supplemental heating

[exasperatus2002]

When you have seedlings, should you always use a heat mat with it? Do older orchids benefit from supplimental heating when grown in a residence as opposed to a greenhouse?

[Ron]

Hi.
Depends on what you are growing.
Say for example to grow Phallies, if your house regularly dropped below 60 F in winter to around 50 F or so.
I would defiantly say to run them on a heat pad or heat up the room.
My friend tryied this with his lot of Phallies from flasks.
First year they were all grown on heat pad in a Glass house (not indoors) with some heat supplied.
The all did well.
2nd year he potted them all up a size and about 1/2 only now could sit on the heat pads.
The ones not on the heat pad suffer a fair bit, resulting in him buying a new heat pad to sit them on.
The heat pad was set at about 75 F all year round.
We are learning all this together, all mine are now grown on a heat pad.
If the room was set at say, a minimum of 70F all year round i would say the heat pad was not necessary.
My experience at growing Phallies as for other types one would have to look at how they grow etc.
Cheerio
Ron