Phals in the basement

[Phal grower]

Whats a good way to keep phals warm in the basement under lights without heating the whole basement? Any ideas?

[zxyqu]

How hot are we talking, and what are you basement temps normally? Ben Belton grows in his basement and has a thread on here I think. He encloses the space with some clear plastic, and puts the phals about 2' from a T5 fixture or about 4' for a Halide bulb. I think that heats them up enough as he's never mentioned a heater.
Let us know as I'm actually working on a basement setup as well

[fishmommy]

If you find that even with the heat generated by the lighting isn't enough, place the pots on a waterproof heating pad like the kind used to start seeds.

[Gage]

I used to keep reptiles in a corner of my basement when I lived in Alabama. In the winter I just hung a large plastic sheet to seal off the area, and then used a space heater. piece of cake.

[Phal grower]

Thats kinda what I was thinkin with the plastic to keep the heat in. I bought some 4ft long x 6ft high x 18 in deep shelves. The length will fit my 4ft fluorescent lights well. Wish I could afford T5s but I had to get T8s so I'll put the lights close and hope it's enough. All my plants are miniatures so I can get the lights within about 8in with room for blooms. As for the plastic, I was thinking just enclose the shelves and see what the lights do for the temp. I know T5s are warmer than T8s so I might have to put a small heater in if it's not enough.

[billc]

Originally Posted by Phal grower

Thats kinda what I was thinkin with the plastic to keep the heat in. I bought some 4ft long x 6ft high x 18 in deep shelves. The length will fit my 4ft fluorescent lights well. Wish I could afford T5s but I had to get T8s so I'll put the lights close and hope it's enough. All my plants are miniatures so I can get the lights within about 8in with room for blooms. As for the plastic, I was thinking just enclose the shelves and see what the lights do for the temp. I know T5s are warmer than T8s so I might have to put a small heater in if it's not enough.

I have a basement setup with 2 shelving units back to back wrapped in plastic sort of like what you described in an unheated basement in NY state. Basement temps in winter are 50 degrees F, in summer 65 degrees F. The T8's raise the temp to 65-70 when they are on in winter, and 75-80 in summer. I have a small space heater that I set to 55 degrees in winter to keep the phal's sort of happy. That's a little cooler than they really like, but I have Masdies and Paphs that thrive at 55 night temps.
The only real downside to the basement setup is watering everything. In winter the racks are crowded and it's a mess if I try to water them on the racks. I have to bring the plants upstairs to water because it's too cold to water at the basement sink.
You're not going to bloom too many high light plants with T8's but Phals, paphs, and Masdies will do just fine.

Good luck and go for it!

Bill

[Phal grower]

Thanks for the encouragment Bill. I was hoping that T8s would be enough light. I have 2x2tube fluorescents with a 50/50 mix of 3000k and 6500k tubes for the phals set at about 6in from the tops of the plants. Do you think that 6in from the top of the plants is about right, as I dont have a light meter? My basement holds at about 68 degrees in the summer at night and with the plastic around my shelves the lights warm up the space to about 80 degrees so my temps seem good. We'll see what happens in the winter. Thanks for all the comments everyone.

[The Orchid Boy]

I grow paphs and phals just a few inches under a two tube, T8 fixture. My normal basement temps are around 60F to 65F year round. The light makes the temperature rise to around 70F. I also use a ceramic reptile heater to icrease heat. It screws in a ceramic socket that you buy seperately. It goes on and off with the light. They are both on a timer. I have it on 10 hours in winter, 12 hours in spring, and 14 hours in summer. Heres the heater link: Ceramic Heaters | Ceramic Heat Bulbs | Reptile Bulbs & Lamps | Reptile - ThatPetPlace.com You can also buy the heater and socket at pet stores.

Nice to see another grower from Nebraska.

[AJW]

Over in this part of the world we would use an Agpad it is the sort of thing you may have behind your bathroom mirror to prevent fogging. They are a very cheap and effective heat source for a hot bed keeping temps in general at plant base about 16c Phals just seem to love it.

[DelawareJim]

Originally Posted by zxyqu

How hot are we talking, and what are you basement temps normally? Ben Belton grows in his basement and has a thread on here I think. He encloses the space with some clear plastic, and puts the phals about 2' from a T5 fixture or about 4' for a Halide bulb. I think that heats them up enough as he's never mentioned a heater.
Let us know as I'm actually working on a basement setup as well

Phalaenopsis.net has several threads on basement greenhouses, including Bens. His "My new greenhouse" thread is in his basement.

Big Leaf Orchid forum • View forum - Indoor Growing, Care, Tips

Cheers.
Jim