In article 1GNgd.1327$pY6.431@trnddc04, J Fortuna
wrote:

"dd" wrote in message
...
snip
Your best bet at
this time of year is probably to put the plant in front of a
south-facing window and supplement that light with a spot grow light.
Make sure that your plant is not too getting too warm during the day
when the sun shines through the glass (you don't want to cook the
leaves) nor too close to the window at night, when the leaves could get
too cold.

dd,
Is Mike (or are you?) in the Southern Hemisphere? If not, then putting a
Phalaenopsis in a Southern window will be too much (unless there is a sheer
curtain there or the plant is far enough away from the window), and adding a
spot grow light beyond that would be overkill. It's a Phal not a cattleya,
and so if it's in a window it won't need artificial light unless it's a
Northern window ... unless of course you are in the Southern hemisphere, and
your Southern window is like my Northern window, and in that case your
advice is exactly what I am doing in the other hemisphere. But before Mike
invests in grow spotlights, I would like to make sure that he does not have
an Eastern or a Western window, in which case sunlight should be enough
without grow lights ... until he has so many orchids that he can't crowd
them all in front of the windows.
Joanna


He's in Canada, and I'm in New England. The sun is very weak this time
of year in this latitude, and the temperatures are not hot. On the very
brightest days, I check for leaves that might be too warm, but there
are not many of those days, and usually even on bright days, with my
windows, I don't need any protection via a curtain. (BTW, the catts and
dendrobiums are are closest to the windows--and they do not mind full
sun at all--very cool air coming off of the windows are another
matter.) Overall, the days are very short and most are overcast. Simply
put, it's a dark and dismal time of year for New Englanders, probably
more so for Mike, and using a sheer curtain would cut down on the
available light, such as it is. My concern would be that his plants are
right next to or touching the glass, which could be a bad thing.
Anyway, my plants do not need a curtain at this time of year, and I
doubt that Mike's do either--If I lived in Florida, it would be a very
different matter. From now until the vernal equinox, natural light is
in short supply. After that, it's a different ballgame.