Species Phals troubleshooting

[Sahil]

I have recently got a phalaenopsis bellina , phalaenopsis specioca c1, and phal LDs bear king
Presenty im growing them under grow lights , warm weather, in a mix of pine bark & moss.
They are visibly quite different from the complex hybrids and the flower spikes look very short stubby and weird, too..

I do have a few questions-
○Complex phals grow leaves in summer and flowers in winters what is the growing and blooming season for polychilos phals?
○When do polychilos phals grow more leaves ?
○My temperatures during winter go from 14°-24° , is that safe for polychilos? Or any extra measurements needed?

Any suggestions and advanced guides on how to make these plants thrive and grow well?

[Ray]

First and foremost, those will struggle at a temperature as low as 14C, especially if the roots are moist. Eight to ten degrees higher is pretty much my preferred low for them.

Under my growing conditions - very hot and humid in summer, household temperatures and somewhat lower humidity in winter - most growth is in the summer, many are blooming now as autumn approaches, but I’m also seeing more leaves now, as well.

[WaterWitchin]

Yes, as Ray says 14C is too low for the species you mention, especially polychilos. In winter at night 20C is about as low as I'd go, and preferably only occasionally overall. You'll need to provide more heat if you want to grow them well. Here's a site I have bookmarked that includes your polychilos and bellina Polychilos Phalaenopsis - The '''Summer Star''' Subgenus! - OrchidWeb

[tmoney]

howdy,

yes, will attest that last winter we let our flat get quite cold for the winter and many of our species phals suffered. we had about 6 that were completely dead by april. most nights the temps was between 15 to 16C. all but one of our micholtziis died....a true shame

so while it is not great, they can withstand sooooome minorly chilly temps, but i would not want to keep em at 14 for the winter.

the bear king probly wouldn't mind. ours did great with cold winters.

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by tmoney

howdy,

yes, will attest that last winter we let our flat get quite cold for the winter and many of our species phals suffered. we had about 6 that were completely dead by april. most nights the temps was between 15 to 16C. all but one of our micholtziis died....a true shame

so while it is not great, they can withstand sooooome minorly chilly temps, but i would not want to keep em at 14 for the winter.

the bear king probly wouldn't mind. ours did great with cold winters.

Okay , that was very helpful, thanks , should i shift them all indoors for the cold month then? Indoors we have our warmer to keep the cold away and i can shift one of the grow lights inside if required...
Novelty phals i have- phal. Bellina , ld's bear king, tetraspis C1, zumas pixie x taida pearl, red peoker .....do all need protection from winter?

[Dimples]

All hybrid phals will prefer to stay above 20°C in the winter. Most will tolerate slightly lower overnight temperatures so long as the medium isn’t wet-wet and the daytime temperatures are nice and warm.

Moving them inside for the winter would be my choice.

[WaterWitchin]

I didn't even realize we were talking about leaving them outside in your winter season. Just now noting your growing location. Thought we were talking about those temps in your house. Here, outside year 'round wouldn't be an option for sure.

Yes, move them inside when it starts to cool down. As Dimples says, preferably by the time you hit 20C.

[tmoney]

agree with the others...take em in! ...and if its only for a month or two it shouldn't be too drastic for them and they'll be fine. sounds like you got a nice collection!