need a little advice

[G_THUMBS]

ok my question is this,ive been growing my phals outside here in the mountaibs of NC.And i must say with all the great threads and advice from all of you orchid geeks there doing very well !!!my question is when should i bring them in,and is there anything special i need to do to insure they remain healhy and happy??thanks in advance for your advice

[kmarch]

Phals don't like temps below about 60F so the answer as to when to beign them in is whenever it starts getting close or around 60F at night.

[pikevi]

I think many orchids can handle 10C (50F) for a short period of time. If it is going to be a prolonged exposure ( like the onset of fall/winter I think it will be better to bring them inside when the temp. drops to about 12C(54F).

This is not my experience and I am hardly an expert. But this what I gathered over the last few months.

I plan to bring all of mine indoor at the middle of oct. when the outside temp. may be around 15C (59F), as kmarch suggested.

Some may require 'acclimatization'. I try to bring some of them indoors at nights. It is a hard work.

[G_THUMBS]

Thanks for the advice,1 other question does the use of propane gas inside for heat have any ill effects on the phals?also would a temp of say 65 to 70 F during the day inside be warm eneough for my phals?

[mayres]

I don't have a greenhouse, but it seems I have heard that propane heat is not a good choice? I'm sure others will chime in soon.
In regards to your temperature question - phals will survive with no problem in that temp range, but they will not change much until you warm it up some. Another five degrees would be much better. Maximum growth of phals actually occurs even warmer - 80's. Commercial growers keep their phals in the 80's (even high 80's or low 90's) to maximize growth - at least that is what I read. My phals do the majority of their growing during the warm months - so it seems to hold true for the home grower. One winter I kept them on the cool side - low 60's - and they essentially turned into "plastic" plants until spring. Good luck! mike

[chefatplay]

GT, I would imagine your gas heat would suck a lot of the humidity out of the air. I am going through that problem right now with A/C in the FL heat. I have repotted with, what I call sphag blankets, around the roots to keep moisture in more than 24 hours. So far, I have noticed 3 days instead. Good luck. I think 65 to 70 F will be fine as this is the dormant time for them.

[heatherbear10]

I have multiple phals mounted to a tree outside. I live in Central FL where we typically get 2-3 freeze warnings per year. Otherwise it's down into the 40's-50's at night. I never do anything with them unless there's a freeze warning, then I just wrap them up in a washcloth or spanish moss and I haven't lost a leaf or a bud spike in 2 years. They're tougher than you think!

[pikevi]

I do not have any personal experience with propane heating and plants.

The problem may arise if there is insufficient oxygen to burn the gas because it WILL produce carbon monoxide (CO) instead of carbon dioxide(CO2). Incomplete burning of the gas can cause some serious problems to people ( CO forms an irreversible bond with blood pigments)

I don't know if there will be any ill-effects on the plants if there is a bit of leak of the gas.

[kmarch]

When you say you heat with propane you mean you have a propane furnace, probably forced heated air heating, right? If so, I don't think fumes will be an issue unless your venting is bad in which case you're in danger yourself. Forced dry air heat though will reduce your humidity possibly making it necessary to use humidity trays and possible water more depending on other factors.

[Orchidflowerchild]

I used a propane heater in my old GH. You just have to keep them clean and serviced. As long as they can burn clean, propane is a very clean heat source.

Originally Posted by http://www.propanecouncil.org

Since propane emits less carbon dioxide per Btu than gasoline, residential fuel, coal, kerosene, jet fuel, and diesel fuel when burned, propane is an excellent fuel for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases.

Problems of leaking proane or blocked gas jets are a problem on the part of the owner.

-Cj

[Hummer344]

Propane is clean burning but, as with any gas/oil burning heater, it must be ventilated well. Dryness would certainly be a problem and would have to be addressed.

I have an eclectic group of orchids and I bring all of them, except the cyms, in in Oct or Nov as the nights get down below 50. Last year it was in Nov. I live south of San Francisco and the fall weather can be nice a warm, even at night.