Greetings!

[origamigoldfish]

I have been dabbling in a small collection of NOID phals gathered here and there for years, with an eye towards starting a small collection of orchids I absolutely love, vs what I can find locally.

I mostly joined to absorb all the information out there, and bask in all the advice!

This summer a couple of freak accidents shrank my collection down to just two plants, and they are doing poorly with my new options for overwintering them inside. Right now I am armed with a new grow light and searching for ideas to keep them warm in my cold house.

I hope to learn a lot when I'm here, and bask in all the forum's wisdom

[estación seca]

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

Also consider orchids that might take your cooler winter conditions better than Phals.

[Leafmite]

Hello and welcome!

I have the same problem...my home is cold in the winter. Most of my orchids are fine with the cooler night temperatures (During the day, the T5HO lights warm up the space considerably--I keep the shelving unit covered with a large plastic drop cloth) but I do have a few of the less tolerant ones in a tabletop greenhouse that sits on a heat mat.
You might want to try orchids other than Phals. There are many beautiful orchids that will tolerate cooler winter temperatures.

If you are really fond of Phals: I have seen set ups for growing plants (not orchids) where people cover the entire shelving unit with plastic drop cloth, hook the lights under the shelves, line each shelf with a heat mat and then grow the plants on top of the heat mat (the heat mat and lights need to be protected from water so you use plastic or something to protect them. That might be an idea, too. Good luck!

[origamigoldfish]

Thanks for the ideas! In the past I have had a good system for overwintering my phals in a way that left them happy and blooming.

This year I have lost the heat in that part of the house, and my windows are no longer available for plants due to drafts. I've been keeping them in my bathroom for the increased humidity and because it has a skylight, but it's been getting downright cold in there. I run a space heater in there in the morning and for a few minutes in the evening. Morning temps are about 50-52F, before the heater turns on, and at night it is about 58F. I warm the bathroom to about seventy both times.

I can already tell the plants are unhappy. I have the lighting issue worked out, but I want a short-term fix for the temperature changes until I can get the heating issue fixed or just give up and move, lol.

Would a heating pad set on low work to keep them warm? Especially if I add a layer between it and the plants, like an old baking sheet or a thick towel? The bathroom warms up well during the day, but gets cool fast as soon as it gets dark. Would I need to tent them with a makeshift terrarium to hold the heat in?

Opinions would be great! TIYA

[Leafmite]

Whatever heat mat you use, make certain it is safe for plants and to be plugged in all day (you don't want to burn down the house over this). I bought a really cheap one off of Amazon that was labeled for plant propagation. My little greenhouses (Ikea--socker and a small one from World Market) each have a thin metal floor (they sit on top of the heat mat) and they both do a nice job of keeping warm air around the plants. You could also buy a heating mat for reptiles and put it under an old aquarium. Or, you could just give your Phals to someone with a warm home and then buy some neofinetia, Cattleyas that need a cooler winter rest or a Dendrobium kingianum. They all do fine even in winter temps of 45'F. There are others, too....

[estación seca]

Since it's the bathroom, you'll be going in there regularly. It might not be that big an issue to take on something that requires intervention twice a day.

Will your phals fit into a cooler, individually or separately? Either plastic or foam. Set them in there at night with a quart of warm water (not too warm) and shut the lid. In the morning take them out. I would guess most phals would fit into a six-pack cooler.

[wintergirl]

Welcome to OrchidBoard

[RosieC]

Welcome to Orchid Board

[WhiteRabbit]

[vjo]

Could you just sit them on top of the refrigerator at night? It would be better than nothing I would think...Jean