Is this all for naught??
 

:( :roll: Ok, I have recently become an orchid addict. That said, due to recent reading info I printed out at work, I think I have begun an endeavor that I will not suceed in. Here's the story. I have my set up on an island that divides my kitchen and living room. Not in a basement or greenhouse. I have phals and onciduims. I know orchids need humidity, so I have them grouped on a humidity tray. They are around 2 1/2 to 3 ft. from Led chip tech grow lights from Orchid Web, and the temps are usually around 65 to 70 day time, and a little cooler at night. Of course, it's fall here in Vt., so the winter temps day time will be around 65 day time, maybe 60 at night.
That said, I'm reading that they will not rebloom if I don't have at least an 8 to 10 degree drop in temps at night. I don't know how I'll manage to do that in my house. Will I have to move them all into a cooler room every night? :(:_((The heat in my studio is controlled seperatly, and can be kept cooler) If this is what I'll have to do, will moving them all to that room and back again each morning hurt them? ? So far they are growing new leaves and new healthy roots, but no emerging spikes yet. It may be too soon...
Anyway, ventilation is possibly another issue . I have no means of fresh moving air in the winter months in the area of my house where they are. My living room window doesn't vent, (or would I want to open it in the winter and waste fuel oil) but I can get a small clip on fan to give them moving air. Is this enough? Am I a hopeless case?? :roll::scratchhead::_(:help:help:bua::bua::bua::bu a::bua:

The only way to know for sure is to grow them in your conditions and see what happens. I would think they will be just fine with the conditions you described. The temps sound fine and there are natural air currents in the house all day. If you put a fan on them, you'll blow away the humidity. I have no experience with LED's, but 3 foot sounds kind of far away. The oncidium is going to want more light than the phal's, but they also grow higher so that may work out OK.

Bill

Welcome to a wonderful addiction. The small fan should take care of air movement. I am not sure what to tell you about the rest, but I am sure the experts will be along to advise you. This is a great place to learn.

Don't know about Oncs except Bill is right, they do need more light than Phals. IF your Phals don't bloom right where they are, then I would move them to a cooler room and bring them to a warmer room in the day. I've done that and it in no way harms them. When they initiate a spike then leave them in the warmer area. If they don't spike after doing this it probably means not enough light. Good luck !

I read that the day/night temperature difference needed to bloom Phals is old information. While this will generally bring on spikes, it is now believed that it is a general drop in temp that brings them to spike. My Phals have bloomed yearly with no problem, and I definitely don't have much drop in temp at night. At the most my house gets 2 degrees cooler at night, but sometimes it's warmer, and the Phals still spike. Now the day/night difference may be necessary for certain species, but I would still imagine that it is just the general drop in temp that brings on blooming. Your house sounds like it's on the cool side anyhow, so you're probably just fine. :) Good luck, and have fun!!! Don't forget to read the ultimate Phalaenopsis thread: http://www.orchidboard.com/community...ght=phal+abuse

:thanx::thanx::thanx: I really apprieciate all your help. I love this board...

OB is a wonderful place to learn!

I have practically the same conditions as you do for my orchids, and I'm currently in spike with several of my chids. You can leave them where they are in my opinion, but make sure they have enough light. Have you ever thought of getting a humidifier? I use one every so often, and it makes the chids happy.

Great idea, Mary. I use one all winter and it does help alot.

It's a life saver, helped with a couple of my rescues! One of my rescue phals just put on a new leaf, and is in spike! I love my humidifier. :)

Keep reading and eventually you'll read that black is white and vice versa ! With Phals and ALL orchids EVERY ENVIRONMENT is different ! Yours (in Florida) may bloom without any change in temp while some of mine (in Maryland) may not. There are definitely species that require a 10 - 15 degree F difference between night and day (or call it a "drop") temp to bloom. So, IF your hybrid happens to have a large percent of that specie in it = DO THE MATH !

A lot of phals only need a cool spell of about 6 weeks in the fall to initiate bloom. So maybe you could set them near a patio door or window from mid or late Sept. for 6 weeks where the temps are cooler. Then bring them back to their usual place and in the spring you may be treated to some blooms. Some oncidiums like a cooler winter and depending what it's parentage is, some need more light but others need less. so you may have to wait and see what happens with that one. good luck with them!

You're way over-thinking this. Phals don't HAVE to have humidity and constant airflow to grow, bloom and be happy. Mine could care less. Would they be happier in more humidity and better airflow? Probably, but that doesn't mean they won't do well without.

It's also a bit early too be looking for new spikes. I usually start seeing mine in October/November. One other thing to keep in mind is that if this Phal was forced to bloom outside of it's normal bloom cycle it may skip a season until it gets back in sync.

My biggest concern would be your lighting. Don't know much about the lights you describe. Three feet away seems like a long way. Do you have a light meter that you could measure light levels at the plant? If it's under 1,000 fc you're going to have a hard time getting anything to bloom.

In regards to the lights, these are maybe 2 1/2ft from the foliage, and the bulbs come from Orchid Web. I spoke with the guy there and these are the latest techknowledgey in LED's. They are designed for lighting higher above the plants. I actually got them when a member here suggested them to me. They are 7w 38diode mr16's with a screw base. I also have with them 2 60diode mr16 chip tech bulbs.
So far I have new growth on all of them, roots as well as leaves. These bulbs are not cheap, but they're listed as being excellent for orchid growing. The web site is Orchid Web, and the bulbs are under "Equipment"

There's a thread on this forum about LED lights you should read. The gist is that they're fine for growing plants, but the spectrum range is not adequate for blooming orchids. Good luck !

It is possible that those lights do actually work for blooming. A guy in our orchid society, Wayne Roberts (Roberts Flower Supply), gave a talk on lighting. He has had great success growing and blooming under some new LED lights that he has been testing. He told us that this is the first (and perhaps only) LED lights he'd actually recommend. He's thinking of getting rid of his greenhouse and growing completely under these lights because of the expense of heating in wintertime. Technology is moving forward! : )
Leafmite