Ted Byers wrote:
"Dave" wrote in message .com...

Frank,

That is why I built a greenhouse. I have a shade house and covered it with
plastic - when it was cold I used an electric heater. I still had problems
when the temp decided to drop below 32, last night it got to 28 here (the
gulf coast of central Florida). Good luck, wish you the best.
"Frank H. Kirchner" wrote in message
news
It's the worst cold snap here in Virginia in years! And the electricity
failed last night. The greenhouse temperature reistered a low of 34. Are
we a happy camper today!? :-( At least it wasn't truly freezing.



Hi guys,

You really call those temperatures cold? ;-) Those temperatures
sound positively balmy! Compare with central Ontario for a little
over the past week: -27 degrees Celcius at dawn! I see the
temperatures we just had as merely a little chilly: not too too bad if
you're dressed for it, and if you have a vehicle like mine which will
start easily regardless of the weather. A question of perspective,
and acclimatization, I suppose. ;-) The only problem I am seeing is
the dryness. My humidifier is going full blast, and still the
relative humidity indoors is only 40%!

I have seen an effect on some of my catts: the very tips of some of
the new pseudobulbs have turned black. There are no other symptoms
that I can see, and my phals (even the ones in bud) and dends seem to
be unaffected, but I am watching especially closely.

Cheers,

Ted

I am starting to see problems. I cannot keep my grow space consistently
warm and humid unless I run supplemental heat & humidity 24/7 (which I
do not do).

My Phals have basically stopped in their tracks. I have lost some small
buds that have just fallen off. The larger ones that were further
advanced are at a stand still.

I like it when the sun comes out. In the afternoon it helps the
temperatures go up on their own.

I lost my job beginning in January, so I am hesitant on running up my
electric bill. If I were working, it would be a different story. I
estimate that the heater and humidifier runs @10-12 hours a day.

My plants are in a sun room, but the architect didn't put enough heating
vents to compensate for the windows (it is hotter than h@ll in summer
even with the air conditioner on and I have overhangs to block out some
of the sun).