Cattleya dowiana and less-than ideal winter temps

[smweaver]

So at the beginning of this spring I gave into an impulse and purchased a few seedlings of Cattleya dowiana. They have grown very well over the last five to six months, but now that winter is approaching I need to find a solution for keeping them happy.

My sunroom drops down to the high 40's to low 50's at night. I can keep it higher than that, but everything--until now--that I grow requires or is adaptable to cool winter night temperatures. Has anyone ever tried using a grow mat--heat mat, in other words--to keep cattleya seedlings warm during the winter? Is this a decent idea? I figure that the seedlings will remain relatively dry during their winter dormancy. But I don't want to cook them. And even with the low-wattage heat mat being used, I don't know if that will be sufficient to keep the plants alive (regardless of how warm the roots are kept, the "above-ground" growths will still be exposed to the cool night temps).

Any advice will be appreciated.

Steve

---------- Post added at 05:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:11 PM ----------

Also, I apparently can't read very well today. Will one of the moderators please move this to the cattleya section? Thanks!