nope, you do not need cool temps for flowers

[jldriessnack]

Believe what you want bro. It is on page 138, paragraph 2 (Temperature Requirements).

[Orchidtinkerer]

same to you bro.
After all we are after the same thing: to get our orchids to flower as much as possible so here is an extract from his other book on flowering tips:

Not Enough Difference between
Day and Night Temperatures
The most common reason that orchids don’t bloom indoors is that
the environment doesn’t have enough of a change in temperature
between day and night. In orchids’ natural habitats, evening temperatures are at least 10°F to 15°F lower than the daytime temperatures. This temperature difference triggers the orchids to start
developing flowers. In many home environments, the temperature
doesn’t vary much between day and night.
Get yourself a maximum-minimum thermometer (see Chapter 3)
and place it in your growing room. This thermometer will tell you
if you need to move the plant somewhere cooler in the evening,
like closer to the window.
If you summer your orchids outdoors during the summer (see
Chapter 5), you’ll easily be able to provide this temperature difference. The temperature in my orchid summering area outdoors drops in the evening at least 15°F and sometimes 20°F or
more during late summer and early fall.

[jldriessnack]

Originally Posted by Orchidtinkerer

same to you bro.
After all we are after the same thing: to get our orchids to flower as much as possible so here is an extract from his other book on flowering tips:

Orchids or phalaenopsis?

I'm not interested in musings on generalised care which you criticized yourself in a previous post. His book on phals is clear which you have not read.

[Orchidtinkerer]

ok point well taken, so lets forget frowine, I mentioned there are endless other articles.

Take this one then, there is no question temperatures are very important, it's been documented too much to question it imo:

Temperature during the day, but not during the night, controls flowering of Phalaenopsis orchids | Journal of Experimental Botany | Oxford Academic

[jldriessnack]

I do not disagree that temperature matters generally, or that it matters for phals to a degree. What I contest is the wives' tale that a SPECIFIC 10-15 degree differential must be created for most phals. What is established is that it can be too hot to flower, like over 85 mostly, and that the 70s are most conducive to flowering. But not a differential or anything in the 60s. I know this from practice, from tropical climates, and the botany studies - not articles.

Quote from your research:

These results indicate that a day/night fluctuation in temperature is not required for inflorescence initiation in these two Phalaenopsis clones. Furthermore, the inhibition of flowering when the day temperature was 29 °C and the night temperature was 17 °C or 23 °C suggests that a warm day temperature inhibits flower initiation in Phalaenopsis.

NOT night temps.

This is what I was saying, though maybe poorly, as my point was that for windowsill growers you will always have, given normal room temperatures, day temps in the low 20s C which is in the 70sF. So yes, you proved my point.

[Orchidtinkerer]

it is a relatively new theory that phals do not need the nightly temperature drop like other orchids do and I see your point although I would have to argue 90F is a bit high, otherwise yes especially phal bellina's are free flowering most of the year so after a bit of miscommunication I think we are in some sort of agreement.

I will however add that I still think a temp drop is beneficial as mentioned in the very first article I posted explaining how orchids produce energy during the day and lose it at night so even if the temp drop is not needed to initiate blooming in phalaenopsis as you have said... it should encourage better flowering.

[Mr.Fakename]

You seem very opinionated and quick to take offense.

Why not settle this argument by showing us your Phal, so we can all be amazed and start following your ways?

[SouthPark]

Maybe the best thing to do is ------ just state own beliefs, and state which beliefs we disagree with.

And just go with own belief ------ unless there are scientific groups that have carried out extensive studies on the kind of orchid(s) being discussed ....... such as a major long term study (if any) on phals of the same kind --- with controlled and significant temperature drops over a long enough period of time, and without significant temperature drops over a long enough period of time.

And even if somebody out there that wrote a book might be wrong ------ and if we disagree with their view, then we should really disagree or disprove in some nice humble way and respectful way. This is when their view actually doesn't harm or hurt orchids or anybody - unlike those people that started teaching people to use 3% hydrogen peroxide on everything (roots and all) etc.

[Ray]

I think you’re trying to take a fact or two and paint overly broadly with them.

Originally Posted by jldriessnack

Again, most phals will flower at any time of year above 60F.

I have a commercial grower friend in Central America. He intentionally held a large bunch of phalaenopsis plants at above 85F for several years. Not a single flower spike was generated in that time period, but the plants grew to be extremely large. After allowing them to spend a couple of weeks at 70F, he got a dozen or more spikes - per plant.

Way more useful than twiddling over what magic trick will promote the best flowering in a plant found at a home depot.

Yes, it is a “trick” that uses genetically-programmed triggers.

I’ll also add that in the Texas A&M study, which was published in the AOS magazine, does not argue a bit with your earlier statement, and is the reason millions of in-spike plants are shipped here from Taiwan, the statement was that the reduced-average-temperature requirement was to reliably initiate spikes.

[katsucats]

I'm not sure that a temperature reduction is not necessary to initiate blooms, but I think it's safe to say that consistent diurnal ranges (e.g. over an entire season) are probably not necessary.