Phal temperature for blooming

[Uh oh now addicted]

Considering where I live that might be an issue too!!

[Mountaineer370]

Another FWIW post. I grow only Phals, and I grow them only inside my house, year-round. About half of them are in a large south-facing window that has sheer curtains that can be pulled if the sun is too strong. The rest are in a north-facing window because there is no place else to put them. In the first few years, they all happily grew leaves and roots, but very few of them would bloom for me. I finally decided to try supplemental lighting, in my case, very moderate, not plant lights, per se, but just a couple of full-spectrum fluorescent reading lamps positioned over the tables where they reside. It made all the difference. I started getting blooms on a regular basis on almost all of them.

The temps in my Michigan house are kept to a very narrow range. In the winter, we keep the furnace set to 70F (21C). In the summer, the AC is set to 73F (23C). On particularly hot or cold days, we might adjust it by no more than one degree. Those temps are day and night. In nicer weather, if possible, I like to have the windows in the house open, but the temps would still be in the approximate range of what they are when we're running the heat or AC.

I don't have a separate room I can put the plants in where I can allow them to get cool nights. They have to live in the same temperatures the humans and the dogs find comfortable. So, in my particular case, the lack of a cooling down period has not seemed to make any difference in their willingness to bloom. The lights are what did it for me. (I leave them on for 12 1/2 hours a day during the spring and summer, then cut it back to 12 in the fall and winter. I'm actually thinking about cutting them back another half hour for the coldest and darkest part of winter.)

Edited to add Fahrenheit/Centigrade conversions.)

[Uh oh now addicted]

Thank you! All information gratefully received. I have the exact opposite - the windows only face east and west! Mine are also indoors all year, the UK is too unpredictable weather wise for me to risk them outside.

I got my lights out and they will be going up later, they do have a timer on them so if I can figure out the instructions I'll set them for 12 hours. I'm sure the others will enjoy it too, but it's only the one that will flower this year I think. We shall see...

[estación seca]

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

[Uh oh now addicted]

Thank you!

This is the first forum/board I've ever joined! That's how obsessed I am...

[Roberta]

We're all enablers.

A note about temperature and Phal blooming... the commercial growers have this down to a fine science. It's all about money - the orchid that blooms the week before Mother's Day or Christmas is worth a lot more than one that blooms a month after. They can precisely control temperature, typically they'll have water running through pipes beneath the benches, the temperature of which can be closely controlled. So, they CAN manipulate the blooming time with a "temperature shock" ...(Of course they can manipulate light too!) Most hobbyists don't particularly care WHEN an orchid blooms, just THAT it blooms. Increasing light duration seems to work well. Probably not precise enough for the commercial growers, but does the job with little effort in our homes.

[Uh oh now addicted]

Yes very true. I don't care when, just if!

Lights on now - more fingers crossed!!

Roberta the pictures of your orchids are fabulous - if that's enabling then carry on please!

Edited to add - Roberta do you find your Chingruey's Goldstaff any different to your other hybrid phals? Mine was the first one I bought because I just had to have it, but it's been a bit delicate. I suspect it's just a bad plant as there's a story that goes with it but I just wondered!

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by Uh oh now addicted

Yes very true. I don't care when, just if!

Lights on now - more fingers crossed!!

Roberta the pictures of your orchids are fabulous - if that's enabling then carry on please!

Obsession

[Uh oh now addicted]

It's growing a new leaf!

I'm happy it's happy but...



Still, I maaay have bought another 2 to keep me occupied

[Uh oh now addicted]

I'm saying this through gritted teeth... I'm happy it's happy...

Patience...