How do YOU winter your Neofinetias?

[Call_Me_Bob]

Originally Posted by rangiku

When the moss is crunchy, then I water.

Even in the winter? That's what I do in peak growing season, I thought winter should be dryer

[coffeecup]

Originally Posted by Call_Me_Bob

Even in the winter? That's what I do in peak growing season, I thought winter should be dryer

They should, but you still need to water them. Just water less.

[Call_Me_Bob]

Originally Posted by coffeecup

They should, but you still need to water them. Just water less.

Exactly. But if watering when the moss gets crunchy is the process in summer, shouldn't it be longer between watering?

[Jayfar]

Originally Posted by Call_Me_Bob

There is a lot of information out there on different way to give neos a winter rest, or not give them a rest at all. I want to know how YOU do it, what has or hasn't worked for you? 1..2.3..GO!

I'm running late on my winter rest, but hope to have them all situated by the end of this month. Currently I actually have most of my Neos siting on a warming pad under lights and normal watering, with occasional very weak fert and cal-mag.

The only thing holding me back is physically setting up a narrow table or shelf to extend a fairly narrow window sill. All but a few I should be able to fit into 2 Ikea Socker micro greenhouses to maintain humidity. Then I'll just hook up a very small computer fan inside each one.

[coffeecup]

Originally Posted by Call_Me_Bob

Exactly. But if watering when the moss gets crunchy is the process in summer, shouldn't it be longer between watering?

During the summer, I soak the plants through and water about twice a week. During the wintertime, I do not soak through and only water every week to a week and a half. I also fertilize less, or just make it very weak.

Lights are on about 9-10 hours and it gets cold in my house on its own. I really don't do anything special. With this routine, I am getting a ton of new growth (fans and roots) despite the winter "rest."

[Call_Me_Bob]

Originally Posted by coffeecup

During the summer, I soak the plants through and water about twice a week. During the wintertime, I do not soak through and only water every week to a week and a half. I also fertilize less, or just make it very weak.

Lights are on about 9-10 hours and it gets cold in my house on its own. I really don't do anything special. With this routine, I am getting a ton of new growth (fans and roots) despite the winter "rest."

Sounds like a plan. When you say you water but not all the way thought, what do you mean by that?

[NYCorchidman]

For those who keep their neos warmer (say above 65 min during winter), please specify how long you have been growing them this way and how well the plants are doing all this time.
I think that would help out a lot.

I have my first neo mounted on a cork with a little bit of moss. It has more than ten growths. I keep it by the sunny window. It gets very warm on sunny days and at night, it does get cooler but not lower than 65.
The whole thing, leaves and roots, are in active growth and I believe it is mainly because it is kept warm. so I water everyday since it is actively growing.

Now, I understand wild neos grow in the southern islands of South Korea and Japan, where winter gets very cold and snows quite a bit. The ocean breeze provides fairly high humidity.
then they get rained on like crazy during the summer monsoon.

I read that warm winter will deteriorate neos over the years.
hence, I would like to know how long you guys have all been growing under "warm" winter conditions.

Thanks in advance!

[AnonYMouse]

Most of my Neo's are in the bathroom with the window cracked. It on occasion gets into the upper 50's but are mostly in the 60's. I have them in LECA, CHC, Sphag, lava rocks, a couple have orchiata mixed in. The sphag'ed ones go the longest without. The couple with growing roots get the most water. All leaf growth have stopped.

I water less because it takes longer for the media to dry. They get a dunking when I've gone too long without any watering.

Don't know anything specifically about mounted Neos.

[Pilot]

Quay you need to just take those neos and stick them in a snow drift in Pennsylvania

I don't want to divert the conversation BUT one of the reasons I got more neos this year is because I had such great success with my first and only other neos and those neos actually don't grow in moss at all but in sh. This is contrary culture of letting them "dry out" but in sync with letting the plants "cool down." I don't know what to say than to say sh simply works with these plants but they arent the easiest to establish in sh because they can be so tiny when you first get them. Many of the varieties are only affordable one fan at a time... which is silly.

What I can tell you though is that, at least for me, letting mine dry out entirely is bad because we get so so dry here (again, I'm at 6780' mean sea level and can see humidity from a comfortable 4-100% RH, usually closer to 4 most of the time LOL!) I cannot let my plants dry out entirely because I lose the roots right to desiccation. SH keeps them moist but through evaporative cooling these plants gain their ques on seasonal chnages and thus predictable and repeatable blooming.

Just my take... I know you don't like sh much BUT there are other options like mounting on a Kool Log (which I just bought some so I'm going to give them a try).

[Call_Me_Bob]

I'll just throw them outside, I'm sure they'll be fine

In all seriousness, I really like the moss and have good luck with it. Last winter I just grew warm and they were fine, but if the traditional logic and tried and true methods call for a rest, I definitely want to at least try that.