Phals. Movin' to Warmer Location

[Sharyn]

Well, it was 10 below zero overnight. The high for today may reach 5 degrees and doesn’t look like the rest of the week will be much better.

I have 3 Phals. presently flowering and one in spike. They usually sit on my West windowsill suited with a blind, however, the window was full of ice this morning and the area was quite cold. I moved the Phals. to my portable greenhouse in front of the south patio door. I know they only need medium light and I hope moving them and giving them more light won’t hurt them. They’re on the top shelf, which is about 4' high so they don’t get any direct sun. I have a sheer, so only the bottom shelf gets filtered sun.

The current outdoor humidity is only 30% so I have humidifiers going but only to 50%. Any setting higher than this will cause too much condensation on the windows and I’m also concerned about mold.

Before I make a tragic mistake and shock my plants, will someone please advise if this is a suitable location, at least until the weather gets above 20-30F ? I’m really enjoying the flowers right now and don’t want to stress them out by moving and changing their routine.

P.S. If you're living somewhere nice and warm, I'm green with envy!

[Willc73]

Humidity is good. Humidity above 60% can cause other problems such as rot and fungus.
Hard to say how your light is without a measurement. If the leaves get very light or start to burn, then it is too much. Make sure you monitor your watering, you may have to water more in warmer brighter conditions. I have all Phals, about 240 in my gh right now, I keep it at 900 footcandles. you will run into problems at higher than 1500fc.
How cold did it get on the window sill? 60˚F at night is as low as I usually go, some people have had success with a gradual lowering to 45˚ at night, however that will substantially slow growth. I would only suggest that or lower if you are willing to lose a couple plants. If they do get cold, keep them dry.

[Sharyn]

Thanks for your reply. My thermometer was measuring close to 56 degrees on the windowsill, that's why I moved them. I read that Phals. don't like temps. below 55. Currently, I placed a sheer lace curtain over the gh and I keep monitoring the light from the blinds - that is, I keep tipping them to keep the sun off the Phals. Not sure what else I can do as we are going to have these freezing temps. for the rest of the week.

What if I move the Phals. further into the room - that is, not so close to the light from the window? Or maybe I should just place them on my dining room table on some trays, away from the window. Not sure what's the best temporary solution.

[jerrymeola]

I live in Sunny Florida and grow my Phals outside. They went to the low thirties this week and rewarded me with a bunch of new flower spikes. The 30s were only a couple of hours one night but under 50 is common for my plants this time of year.

It is our dry season, so there is minimal humidity and they get watered every day. My light levels are probably up around 2000 foot candles and for short times can go quite a bit higher. My mounted Phals are usually around 2500 foot candles.

[Maddy]

I have the same problem right now - worse, my humidifier gives me the worst coughing fits, so I can't leave it running. I had to pull all my plants out of the windows and I have them all on humidity trays, but can't get the humidity much above 40% on the trays. I bagged the spike on one of my phals in a desperate attempt to save at least one bud - two so far have blasted.

I hate, hate, hate, HATE winter....

[Sharyn]

Jerry, it sounds like you're giving your plants more light than I am so I guess I shouldn't be worried. I don't presently have an SLR camera to measure the light - just a Canon PowerShot. It has manual features, but I haven't figured out if there's a way to measure the light. Maybe Anton can help with this one.

I guess I've been concerned about abrupt temperature changes and hoping to avoid bud and flower loss. Thanks for your help.

[Sharyn]

Maddy: Living in NY, your weather is similar to ours and it sounds like you may suffer from upper respiratory troubles like I do. I had the same problem with coughing when using the humidifiers. If your humidifier is making you cough, clean it well with a mild bleach solution, get a new filter (change them often). I have one cold-mist humidifier (like they use for babies), only cost about $25-$30. I use distilled water in this one to keep that white dust from getting on everything, or use an additive. The other humidifier is a portable from Sears, holds 3 gallons of regular tap water, and a honeycomb type of filter. Again, I clean the bottom each month and replace the filter every 2 months. Neither my plants or my health do very well on low humidity and this humidifier hygiene seems to work for me and my houseplants. The plants are happy and no more coughing for me.

So, right now I'm just worried about the temperature fluctuations. I too have lost a few buds. When I saw my orchids wearing hats and mittens, I knew I was in trouble. My feet have been so cold, I'll be wearing a fur coat on them if this weather keeps up! Good luck with your orchids & stay warm.

[Willc73]

If you are growing your phals in 2500 footcandles or more, I would check your light meter. I have a very good and reliable meter, I have a wide range of Phals from species to hybrids. I have always gotten the best growth at 1000fc. Many a phal has burned easily at 2500+fc.

[Sharyn]

Thanks Will: I'm still experimenting with the light situation and trying to figure out if there's some way to measure it with my digital camera.

What kind of light meter are you using? Is it expensive? If not, where can I get one. Might work out better for me as I'm still new to this.

[Aniko]

Sharyn, I think you did the right thing moving the phals to higher temperature and light since they don't get direct sun.A shock of cold would hurt them.
I often move my phals to give them the light they need: on cloudy days next the window, on sunny days away from it in a shady place and some filtered sunshine. I try to protect the blooms from sun. They seem to accept happily the disturbance...As about humidity, now I have not much with all the heating, there is no bad consequences .
Aniko.

Moving the phals to a sunnier location will work if the plants are exposed to the light gradually, say over a period of several days, just as you would if you went on the beach. Also, moving the plant back from the light source, even a few inches, or to the right or to the left will lower the light strength considerably.