Temperature for Species Phals and Paraphals

[SissyP50]

Hi all, I'm just wondering what temperatures people keep their species phalaenopsis orchids at. I had two phal bellinas growing in my house with a temperature range from 66-70'F during winter and 70-80+ in the summer. They did fine for a while but died due to nutrient deficiencies and stress. I'd love to try them again but I'm a little hesitant because I'm still figuring out my grow space, and I'm still hurting a little :'c.

I am also interested in paraphalaenopsis orchids and their culture, especially if they can grow in my temperature range. If anyone has any has experience growing them, all tips are greatly appreciated.

And yes, I have looked up many culture/care online, but I appreciate and rely on other's personal experiences.

[Dollythehun]

Oh, Sissy! We have an expert for that and they will be along soon! So, bump!

[jkofferdahl]

I hope Peter Lin spots this thread and steps in. Or several resident experts.

Yours is a pretty complicated question, believe it or not. With Phals you almost have two genuses (there are actually five sub-genuses but essentially two different growing conditions), and adding Paraphals is a third. Each like slightly different conditions. Now, I can only speak from experience, so take this all with a huge grain of salt.

My Paraphals seem to like slightly more light than I give to either of the types of Phals. They're also much more sensitive to water and humidity. The roots can be a battle to keep healthy until you find the balance between the humidity and watering frequency, but their preference is for higher humidity and less watering, so they can dry and yet have ambient moisture. They are also pests about rooting because they have containment issues, and seem to look for a reason to allow root rot to set in when potted, so I grow mine in wood baskets and spray them daily. Good air movement can not be emphasized enough.

With Phals, if you're going to explore species, you'll hit the bigger guys like schilleriana, amabilis, and violacea, to name a few. They grow at lower elevations in warm, humid places places, on tree branches under the tree canopy. They receive fairly strong shaded light; I give mine just a tad more light than some others, but they quickly adapt to it and thrive. You can pot these plants in or on just about anything, or nothing at all. I once watched one in a greenhouse sit on the floor after falling and breaking it's pot; after six months it had two huge flower stems and still no pot, just watering. If the air in the room they're in feels thick with humidity they're fine IF and ONLY IF there is also plenty of air moving, so in my house I run a humidifier with them, but also at least two fans from different directions to keep the air at a gentle breeze level. If potted (properly), they can tolerate extremes in humidity if carefully watered, but as the humidity drops the aereal roots dry out, and they do like to have aereal roots. If the humidy is at least 50% they really like to be mounted, in which case it's virtually impossible to overwater them. Maintain good air movement.

Once I really got into the species I had to explore the minis. When I say minis I'm not talking about cornu-cervi or equestris, which are smaller but grow happily with the big boys. I've gotten fascinated by the true miniatures such as thailandica, cochlearis and braceana (and I'm now experimenting with trying the deciduous minis, which scare me). These tiny plants are fascinating. Of the three I mentioned, braceana is my smallest and cochlearis the largest - at a leaf span of maybe 2 inches. Slightly larger are lowii, with huge leaves approaching two inches in length! These plants grow at a considerably higher elevation than the large Phals. They tolerate light and humidity much like the larger plants but prefer lower temperatures, and an occasional night of the high 50s doesn't trouble them at all. They'll adapt to higher day temps, but want a bit more humidity and water if so. I grow these in with minis like Zygostates and Haraella, where the light is slightly less than my larger Phals get. Like the Paraphals, I've not found the miniature Phals to take to pots well, but when mounted you can water them five times a day and not bother them as long as they can dry at night. In my experience, thailandica and braceana are just about impossible to not grow well, and excellent minis as starters! And don't forget to keep the air light and breezy.

Sorry to be so verbose.

[SissyP50]

Jkofferdahl thank you so much taking the time to answer my questions . By your answers, I don't think I'm ready for paraphals yet, but I'll build my confidence and gain experiance with some of the larger species phals before I try my luck with them. You've also opened my eyes to the smaller species phals too. I'm surprised they seem hardy/tolerate if they get acclimated to thier environment.

[jcec1]

I grow bellina, violacea, manni, bastiani, tetraspis and quite a few more all in the temperatures you describe indoors in a east facing situation.They all do well at these temperatures in an indoor environment, humidity at 30 to 40%. So I think your environment should be just fine.

[Ray]

I think you'll find the bellina will do much better if kept very warm. In nature, they rarely see temps lower than the upper 70's. Other species are more tolerant.

[jkofferdahl]

Originally Posted by SissyP50

Jkofferdahl thank you so much taking the time to answer my questions . By your answers, I don't think I'm ready for paraphals yet, but I'll build my confidence and gain experiance with some of the larger species phals before I try my luck with them. You've also opened my eyes to the smaller species phals too. I'm surprised they seem hardy/tolerate if they get acclimated to thier environment.

They're really delightful. Several of mine are spiking/in bud right now, and the flowers are amazing. Cochlearis has the most wonderful lip you can imagine!

[SissyP50]

Thanks for sharing your experiences with me everyone. It seems ill be just fine, but I need to gain a bit more confidence with my plants

[Joseia]

I grow my bellina and violacea quite warm, temps never get below 72 and reach around 85 during the day.

[peterlin]

Phalaenopsis species are quite diverse.

I like to divide them into 3 groups

Cool Dry Winter Group - C
braceana, hainanensis, honghenensis, finleyi (minus), stobartiana, taenialis, wilsonii, gibbosa, lobbii, and parishii

From NE India and East into Southern China Mountains
winter Temperature 45 F if leaves are kept dry at night
Most are small deciduous species do well mounted or in small pots

Moderate Winter Group - M

Larger Plants
amabilis, aphrodite, philippinensis, sanderiana, schilleriana, and stuartiana
Smaller Plants
celebensis, lindenii, equestris, pulchra, fasciata, lueddemanniana, hieroglyphica, bastianii, pallens, mariae, micholitzii, and reichenbachiana.

winter Temperature 50-60F
only moderate amounts of water but increased light
will tolerate periodic night time lows of 40-45F with leaves dry and roots slightly moist


Warm Winter Group - W

amboinensis, bellina, doweryensis, fimbriata, floresensis, gigantea, javanica, luteola, maculata, modesta, robinsonii, venosa, violacea, corningiana, inscriptiosinensis, speciosa, sumatrana, tetraspis, cochlearis, fuscata, kunstleri, viridis

winter Temperature 60-75F
extra moisture on the roots but not the leaves.
maybe kept cooler (45-55F) and less moist but they are more susceptible to significant bacterial infections and loss of roots, growth is halted, and reduced flowering.

Finally there is the smallest phalaenopsis species Phal appendiculata. This species came from Malaysia. It needs to be kept warm, and moist at all time. It's suited for indoor grower. Because it is small, it expires easily if condition is not ideal (too dry, too cold).