Moss in higher humidity in winter?

[OrchidNut555]

Hey everyone! it's been a bit.

I've been learning as i go and i think i have my mini cattleya care down, except for the temperature.

I grow mine in a moss, bark and perlite mix and it seems to go well, especially since they're on a heatmat now. It doesn't warm the whole pot sadly, but it does make things dry up quicker now in winter, which is lovely! they're doing great.
However, it isn't warm enough for them to bloom, so i wanted to invest in a milsbo or anything like that ikea family; if i can get the temperature up in there with a few heat mats, then they'd be alright in winter and would bloom. i could also insulate the cabinet if needed.

My only worry with his is....humidity. the plants would directly be on the heat mat or on a saucer so i can just water them directly, and the temperature would be around 24 degrees c ideally, but with all the plants in there i'd be worried about watering those catts. I've heard plenty of people say they can handle 1 week of moisture and even a bit more, but i'd like to have it dry up, in around a week. (have had a catt that was a seedling last year stay moist for two weeks not too long ago, but that's a small plant so who knows)

Normally i let the moss dry up till it's crunchy dry, which makes watering a bit difficult as it slides down and only wets a bit of it...but i've also heard some people let their catts approach near dryness and then water again...

all in all, i'd like to do this because it's much cheaper than heating a whole room in winter, but i don't know how to deal with the humidity. Could i make a few holes in the glass with a glass cutter to still retain some heat but get rid of the higher humidity? i'd like to avoid full bark, because come summer i won't need this setup anymore; i can just open the cabinet and the plants can be warm that way, but i've also had other issues with bark.

any advice is greatly appreciated.

ps the cattleyas on my heat matt currently dry up in around 2 or 3 days with a light to medium-ish watering

[Roberta]

Most mini-Catts are really forgiving of temperature. Seedlings may need the extra warmth but mature ones (big enough to bloom, they are still small plants) should be fine at ambient temperatures. (I grow them outside, winter nights down to 4 deg C or occasionally cooler, yours indoors will never be THAT cold!) My suspicion is that they aren't getting enough light - not enough intensity, not enough hours per day. Supplemental lighting may help.

[OrchidNut555]

Hey Roberta!

That's great to hear! is this also the case for the medium sized cattleyas? I have a green genius and final blue in my collection and a few seedlings that will grow up to be life-sized catts. In the case those aren't as forgiving, I've already looked through some stuff and it seems cattlryas can stay quite wet, as long as they are supplied with plenty of air movement (which now makes it click into place why I often hear about Catts doing really well in semi-hydro). in that case I was thinking about including more ventilation holes (currently 8 rows of 4 or 5, I'd probably make 16 rows of 5 or 6 then) and a fan, as well. That is if the mid sized ones happen to not be forgiving. what are your thoughts on this?

[Roberta]

For the larger Catts, it depends on parentage. For most, even those can be fine down to 12 deg C (Those with lots of C. dowiana or C. violacea might want a bit warmer) Getting close to dryness is also fine (not totally dry, at least not for very long). But again, light is the problem for blooming. If you are depending on ambient light in the short, dark days of winter, it's just not sufficient for blooming.

[OrchidNut555]

totally agree with you on the light! I'm actually ordering some barrina t8s at the moment. I also realised I didn't sketch a clear picture of my growth setup just now; they're in an open shelving unit with 2 lights of 530 lumen/5 watts which they are not very far from. they clearly grow ok under it, but I'm upgrading my light soon

My worry came from friends telling me that cattlryas need warmer temperatures in winter or they won't bloom. they kept theirs at 24 degrees, meanwhil I sit between 14/15 and 17 degrees. It made me think maybe light wasn't enough and they really needed more warmth.

If anything, they may grow a bit faster and the ikea cabinet offers more space for even more plants hehe

but if I understand correctly, most catts can still bloom with even 12 degrees c, unless their parentage contains more warmth loving parentage? my green genius is almost 28 percent dowiana, for instance.

[Roberta]

Right, temperature isn't a big factor, as long as the plant is healthy. Mine bloom quite well even with their rather severe environment. (They get whatever Mother Nature provides... but I am much farther south, so winter days are still about 10 hours, and also many days are bright with few clouds)

[OrchidNut555]

that's lovey to hear, thank you!

just out of pure interest, should I still require my cabinet idea in the future; are here effective ways to control humidity in such a cabinet or watering dry moss efficiently but not too much in said setup? (or at least...providing proper air movement, that is. I instantly thin of more ventilation holesw more perlite and bark in the mix and a fan)

I now know Catts don't have to go bone dry but I always love to learn about setups, as I see so many diverse ones come by. always wondered how people did it.

[Roberta]

Read through the Growing Under Lights sub-forum. Also the Terrarium Gardening sub-forum. Lots of creative ideas!