Cold climate help?

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by OrchidNut555

i often hear that in the temperatures i have, that much water given to the roots while using moss may be a bit too much? i heard it from missorchidgirl on youtube. i'm not saying i don't believe you! that isn't the case, it's just she's also rly experienced and tends to say that? and if only the top portion is wet, wouldn't tha tmean the rst is dry and so having more air pockets? that' sjust my reaosning, i hope i don't come off rude

Not at all! You can have the same effect with bark - dry on top and wet on the bottom. That's where having a small pot helps. (Over-size pots tend to have airless, soggy areas in the middle, no matter what the medium) Another advantage of that heat mat... the bottom will be warm, therefore dry out faster. But just watering the top will not aerate the roots, will not pull fresh air into the pot. And the "fresh air" part is vital - in nature, these grow on trees - with perfect drainage, of course. They get rained on, then dry out. However you manage that wet-dry cycle is what you should do. If you meet the objective of moist air around the roots, there are many ways to do it.

[OrchidNut555]

i also forgot to add: our night temperature is usually 14 or 15 degrees.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by OrchidNut555

i also forgot to add: our night temperature is usually 14 or 15 degrees.

Pretty cool for Phals though they can adapt. Consider that heat mat to warm their little feet...

[OrchidNut555]

Originally Posted by Roberta

Pretty cool for Phals though they can adapt. Consider that heat mat to warm their little feet...

i will def consider it. there's a high chance my parents won't allow it though bc of where the orchid stands (living room, so they don't want a lot of stuff there). it's the only room with enough light for it. i guess it'll have to adapt :/

[plantzzzzz]

I have indoor temps about the same as you, and yeah I use a heat mat. The phals not on a heat mat tend to do nothing all winter.

There are other orchids you could grow that would like those temperatures better. Masdevallias, or if you have the light: vanda falcata and nobile-dendrobiums. Some laelias also like cool, dry winters.

[OrchidNut555]

is there a list somewhere of some popular cold and intermediate temp orchids to grow? i have been looking for a list for quite some time but can't fine any, i can only find individual plants with their temperature need, which is different on every website...so it's pretty annoying and time consuming so i was wondering if there's a list somewhere of those two orchid types with some popular ones?

[plantzzzzz]

Originally Posted by OrchidNut555

is there a list somewhere of some popular cold and intermediate temp orchids to grow? i have been looking for a list for quite some time but can't fine any, i can only find individual plants with their temperature need, which is different on every website...so it's pretty annoying and time consuming so i was wondering if there's a list somewhere of those two orchid types with some popular ones?

Not really. I've been thinking of mining IOSPE and making something like this, but I don't have the time at the moment.

Andy's orchids has a search function for species, from there you can look at hybrids of the species. You will only be able to see the species he has in stock at the time unfortunately.

You probably want orchids from a very seasonal climate, because you have cool dry winters and warmer, humid summers indoors in Belgium like we do in Canada although probably less severe.

However, most orchids from dry-winter climates grow in deciduous forests, which means they get much more light in the winter. Taking this into account is difficult here in Canada, and probably also in Belgium. It's still possible to grow them well despite that.

I mentioned Masdevallias. They (mostly) get cool and humid conditions all year, but if you choose heat tolerant hybrids and treat them well, you can grow them on a windowsill.

The reason they can be different between websites is that people have different conditions (beyond temperature), different growing methods, and different ideas of what "cold"/"intermediate" means. At the end of the day, you need to look at the plants native range, and figure out what climate it will enjoy.


Taking into account all of these factors and researching orchid species that will thrive in your conditions is, in my opinion, one of the best parts of the hobby.