How's the weather?

[kiki-do]

Hi All,
It's 28 (F) degrees below zero, but thank goodness no wind. My husband and I was toying with taking all the orchids (over 100) out of the sunroom and into the house and closing that section off for the next several days, but we decided to keep the kitchen cookstove (this one affects the sunroom best) and livingroom woodstove going all night. The kitchen cookstove only goes for a couple hours at a time, not like the livingroom. So he and I took turns getting up in the night to stoke the stove. We also have oil heat that is in the sunroom also, but can't handle these extreme temps alone. Man oh man, what a cold spell! The sunroom stayed at 55 degrees, so all is well in my neck of the woods.
Anyone else having any problems with the cold and their orchids?

[Bird Song Farm]

Hi Kiki,
We didn't quite make -28f here in beautiful downtown Dover-Foxcroft but -27.8f was close enough! Yes, I'm having trouble with my sunroom also. So far I've only 'lost' one, actually, it is in ICU but it lost all but one leaf and I believe the grim reaper is just around the corner.

All these phals in spike and on hold, guess it will make for a lot of blooms at the same time when and if things ever warm up!

Our furnace died last Tuesday afternoon and I almost had an anxiety attack before it got fixed. Thankfully it happened in the afternoon and was repaired before nightfall, the electric heater kept the worst of the cold at bay for a couple of hours.

Keep the home fires burning, a warm up is on the way with two snow storms back to back predicted for Sunday and Monday..........what fun!!
Al

[kiki-do]

Originally Posted by Bird Song Farm

Hi Kiki,
We didn't quite make -28f here in beautiful downtown Dover-Foxcroft but -27.8f was close enough! Yes, I'm having trouble with my sunroom also. So far I've only 'lost' one, actually, it is in ICU but it lost all but one leaf and I believe the grim reaper is just around the corner.

All these phals in spike and on hold, guess it will make for a lot of blooms at the same time when and if things ever warm up!

Our furnace died last Tuesday afternoon and I almost had an anxiety attack before it got fixed. Thankfully it happened in the afternoon and was repaired before nightfall, the electric heater kept the worst of the cold at bay for a couple of hours.

Keep the home fires burning, a warm up is on the way with two snow storms back to back predicted for Sunday and Monday..........what fun!!
Al

Wow, Al, you are having quite the time also! I too would have had an anxiety attack if my furnace went out. You were very fortunate that they came as quick as they did.
It's really something when it gets too cold to snow, huh?
Thank God for all my orchids...they keep me grounded! Stay warm and

[smweaver]

Well, at least now I don't feel quite so bad about my own situation after reading each of your comments, Kiki and Al. Right now it's -11 outside. But at least it's been sunny for the last two days, which helps melt the ice that's formed on the inside of the sunroom windows. No deaths or problems with the orchids so far, but it probably helps that I have mostly intermediate growing plants that either prefer or tolerate cool winters. Have been able to keep the night temperature in the sunroom just above 50 F. Luckily, a warm front is moving in (and by "warm" I mean upper 20's) over the next day or two. Before long it will be back up to the relatively balmy mid 30's! Woo hoo! Good luck with your plants!

Steve

[kiki-do]

Originally Posted by smweaver

Well, at least now I don't feel quite so bad about my own situation after reading each of your comments, Kiki and Al. Right now it's -11 outside. But at least it's been sunny for the last two days, which helps melt the ice that's formed on the inside of the sunroom windows. No deaths or problems with the orchids so far, but it probably helps that I have mostly intermediate growing plants that either prefer or tolerate cool winters. Have been able to keep the night temperature in the sunroom just above 50 F. Luckily, a warm front is moving in (and by "warm" I mean upper 20's) over the next day or two. Before long it will be back up to the relatively balmy mid 30's! Woo hoo! Good luck with your plants!

Steve

Hi Steve, Having ice form on the inside of the sunroom windows must be quite a sight. I'm glad you chimed in as I am really interested at how others are doing with handling this incredible cold snap going through the US. I wonder if other countries are having extreme changes in weather, also.
I heard on the news that Alaska is 30-40 degrees above zero, which is quite balmy for them. Thanks for your input.

[Junebug]

Originally Posted by kiki-do

Hi All,
It's 28 (F) degrees below zero, but thank goodness no wind. My husband and I was toying with taking all the orchids (over 100) out of the sunroom and into the house and closing that section off for the next several days, but we decided to keep the kitchen cookstove (this one affects the sunroom best) and livingroom woodstove going all night. The kitchen cookstove only goes for a couple hours at a time, not like the livingroom. So he and I took turns getting up in the night to stoke the stove. We also have oil heat that is in the sunroom also, but can't handle these extreme temps alone. Man oh man, what a cold spell! The sunroom stayed at 55 degrees, so all is well in my neck of the woods.
Anyone else having any problems with the cold and their orchids?

WOW! That's freakin' cold and just to think how Southerner's (myself included) begin complaining when the temps. get below 45 degrees. I really don't know how you guys manage to keep anything alive. I never even attempt to grow the cool or intermediate type of plants down here. It doesn't work out too well with our scortching hot summers.

[GreggC]

Eight below last night and ten below the night before. Hoping I can give my heaters a rest either today or tomorrow. Then, it is supposed to warm up quite a bit to warmer than average temperatures. I am looking forward to that.

[smweaver]

Kiki, the ice actually looks very pretty in the morning when it's on all of the windows. But then the non-sentimental part of my brain kicks in and I prudent start pulling plants a bit farther back from the glass. I think that as long as the plants stay a couple of inches away from the glass and the ceiling fans keeps circulating air twenty-four hours a day, everything should be okay. I have started to leave the vents in the sunroom open at night, however (it's a four-season sunroom and I usually keep the vents closed at night to keep the cymbidiums and lycastes happy), just to be on the safe side. What's really had me excited this year is the fact that my large Ficus benjaminii (I know this is a digression from the intent of this site, but couldn't help bringing this up), which I think is a truly tropical species, seems to be enjoying the cooler weather in the sunroom. So far it hasn't dropped a single leaf, and everything that I read about them before purchasing mine said that they can become notorious leaf droppers when they're not happy. Admittedly, there's no new leaf growth on it either right now. But at least all of the leaves it made last summer are still a beautiful shiny green and not turning yellow or brown. Hopefully you guys will experience a warm snap sometime soon in New England.

Steve

[rogerman]

Originally Posted by kiki-do

Hi All,
It's 28 (F) degrees below zero, but thank goodness no wind. My husband and I was toying with taking all the orchids (over 100) out of the sunroom and into the house and closing that section off for the next several days, but we decided to keep the kitchen cookstove (this one affects the sunroom best) and livingroom woodstove going all night. The kitchen cookstove only goes for a couple hours at a time, not like the livingroom. So he and I took turns getting up in the night to stoke the stove. We also have oil heat that is in the sunroom also, but can't handle these extreme temps alone. Man oh man, what a cold spell! The sunroom stayed at 55 degrees, so all is well in my neck of the woods.
Anyone else having any problems with the cold and their orchids?

I know people think that Thailand has no problems with the cold, BUT how wrong could they be?
I live in central Thailand and i have got it easy. I have two duvets on the bed. NO aircon or fan and it was a FREEZING 61F this morning....... Further north in Chiang Mai it is below freezing level and there are huge orchid farms that way..... Not to mention a huge percentage of the countries vegetable crops. We don't have any heating facilities here at all...... Most people especially the poor don't even have a jacket or a blanket to sleep under.

These people are used to living in heat around 120F

How would you feel?

[Soonix]

Here in Toronto its between -15 and -22 C . I don't have a sun room but a huge window were all the orchids are. Were going away so i sealed the window and door with Vapor lock, the plastic sheet. It keeps the temp from dropping too much at night, even with -20C it did not drop below 10C infront of the window. Which is reasonable for all the chids, atleast they're all still alive.