forum members have this information, we can be more helpful. * Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet’s Discussion Network * The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet – Free!

Response:

: i have a question.  i’ve read a few books on orchids but i don’t believe : they ever mention what would happen to a plant if it doesn’t meet it’s : temperature requirement.  are there any signs?? Hi Jay. Good question. Quite often the death of un-named plants is because of inappropriate temperatures. Rob and Pamela have provided good answers to your question, but I’ll provide you with some ’signs’ of plants grown in egregiously wrong temperatures, and that I’ve noticed in my plants that were either un-named, or erroneously named; and therefore mis-placed in my GH. It’s been my experience that plants grown too cool will often develop reddening on mature leaves, and new leaves will remain soft, weak, and vulnerable to bacterial infection. Plants exhibiting these symptoms, and moved to a warmer situation usually recover in my GH, if water is reduced until new growth is initiated. Also, plants grown too cool often develop a ‘watery rot’ and new growths fail to develop and mature. Applications of fungicides will perhaps forestall the current infection, but plants will eventually fail if not moved to a warmer and breezier situation. It’s also my experience that plants grown too warm tend to exhibit blackening of new growths before maturity. I’ve not noticed the ‘watery rot’ in plants grown too warm, but only blackening and rapid necrosis of new tissue. Plants with necrotic tissue should be moved to cooler temps only after a prophylactic application of fungicide as the necrotic is then an infection site. If vigorous air movement is provided the afflicted plant, and the plant is large and vigorous, fungicide apps <may not necessarily mandated; but not a bad idea, depending on your bent/mindset. For use of ‘chemicals’ other than cinnamon, salt, paprika, voodoo, alcohol(non-potable), 409, un-used casino dice, shredded tarot cards, prayer, cussin’, celibacy, raising tortoises, parrots good. Of course, there are many reasons for plant failure, and I’ve only cursorily mentioned some reasons of which I’m aware Re: temperature. Dale

Response:

hey all, i have a question.  i’ve read a few books on orchids but i don’t believe they ever mention what would happen to a plant if it doesn’t meet it’s temperature requirement.  are there any signs??

    Instant death by explosive decompression.  *grin*  Actually, no.  In fact, I grow plenty of plants that I don’t have the proper temperatures for.  In an ideal world, you might replicate the habitat for a given species.  Try doing it for 2 species… Then let’s try a hundred…  The point is, don’t stress about what books say too much.  Your plants will indeed tell you when something is wrong.  They will either not bloom, look a little stressed, or, in extreme cases die.  Unfortunately, these symptoms can be caused by almost anything.  If you have eliminated everything else, then it might be because of temperature.  If you grow high elevation cloud forest pleurothallids in your sauna, they will indeed croak and you can be reasonably comfortable that it isn’t for lack of humidity.     The fun of growing orchids is figuring out how to grow a new species in your conditions.  Generally books only give you a few hints.  Breaking the "rules" is permitted and in fact almost mandatory.  Doing what works for you is the only way to do it right.  Unfortunately you can’t learn that from a book, you have to practice. Rob (throwing confusion on the fires of enigma and doubt) — ___ Robert G. Halgren, PhD. (517) 353-1944 http://www.bch.msu.edu/~zacharet http://www.msu.edu/~halgren

Response:

hey all, i have a question.  i’ve read a few books on orchids but i don’t believe they ever mention what would happen to a plant if it doesn’t meet it’s temperature requirement.  are there any signs??

Response:

Filed under: Growing Orchids

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