I've been worried...

[Olive Cook]

It's been getting so cold in my house despite my efforts to keep it warm, I've been really worried about how my Dens were going to handle it...
This evening i was going about my weekly watering of the Dens, and I found 2 new growths on one! Only one is large enough to take a picture of, the other is still just a nub and I don't have zoom on my camera. The larger one as actually IN the pot, under the LECA, so I cut some roots back and repotted it so it was out of the medium. And I've also decided to share the progress of the otther new growth I found several weeks ago...
Pic one is of the one I found today inside the pot, and the others are of the progress over the last month or so

[orchidea]

Great news! Looks good...
I don't think you should worry about the temperature if it toesn't get below 55F, I think. I hope it's much better during the day in your house. I think Dens can be OK with temps going down to 50-55 at night if they get 60-70 during the day. I have mine sitting at the window where it was getting to 50 maybe even lower during the night, and they are fine.....
I don't think you should worry about your new growth being inside LECA. It will find it's way through, it's looking for light and air...... Water stays low in LECA so you can pot deeper, usually.
I have noticed actually less I worry and attend my chids better they do...
I have so many of them now that I don't have time for all of them, so they started acting much better.....
Good growing! Enjoy you Dens! I told you they are easy.....

[Olive Cook]

I'm not sure how cold EXACTLY it gets in my house, but in my bedroom last night (no orchids in there) I tried to pull the pillow out from between the bed and the wall and it was FROZEN to the wall!!! Even with a heater less than 4' away!
We've had -0 temps outside at night, but it's warming up now

[orchidea]

Originally Posted by Olive Cook

.........I tried to pull the pillow out from between the bed and the wall and it was FROZEN to the wall!!! Even with a heater less than 4' away!..

Ouch!!!!!!.... That IS cold....
Put your orchids in the middle of the room then....
I am glad your temps are going up!

[orchidlover55]

Originally Posted by Olive Cook

I'm not sure how cold EXACTLY it gets in my house, but in my bedroom last night (no orchids in there) I tried to pull the pillow out from between the bed and the wall and it was FROZEN to the wall!!! Even with a heater less than 4' away!
We've had -0 temps outside at night, but it's warming up now

Oh No that is sooo cold inside your bedroom. Is that even safe for you to sleep in there? I would pull my bed out into the middle of the room and get me an electric blanket. Then I would try and put all my orchids up high somewhere. No where near a wall or window and they should be ok. I wish this weather would warm up so everyone would be ok.

[Olive Cook]

we have a heated mattress pad. That's the thing, it didn't FEEL that cold, but then there was the frozen pillow... we just live in a POS old house! Soon, that will be different

[sunshine]

Those new growths look good. In pic #4 when I look to the left of the new growth I see a little nub of green that looks like it might be another new growth. Just about all my dens have been putting out new growth

As for the temperature thing. I have found all my chids will tolerate down into the 40's. I put them outside in the spring after the danger of the last frost has passed. Usually Memorial weekend. Bring them back inside just before the first frost of the fall. This frost will come either with the full moon in Sept or Oct depending on the date. Remember the freezing point is 32 degrees F.

As for my house the furnace doesn't usually come until Oct. Then the thermostat is set at 50 degrees F. That's just enough to take the chill off. Now the thermostat is set at 68 degrees F until at least the end of April.

Orchids are tougher than you think

[Tarad]

I need to interject here as my orchids were in a window last winter when it -50 outside and the window was cold and frozen a little. I just pulled the orchids away from the window about 2 ft and they were fine. I had Phals however. Tara