Best temperature?

[Kevstar]

Hi guys, me again!!

So I'm now fast approaching obsession with orchids and really want them to do well. But I'm worried about the temperature of the room they are in.

I have got three types currently:

6 Phaleonopsis (1 is dormant)
1 Bratonia
1 Miltonia

I have them in my conservatory at the moment as it really brightens up the room and is ideal as there is lots of window ledge to fill!

The room does have a radiator so in the winter it will not fall to ridiculously low temperatures, but it does still get quite cold.

Currently the temperature is 19.9°c (67.8°f) but I'm worried that is too cold and I'm wondering what the lowest temperature is that they can tolerate?

Attached some pics of the room so you can see the setting (excuse the mess!)

What would your advice be?

Many thanks,

Kev.

[Roberta]

Current temperatures are OK (though these plants would be quite happy if it were a few degrees warmer... it looks like photo may have been taken in the evening, so daytime temps are probably somewhat higher anyway. Phals in particular really don't like to go much below 60 deg F. (15 deg C) The other two can tolerate low temperatures a few degrees cooler. So in winter, you will need some more heat. A heat mat under them will help, but you will still want to get them some more heat at that time. If you don't want to heat the whole room, perhaps some sort of enclosure? Or another area in your house.

[jcec1]

My heating is set to 20C (16C overnight) and I happily grow warm growing species phalaenopsis (bellina, speciosa, kunstleri and more).

This may be below what is generally recommended, but I've had these for years with no supplemental heat source - American growers often quote higher temperatures, but in general their room temperatures are higher than British homes are kept.

If you look at some of the European nurseries Orchideen Lucke, Schwerter - they recommend a minimum of 18C for Phalaenopsis bellina.

[mobelle]

I was told before that nighttime temp should be between 60 and 70 deg F.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by Kevstar

6 Phaleonopsis (1 is dormant)
1 Bratonia
1 Miltonia

The bratonia and miltonia will be fine, but the phalaenopsis would really prefer considerably warmer conditions. Most species rarely see cooler than 23°-24°C and will actually grow much better when even warmer.

The cold is likely while your one phal is "dormant", as unless you have a Chinese species, they usually don't have much of a dormancy period.