Will an orchid do okay in non-tropical conditions?

[pitcherday]

Hi!

I have been reading lots of stuff on how to keep an orchid happy. Most of the sites say that the night time temperature should be around 70 degrees and daytime temps much higher.

Well, it is winter here in the northern plains states, and as much as Alliant Energy would love for me to keep my house at 75 degrees all the time, it not gonna happen

Will it be able to thrive in my non-tropical, non-greenhouse environment?

[JudyC]

I live in Ontario, Canada - and can tell you mine are doing well. I have mine in a room with a southern exposure.

Hi light loving are in the front, those with less loving light conditions are behind the higher loving ones, or further from the window.

Each one of my orchids are on humidity trays (stones purchased at our local dollar store). The sunroom has NO heat ducts. It gets it's warmth from the huge windows in that room and the heat from the rest of the house. My room has been a constant 73-76' daytime/48-50% humidity, evening temps range from 60-65' - humidity drops a little.

This sunroom is the same room my main computer is too...and find it very comfortable Tonight's temps in here is presently 72' and 43%.

So far so good, they have to live in my world within reason.

Hydro rates are through the roof up here, so I will always be a "windowsill grower". I just try to provide the best I can, and will only buy plants that could do with these conditions.

This is my little orchid world and loving it

[chidfix]

Hi Dayna, I'm not sure what type of orchid you are trying to keep happy and by no means am I any kind of expert. What I do know is there are several types of orchids that grow well in cooler temps. maybe some of the experts on here can point you in the right direction. I would like to grow some masdevallias or miltonia but cant keep them cool enough in my tropical zone. You may be able to in Iowa.

[sunshine]

Yes, yes,yes. I grow strictly in my windowsills and live in the Northeast. I have catts, dens,phals,milts,paphs and a few others. The catt in my sign line was grown in the kitchen window. My house is between 65-72. Humidity isn't great this time of the year unless I run a humidifier. Right now humidity is 28% and with a humidifier I get maybe 40% I use the humidity trays. I go to Lowes or Home Depot and get a bag of pea gravel for not very much. Put it in an colander and rinse it real well. Learn which windows get bright, indirect low light or a combination of light. Study the culture sheets of the orchids you are interested in. I adjust my watering to the seasons and temps. Here is the AOS culture sheets to help you. Ask that's how I learned.

AOS Culture Sheets

The 2 living room windows
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These are some I have grown in these windows
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[chidfix]

Sunshine That Paph is awesome! What is it. I need to have it!

[orchids4me]

Humidity here isn't always good. I too add humidity trays in the summer they are in full force use. I grow in a eas facing window. But I have more plants than window now so I grow under lights. Winters with the gas heater (no thermostate 1950's style) so it can get dry and temps can fluxuate but so far so good only had a few plants complain (cooler growers in winter mostly) when they act up I move them to a cooler location. But other than that. Tweaking the grow space helps to keep them happy

[Leafmite]

As long as home temps stay above 60'-65'F, you can grow most tropical plants, no problem, including orchids. Having many plants helps me with the humidity aspect. With the cooler temps, the trick is to either grow tropicals rootbound or in a fast draining, open, media to avoid root rot. If your house is cooler than 60'F in winter but hot in the summer, look for orchids that come from climates similar (neos, vanda coerulescens, etc.). Good luck!

[tangers40]

although i keep my house warm (70) all day long, even in winter, i wouldn't exactly call where i live a "tropical environment" lol! i grow all my orchids indoors for obvious reasons (i.e. orchids and snow don't get along so well) and i would say that i have some that are thriving. humidity, in my opinion, is not really as necessary as some believe.....the humidity here in the winter never gets above 20% and hardly over 40% in the summer, and as long as i keep my plants well watered, they never know the difference.

[sunshine]

Originally Posted by chidfix

Sunshine That Paph is awesome! What is it. I need to have it!

This is a multifloral. This had 3 blooms on it. This one of my favorite paphs Very easy grower, at least for me.

Paph. Avalon Pearl
(delenatil 'Morning Pink' x Avalon Mist 'Sunshine')

[Ray]

Some will do fine, others will suffer in your conditions.

The key Dayna, is to analyze the conditions that you can easily provide, and find orchids that prefer that.

Consider daytime and nighttime temperatures and humidity, as well as light levels (probably the easiest thing to artificially supplement, if you have to), then add in seasonal variation to them. Finally, consider your own traits - are you likely to want to "mess with them" a lot, or are you more likely to want them to get by with minimal attention?

[pitcherday]

Thanks for the answers, everyone. I have one white phal at the moment, but after these answers, I am like "I want that one... and THAT one, AND THAT one too!"

[sunshine]

Originally Posted by pitcherday

Thanks for the answers, everyone. I have one white phal at the moment, but after these answers, I am like "I want that one... and THAT one, AND THAT one too!"

[tangers40]

Originally Posted by pitcherday

Thanks for the answers, everyone. I have one white phal at the moment, but after these answers, I am like "I want that one... and THAT one, AND THAT one too!"

welcome to your new addiction

believe me, we've all been there. i was given my first plant as a gift. it's been all downhill from there

[bett]

unless someone is taking a shower in my extra bathroom, the only humidity is from each orchid next to each other.and trust me, my house in the winter time is not anywhere near 70degrees .i admit, on a sunny day the skylight may warm that room a bit, but it's probably not more than 68 degrees, 7 months of the year.

[trev]

This maybe a little late reply but just adding it in. I have added early last year an indoor tabletop fountain. It seems to have helped my indoor plants, orchids and non-orchids. And grouping them around or near the fountain helps provide humidity too. Ideally it would be nice to have the orchids in a humidity tray, but some of my 'chids pots are in a vertical post so a bit difficult to have a humidity tray. So I opted for the indoor fountain. My plants are in a west facing window and by the north/northwest facing sliding doors. In winter as the city trees go deciduous we get a bit more sunshine just in time to keep the plants and the room a bit warmer.

[vanessa]

In the second picture, what is planted in the glass vase? Just curious, I have thought about doing that too.

Originally Posted by trev

This maybe a little late reply but just adding it in. I have added early last year an indoor tabletop fountain. It seems to have helped my indoor plants, orchids and non-orchids. And grouping them around or near the fountain helps provide humidity too. Ideally it would be nice to have the orchids in a humidity tray, but some of my 'chids pots are in a vertical post so a bit difficult to have a humidity tray. So I opted for the indoor fountain. My plants are in a west facing window and by the north/northwest facing sliding doors. In winter as the city trees go deciduous we get a bit more sunshine just in time to keep the plants and the room a bit warmer.

[digriz]

I live in Chicago and keep my house at around 70 all year. Phals, Paphs, Dens, Oncs all are doing fine. I could probably do with a bit more humidity, but there is only so much I can do about that.

[trev]

Originally Posted by vanessa

In the second picture, what is planted in the glass vase? Just curious, I have thought about doing that too.

Oh that is a paperwhite ziva bulb that I have forced to bloom during winter. I was experimenting using water gel beads with some rocks to hold up the bulb. It worked only on 1 of my 4 bulbs, and took a real long time to bloom, compared to Amaryllis bulbs that I have similarly forced bloom.