Induce Lower Nighttime Temps?

[voyager]

Looking for cooling doesn't fit well with the usual mainland need to warm things up.

I did look around and found that there are some mini fridges in Kona and on Maui as well as Pearl/Honolulu.
At least a full day's travel to acquire one here on the island, maybe even having to fly to another island and ship, it back.
Right now, I can see some 3 +/- cuft minis available from $100 to under $150 in Kona.
No one is carrying anything in Hilo.

I'm beginning to want a few Dendrobium species plants, with some cooler growers.
It's the wrong time to ship orchids right now.
But, I might try picking up a mini fridge in Jan or Feb to induce the Mousemee to bloom.
If that works, I could scour for a number of Dendrobium species when the weather warms up.

Big problem there is that Hawaii is committed to giving maximum protection to the hybrid growers and has restrictions on importing into the islands to protect them while screwing everyone else.
It can be done I just need to learn how the game is played.

When the HOS begins having meetings again, maybe Jan., I need to go in and speak with someone that is knowledgeable about how importation works.

I'll be looking for help in acquiring the following Dendrobiums:

My Dendrobium wish list:
Once had, want again -
falconerii,
gratiosissimum,
crystalinum,
devonianum,
parishii,
pendulum,
aphyllum,
chrysanthum,
transparens,
victoria-reginae,
chrystianum,
bellatulum,
nobile varieties,
anosmum varieties,
dalhousieanum [pulchellum],

Want but never had -
wardianum,
bensonii,
tortile,

I now have, would consider more:
primulinum,
moschatum,
friedricksianum,
lindleyi,
chrysotoxum,
antenatum,
loddigesii,
findlayanum,
amathystoglossum,
lasianthera,

[Orchid Whisperer]

I didn't read all the posts, so if something like this has been proposed, please forgive any repeats.

Assuming the plant is somewhat close to the ground, get a 5-gallon plastic bucket. At least the height of the bucket + handle above the plant, secure a sturdy snap link to the tree with a rope or cord. The rope only needs to be able to hold a few pounds of ice (24 pounds or less), so any nylon cord only needs to support that mass (nylon clothes line might be enough). The handle of the bucket is held by the snap link. I recommend freezing ice in 2-liter PETE bottles, such as soda bottles, rather than relying on bagged ice. The bottles will last longer, easy to re-freeze; PETE stretches when frozen, rather that splitting like HDPE. Depending on how your skills are with ropes and knots, you may be able to secure loops to the bottle necks and skip the plastic bucket.

Near nightfall, hang the ice from the snap link, tent around the trunk, plant and ice with plastic,as you suggested earlier. It probably does not need to stay super cold all night just a drop in temperature, remove everything in the morning except the rope and snap link. Re-freeze the bottles to use again.

From experience shipping environmental samples from the tropics (Puerto Rico; much hotter than where you are) to labs in the states, the 2L bottles stay cold much longer than loose ice. I once had a shipment stuck at the airport in Puerto Rico, due to mechanical problems with the shipping company's plane. Plane on the tarmack in PR for a day and a half. Due to the way samples were iced and packed, the samples were at the proper temperature (4 °C) when received by the lab in Florida.

If you are worried about ice potentially harming your tree, slip some sheets of bubble wrap around eàch of the ice bottles. That could make the ice last longer too.

However you manage it, good luck with the project!

[estación seca]

There is a USDA-APHIS office at the Honolulu airport, and possibly a station at the Kona airport. Your county ag department has plant inspection and quarantine officers. They can answer most of your importing questions, and they're probably bored out of their skulls with nothing to do right now. They might appreciate your phone calls for information. Plus, if they know you and know you care about doing things properly, they might remember that when they see your shipment.

[voyager]

@Orchid Whisperer,
I saw your post last night and had to think about it.
The more I think about it the better I like it.

The only problems I can see with it is that I don't drink any of the pop/soda sugar waters or bottled water.
But, I can still get my hands on empty 1 l. bottles to do the job, got several 5 gal buckets.
The other is that the plant is at 5' high on the tree.
I can make that work too.
Not perfect, but workable.

@estación seca
That is a possibility.
But, there is no hurry to get started ordering new plants yet.
I've tried large wish list orders in AK before and found I had to make several orders, was eat up by shipping.

As much as I hate to consider flasks and such, I was looking at some last night.
Plus, I think they're much less restrictive to import even from outside the U.S.
And, being able to get a batch of D. falconeri plants might be a deciding factor.
I could plant a flask/compote on a 12" square raft.
I'd get a fast jump on a specimen sized falconeri.

I bought a batch of very young D. findlayanums at the last Hilo Orchid Show 2 years ago.
They took a nasty beating from the eruption.
But, most have survived and a couple look as if they might be big enough to bloom this season. ... wishful thinking??.

Got me to thinking of the D falconeri.
Many of the others could be gotten in the same way.
We'll see.

[Ray]

Editorial Comment: This is precisely why one should focus on growing plants that are suited to your growing environment. A the very least, you’re not burdened with going through these mechanations to meet their other needs.

Having said that, I don’t know any experienced orchid grower who hasn’t tried to push the boundaries...

[estación seca]

There's a chilled penguin house at the San Diego Zoo.

[DirtyCoconuts]

we used to call these cool tubes when we made them for diving trips and fishing trips

DIY PVC Frozen Ice Containers For Emergencies


now that is a tradename, but this is a great refreezable idea that will fit the above mentioned idea.

i just grabbed the first link that had the right idea, i am not sure these instructions are worth much but the concept is the key- don't fill them all the way...water expands (more of that science for y'all )

---------- Post added at 10:24 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:22 AM ----------

also, i know this is only marginally helpful but i grow both farmerii and chrysotoxum and it is the opposite...farmer flowers every year and nothing but green growth from the chrysotoxum


shrug?

[theorchidapartment]

From my own quest for a cool-growing space, I think this is going to be a challenging thing to do in Hawaii without refrigeration! When I was doing research, I stumbled across portable electric coolers. I guess there could be a shortage of these related to the refrigerator shortage, but maybe worth looking into? It'd certainly be easier to hoist something like that into a tree, though I don't get the impression they're weatherproof...

[DirtyCoconuts]

Having hung 5 large bunches of bananas in a tree today, using old speaker wire and rocks, it is pretty easy to do lol

Getting supplies to an island and then power to a tree, that’s magic!!