Orchid Culture Nightmares

[gravotrope]

I know how to keep them alive, but....

I live in coastal Massachusetts, do not have a humidifier, and have included a photo of the space that I use to grow my orchids (a southeasterly facing window with two huge trees directly to the south, which just lost all of their leaves). I set up a humidity tray with marble rocks in it to enhance surface area/evaporation, and I let it completely dry for about a day before putting more water in it. I also have a pump/spray bottle to mist them, which I will do with rain water or spring water only if the humidity drops below 50%. Cooler weathers like we are experiencing now can mean root rot if I'm not paying attention, so I leave them alone if the humidity is high and the medium is damp. I also set up a large hanging metal basket lined with coco fiber and filled with sphag and pete, for a succession blooming reticulated Phalaenopsis, a miniature Phal, and an Oncid, not pictured.

I know how to use the search function and have spent time reading the culture sheets, so I know I must create different types of environments for them to all thrive. My issue is this: I'm having a hell of a time doing it, yet I feel like I am making it too complicated.

I recently added a Neofinetia falcata (higashidemiyako), a Pleurothallis restrepioides, a Zygo, and a Tolumnia (genting leopard) to my collection, and this highlights my problem. Immediately, my Tolumnia is about to bloom, the Neofinetia (which has some red on it, possibly indicating light stress) looks like it has a spike coming out in the appropriate place (off season), and my Den. whatevers are in the initial stages of spiking (speciosum, or kingianum...not sure which). I love orchids, but they do not listen to me very well. Only Oncidiums and Howeara (Oncid. intergenera) 'listen' to me.

"Listening" is a good topic, because in order to get them to listen to me, I have to listen to them. I am at the stage where I am learning how to look at a plant and see what I'm doing wrong: most of my Phals were getting too much light, they had either a light plant tissue color at the edge of the leaf or were just red lined, and a lot of the Oncids I have were getting temperature specks at the leaf tips so I kept them cooler. As for my Cymbidiums, I have both underpotted, with one that's supposed to grow a bulb that never does (and don't know what to do about that), and one (semi-terristrial huge wide dark green leaves) that just keeps getting bigger and putting out more leaves while seeming to love hours of direct sunlight. That one I leave outside with my Dendrobium and Zygo if the temps are above 45 degrees. Anything lower than that yet above 32 degrees, I will leave the other ones out and take that one in.

I am trying to figure out
1.) the best light locations in my setup for my plants (humidity tray and rack have limited space, and the curtain offers roughtly 50% shade),
2.) which ones should really get a dip/short soak in room temperature rainwater,
3.) how to keep my Dens going in cool wet weather,
4.) what to do with the Neofinetia now that the spike has begun, and
5.) do I really need a fan for air circulation, or is the constant convection of heated air turning cooler against the windows and falling to the floor enough?