Orchids and vacation

[butterfly_muse]

Originally Posted by Lorraine

Great food for thought Discus. I wish the gradual temp was always the case.

Unfortunately we can be at 75/80 one day and a cold front slam us the next day and stick around for several days even a week. We have to be vigilant of the weather all the time and have plan A, B and C already thought out. Oh I just love Florida...It keeps me on my toes!

The suggestion made to gradually lower the temp prior to leaving is a good possibility.

I will suggest that to my fiance, and I am hoping that the weather will be changing enough on its own that I can open the windows and acclimate them as well. In hopes that it's less of a shock to them.

[WhiteRabbit]

The difference between daytime high and nighttime lows here can be quite significant, especially in summer: 25-35 degrees being usual, but even 40-45 degrees sometimes - so my outside orchids take big temp swings on a daily basis. And if there's a heat spell, it can be near 100 highs, mid 60s lows for a few days, and a few days later be mid 70s highs, around 50 lows ...

I really don't think the temps you mentioned should be a problem at all, but you could keep your heat slightly lower a few days before you leave (if you are using heat beforehand)

How much temp difference are we talking about?

[butterfly_muse]

Originally Posted by WhiteRabbit

The difference between daytime high and nighttime lows here can be quite significant, especially in summer: 25-35 degrees being usual, but even 40-45 degrees sometimes - so my outside orchids take big temp swings on a daily basis. And if there's a heat spell, it can be near 100 highs, mid 60s lows for a few days, and a few days later be mid 70s highs, around 50 lows ...

I really don't think the temps you mentioned should be a problem at all, but you could keep your heat slightly lower a few days before you leave (if you are using heat beforehand)

How much temp difference are we talking about?

Probably around what you described. It depends on what the weather feels like doing at that time. It has been 85 degrees on Halloween before. It snowed on Halloween two years ago...so...honestly, I couldn't say. But we generally have 10-30 degree temperature drops from day to night, and inside I imagine it won't get that drastic but will probably be ~10 degrees difference at least, maybe 15 depending on how cold it is outside. If it's 70 outside during the day for a week, even if we have the thermostat set at 55 it likely won't get that low inside the house, at least not during the day. The night may get that low, but not if it only drops to 60 or so..if that makes sense?

[WhiteRabbit]

Yes, it makes sense. What I meant was what would be the difference in temps inside from when you are home.

[butterfly_muse]

Originally Posted by WhiteRabbit

Yes, it makes sense. What I meant was what would be the difference in temps inside from when you are home.

Ah, sorry. ^^; Likely 8-10 degrees. Depending on how cold it gets during the day, it may be as much as 15 (say, going from 55 to 68-70).

[WhiteRabbit]

Seems that shouldn'tbe a problem

[jesscorine]

I was gone for 3 weeks at the beginning of July. My husband is only home on weekends so they were watered 3 times while I was gone. I ended up with tons of new roots on bare rescue phals, a 4" bloom spike from my old phal, fresh roots from every other plant I have. They loved having me gone So, my advice might be not to worry about them at all!