"Cool" Orchids

[Tobi]

Question for all growing cool growing orchids. (Masd., Maxillaria, Draculas).
Where do you keep them and what are the temperatures you grow them at?
Am especially interested in anyone growing Disas'.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

I have been told that if you can slip the plastic pot into a fairly close fitting clay pot, and keep the clay pot wet, insuring not to suck water into the plastic pot, that you can grow Masdies in warmer environments so long as their roots are kept cool this way.

[Tobi]

Very interesting. Thanks for the info Cynthia

[jerrymeola]

The best thing for cool loving orchids and all orchids is plenty of air circulation.

[Tobi]

Jerry,
I have a huge ceiling fan and plenty of windows that open in my 4 season
room where the "kids" are.

[Vivienne]

Tobi - while I've only had my Masds for a few months, they are growing like weeds. Just added a Restrepia to the shelf. Temps range from 63-72 with a humidity range of 68-80%.

Here is a pic of my setup. I hope you can make sense of it. (BTW - the area is far more crowded these days). I'll have to take a new pic sometime.

[Tobi]

Thanks Vivienne. My concern is the winter temps since the warmer orchids
need the temp higher.

[Vivienne]

True - not sure what I'm going to do once the AC is off and the heater is on. My bedroom is always chilly in the winter so that is most likely where they will be relocated to.

[arleneg]

Hi Tobi,

I'm fairly new to growing Disas (1 1/2 month new) and found that they do fine in intermediate to warm temps. I have four. As an experiment, I placed two outdoors and two indoors. All four are doing fine. The important thing for the outdoors is keep the Disas under shade/dappled light. A short period of eastern sun is fine. But the rest of the day, shade helps to keep the Disa cool. Plus, I keep my Disas (indoors and outdoors) in a pan of RO or distilled water. Once in a while, I mix in a little amount of municipal water. Every few days, I change the water to keep it 'fresh'. When it comes to air movement, we get a lot of breeze outdoors; indoors, I have my fan on 24/7 in the orchid room. When the weather gets hot (mid 90F and above), I mist my Disas, indoors and out.

I'm the second person in my local orchid society to grow Disas. The other member also has the same growing environment as I do -- warm, dry weather, etc. His Disas are growing beautifully!

For more Disa culture, go to:

http://worchard.home.comcast.net/disaculture.htm

Or, feel free to PM me. I'll try my best to answer your questions. If not, I can consult my fellow Disa grower in my local orchid society.

[Tobi]

Arlene,
Thanks so much for the info and the link. I've always wanted to try growing
them, but was hesitant because of their tricky culture. Guess I'll do alittle
more research and give it a try. Keep me posted on how yours are doing
down the road.
Tobi

[kmarch]

I only have a few Masdevallias and in summer I keep them cool by reducing the light, keeping them moist, higher humidity, lots of air circulation. Summers in Australia (Melbourne) can hover around 35-40C (95-105F) for weeks. My Massies don't thrive in this, but they do not get too stressed either and continue to grow and bloom.

[Tobi]

Thanks Kevin. I guess good air circulation is the key here from all the posts.

[arleneg]

Tobi,

I was hesitant at first. But after talking to the other orchid society member about how he grows his, I decided to give it a try. So I bought two at an orchid fair and came home with four (won two from a raffle ). An added bonus to attending a 30-minute Disa session at the fair is watching the nursery grower divide Disas. I learned quite a bit in that short time.