Name one orchid that doesn't want at least a 10 degree change in day/night
temps in order to flower.

K Barrett

"Ray" wrote in message
...
First of all, not all plants benefit from a day-night temperature drop, so
depending on what you're growing, it might not be an issue. The same is
true of high light levels, but if you're sure about that, move them
gradually into higher light, or you could be setting them up for
significant
damage.

Having said that, probably the best way to keep critters at bay - short of
an enclosure - is the spray periodically with neem oil. It is an
"anti-feedant" akin to a true repellant - it tastes bad to bugs.

However, if your plants are near a window, leaving it open might be
sufficient. (I'm guessing you have screens, of course.)

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Books, Artwork, and Lots of Free Info!
.
"HFX guy" wrote in message
news:39AWc.201840$gE.123319@pd7tw3no...
Hi All,
So as a Newbie Orchid Enthusiast I have many questions. One of the ones
that keeps on bothering me relates to varying the temperature at night
for
the orchids. I am tempted to moving all of the orchids outdoors so that
they get the maximum difference in temperature between night and day and
not
to mention maximal light. But my biggest concern are the bugs that are
out
there. How does one go about keeping the bugs (and birds - I have way
too
many "visitors" on my balcony) away from your plants? Any suggestions
will
be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
Horace

Pick almost any yellow phalaenopsis hybrid, or ascocenda.

I have a Phal. bellina that started spiking for the first time this summer,
and it sure as hell didn't get any such treatment.

How about zygos? Mine always seem to bloom best in the middle of summer,
too.
--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Books, Artwork, and Lots of Free Info!
..
"K Barrett" wrote in message
news:kMSWc.39230$9d6.6767@attbi_s54...
Name one orchid that doesn't want at least a 10 degree change in day/night
temps in order to flower.

K Barrett

"Ray" wrote in message
...
First of all, not all plants benefit from a day-night temperature drop,
so
depending on what you're growing, it might not be an issue. The same is
true of high light levels, but if you're sure about that, move them
gradually into higher light, or you could be setting them up for
significant
damage.

Having said that, probably the best way to keep critters at bay - short
of
an enclosure - is the spray periodically with neem oil. It is an
"anti-feedant" akin to a true repellant - it tastes bad to bugs.

However, if your plants are near a window, leaving it open might be
sufficient. (I'm guessing you have screens, of course.)

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Books, Artwork, and Lots of Free Info!
.
"HFX guy" wrote in message
news:39AWc.201840$gE.123319@pd7tw3no...
Hi All,
So as a Newbie Orchid Enthusiast I have many questions. One of the
ones
that keeps on bothering me relates to varying the temperature at night
for
the orchids. I am tempted to moving all of the orchids outdoors so
that
they get the maximum difference in temperature between night and day
and
not
to mention maximal light. But my biggest concern are the bugs that
are
out
there. How does one go about keeping the bugs (and birds - I have way
too
many "visitors" on my balcony) away from your plants? Any suggestions
will
be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
Horace

My yellow phals are in a greenhouse where the day temps change from 60 to 85
over the year, they flower just fine. My Phla bellina justy opened, and has
been getting a diurnal fluctuation of 60 to 85 daily.
Zygos are grown outdoors where nature gives the a fluctuation of 60 to 90
here. I'm sure its cooler at night than during the day at your house too,
Ray.

K Barrett

"Ray" wrote in message
...
Pick almost any yellow phalaenopsis hybrid, or ascocenda.

I have a Phal. bellina that started spiking for the first time this
summer,
and it sure as hell didn't get any such treatment.

How about zygos? Mine always seem to bloom best in the middle of summer,
too.
--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Books, Artwork, and Lots of Free Info!
.
"K Barrett" wrote in message
news:kMSWc.39230$9d6.6767@attbi_s54...
Name one orchid that doesn't want at least a 10 degree change in
day/night
temps in order to flower.

K Barrett

"Ray" wrote in message
...
First of all, not all plants benefit from a day-night temperature
drop,
so
depending on what you're growing, it might not be an issue. The same
is
true of high light levels, but if you're sure about that, move them
gradually into higher light, or you could be setting them up for
significant
damage.

Having said that, probably the best way to keep critters at bay -
short
of
an enclosure - is the spray periodically with neem oil. It is an
"anti-feedant" akin to a true repellant - it tastes bad to bugs.

However, if your plants are near a window, leaving it open might be
sufficient. (I'm guessing you have screens, of course.)

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Books, Artwork, and Lots of Free Info!
.
"HFX guy" wrote in message
news:39AWc.201840$gE.123319@pd7tw3no...
Hi All,
So as a Newbie Orchid Enthusiast I have many questions. One of the
ones
that keeps on bothering me relates to varying the temperature at
night
for
the orchids. I am tempted to moving all of the orchids outdoors so
that
they get the maximum difference in temperature between night and day
and
not
to mention maximal light. But my biggest concern are the bugs that
are
out
there. How does one go about keeping the bugs (and birds - I have
way
too
many "visitors" on my balcony) away from your plants? Any
suggestions
will
be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
Horace

My yellow phals are in a greenhouse where the day temps change from 60 to 85
over the year, they flower just fine. My Phla bellina justy opened, and has
been getting a diurnal fluctuation of 60 to 85 daily.
Zygos are grown outdoors where nature gives the a fluctuation of 60 to 90
here. I'm sure its cooler at night than during the day at your house too,
Ray.

K Barrett

"Ray" wrote in message
...
Pick almost any yellow phalaenopsis hybrid, or ascocenda.

I have a Phal. bellina that started spiking for the first time this
summer,
and it sure as hell didn't get any such treatment.

How about zygos? Mine always seem to bloom best in the middle of summer,
too.
--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Books, Artwork, and Lots of Free Info!
.
"K Barrett" wrote in message
news:kMSWc.39230$9d6.6767@attbi_s54...
Name one orchid that doesn't want at least a 10 degree change in
day/night
temps in order to flower.

K Barrett

"Ray" wrote in message
...
First of all, not all plants benefit from a day-night temperature
drop,
so
depending on what you're growing, it might not be an issue. The same
is
true of high light levels, but if you're sure about that, move them
gradually into higher light, or you could be setting them up for
significant
damage.

Having said that, probably the best way to keep critters at bay -
short
of
an enclosure - is the spray periodically with neem oil. It is an
"anti-feedant" akin to a true repellant - it tastes bad to bugs.

However, if your plants are near a window, leaving it open might be
sufficient. (I'm guessing you have screens, of course.)

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Books, Artwork, and Lots of Free Info!
.
"HFX guy" wrote in message
news:39AWc.201840$gE.123319@pd7tw3no...
Hi All,
So as a Newbie Orchid Enthusiast I have many questions. One of the
ones
that keeps on bothering me relates to varying the temperature at
night
for
the orchids. I am tempted to moving all of the orchids outdoors so
that
they get the maximum difference in temperature between night and day
and
not
to mention maximal light. But my biggest concern are the bugs that
are
out
there. How does one go about keeping the bugs (and birds - I have
way
too
many "visitors" on my balcony) away from your plants? Any
suggestions
will
be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
Horace

"K Barrett" wrote in message news:kMSWc.39230$9d6.6767@attbi_s54...
Name one orchid that doesn't want at least a 10 degree change in day/night
temps in order to flower.

Want or need? Off the top of my head...

Phalaenopsis bellina and P. violacea
Chiloschista lunifera
Psychopsis papilio
Oncidium Gower Ramsey
Cattleya walkeriana
Paphiopedilum (various mottled leaf species)
Polystachya pubescens
Polystachya vulcanica
Brassia verrucosa
Dendrobium antennatum
Cirrhopetalum curtisii
Sophronitis cernua
Neostylis Lou Sneary
Stenoglottis fimbriata

All bloomed reliably for me under lights without a significant
temperature drop at night. I'd suggest that the majority of lowland
tropical orchids do not require a temperature drop to initiate
blooming. Blooming could be triggered by a variety of stimuli:
increased light simulating defoliation of deciduous trees in the dry
season, reduction in watering, subtle changes in day length, or simply
maturation of the newest growth.

Plants from monsoonal climates are probably more likely to bloom in
response to cooling. Some orchids do bloom reliably after a sudden
drop in temperature (Dendrobium crumenatum, for example), and
certainly a temperature drop in the autumn may help others
(cymbidiums, hybrid phals) to spike, but there are lots that don't
require it. Since cooler temperatures in the autumn usually come
bundled with shorter days and reduced fertilizing, I think its unclear
exactly what the plants are responding too.

Orchids that are CAM plants may require a temperature drop for
efficient photosynthesis, and highland tropical plants will want
cooler temperatures at night. But those are daily, not seasonal,
requirements and are not directly linked to initiation of blooming.

Nick
--

"Myrmecodia" wrote in message
om...
"K Barrett" wrote in message
news:kMSWc.39230$9d6.6767@attbi_s54...
Name one orchid that doesn't want at least a 10 degree change in
day/night
temps in order to flower.

Want or need? Off the top of my head...

Phalaenopsis bellina and P. violacea
Chiloschista lunifera
Psychopsis papilio
Oncidium Gower Ramsey
Cattleya walkeriana
Paphiopedilum (various mottled leaf species)
Polystachya pubescens
Polystachya vulcanica
Brassia verrucosa
Dendrobium antennatum
Cirrhopetalum curtisii
Sophronitis cernua
Neostylis Lou Sneary
Stenoglottis fimbriata

All bloomed reliably for me under lights without a significant
temperature drop at night. I'd suggest that the majority of lowland
tropical orchids do not require a temperature drop to initiate
blooming. Blooming could be triggered by a variety of stimuli:
increased light simulating defoliation of deciduous trees in the dry
season, reduction in watering, subtle changes in day length, or simply
maturation of the newest growth.

Plants from monsoonal climates are probably more likely to bloom in
response to cooling. Some orchids do bloom reliably after a sudden
drop in temperature (Dendrobium crumenatum, for example), and
certainly a temperature drop in the autumn may help others
(cymbidiums, hybrid phals) to spike, but there are lots that don't
require it. Since cooler temperatures in the autumn usually come
bundled with shorter days and reduced fertilizing, I think its unclear
exactly what the plants are responding too.

Orchids that are CAM plants may require a temperature drop for
efficient photosynthesis, and highland tropical plants will want
cooler temperatures at night. But those are daily, not seasonal,
requirements and are not directly linked to initiation of blooming.

Nick
--


Well I'm not going to dig my heels in on this point, and I will admit I
learned something, but I'll still bet that in nature its cooler at night
than it is during the day whereever these orchids come from. And was the
original poster talking about any of the plants on this list?

K Barrett

On Wed, 25 Aug 2004 15:48:26 GMT, K Barrett wrote:

"Myrmecodia" wrote in message
om...
"K Barrett" wrote in message
news:kMSWc.39230$9d6.6767@attbi_s54...
Name one orchid that doesn't want at least a 10 degree change in
day/night
temps in order to flower.

Want or need? Off the top of my head...

Phalaenopsis bellina and P. violacea
Chiloschista lunifera
Psychopsis papilio
Oncidium Gower Ramsey
Cattleya walkeriana
Paphiopedilum (various mottled leaf species)
Polystachya pubescens
Polystachya vulcanica
Brassia verrucosa
Dendrobium antennatum
Cirrhopetalum curtisii
Sophronitis cernua
Neostylis Lou Sneary
Stenoglottis fimbriata

All bloomed reliably for me under lights without a significant
temperature drop at night. I'd suggest that the majority of lowland
tropical orchids do not require a temperature drop to initiate
blooming. Blooming could be triggered by a variety of stimuli:
increased light simulating defoliation of deciduous trees in the dry
season, reduction in watering, subtle changes in day length, or simply
maturation of the newest growth.

Plants from monsoonal climates are probably more likely to bloom in
response to cooling. Some orchids do bloom reliably after a sudden
drop in temperature (Dendrobium crumenatum, for example), and
certainly a temperature drop in the autumn may help others
(cymbidiums, hybrid phals) to spike, but there are lots that don't
require it. Since cooler temperatures in the autumn usually come
bundled with shorter days and reduced fertilizing, I think its unclear
exactly what the plants are responding too.

Orchids that are CAM plants may require a temperature drop for
efficient photosynthesis, and highland tropical plants will want
cooler temperatures at night. But those are daily, not seasonal,
requirements and are not directly linked to initiation of blooming.

Nick
--


Well I'm not going to dig my heels in on this point, and I will admit I
learned something, but I'll still bet that in nature its cooler at night
than it is during the day whereever these orchids come from. And was the
original poster talking about any of the plants on this list?

K Barrett

Kathy, you are spot on! What happens when the sun goes down? Cheers Wendy

Depending on where you are and what the current weather conditions are,
possibly not much at all.

My point was that the plants may not NEED the day/night drop, which was
Kathy's query. Nobody was arguing that they might EXPERIENCE such a change.
Our plants may experience a slug onslaught every now and then, but I
challenge anyone to tell me they NEED it!

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Books, Artwork, and Lots of Free Info!
..
"Wendy" wrote in message
...

Kathy, you are spot on! What happens when the sun goes down? Cheers Wendy

"K Barrett" wrote in message news:ex2Xc.307890$a24.123473@attbi_s03...

Well I'm not going to dig my heels in on this point, and I will admit I
learned something, but I'll still bet that in nature its cooler at night
than it is during the day wherever these orchids come from.

You're probably right, and if you can give them a day/night
temperature difference, you may well be able to grow a wider variety
of orchids successfully. I was simply responding to the idea that all
orchids require a day/night temperature difference to bloom.

I guess we should also distinguish between diurnal temperature
differences (sometimes but not always required for healthy growth) and
seasonal temperature differences (sometimes but not always required
for blooming).

And was the original poster talking about any of the plants on this
list?

He doesn't seem to have mentioned any particular plants.

regards,
Nick
--

On Wed, 25 Aug 2004 15:48:26 GMT, K Barrett wrote:

"Myrmecodia" wrote in message
om...
"K Barrett" wrote in message
news:kMSWc.39230$9d6.6767@attbi_s54...
Name one orchid that doesn't want at least a 10 degree change in
day/night
temps in order to flower.

Want or need? Off the top of my head...

Phalaenopsis bellina and P. violacea
Chiloschista lunifera
Psychopsis papilio
Oncidium Gower Ramsey
Cattleya walkeriana
Paphiopedilum (various mottled leaf species)
Polystachya pubescens
Polystachya vulcanica
Brassia verrucosa
Dendrobium antennatum
Cirrhopetalum curtisii
Sophronitis cernua
Neostylis Lou Sneary
Stenoglottis fimbriata

All bloomed reliably for me under lights without a significant
temperature drop at night. I'd suggest that the majority of lowland
tropical orchids do not require a temperature drop to initiate
blooming. Blooming could be triggered by a variety of stimuli:
increased light simulating defoliation of deciduous trees in the dry
season, reduction in watering, subtle changes in day length, or simply
maturation of the newest growth.

Plants from monsoonal climates are probably more likely to bloom in
response to cooling. Some orchids do bloom reliably after a sudden
drop in temperature (Dendrobium crumenatum, for example), and
certainly a temperature drop in the autumn may help others
(cymbidiums, hybrid phals) to spike, but there are lots that don't
require it. Since cooler temperatures in the autumn usually come
bundled with shorter days and reduced fertilizing, I think its unclear
exactly what the plants are responding too.

Orchids that are CAM plants may require a temperature drop for
efficient photosynthesis, and highland tropical plants will want
cooler temperatures at night. But those are daily, not seasonal,
requirements and are not directly linked to initiation of blooming.

Nick
--


Well I'm not going to dig my heels in on this point, and I will admit I
learned something, but I'll still bet that in nature its cooler at night
than it is during the day whereever these orchids come from. And was the
original poster talking about any of the plants on this list?

K Barrett

Kathy, you are spot on! What happens when the sun goes down? Cheers Wendy

"Myrmecodia" wrote in message
om...
"K Barrett" wrote in message
news:kMSWc.39230$9d6.6767@attbi_s54...
Name one orchid that doesn't want at least a 10 degree change in
day/night
temps in order to flower.

Want or need? Off the top of my head...

Phalaenopsis bellina and P. violacea
Chiloschista lunifera
Psychopsis papilio
Oncidium Gower Ramsey
Cattleya walkeriana
Paphiopedilum (various mottled leaf species)
Polystachya pubescens
Polystachya vulcanica
Brassia verrucosa
Dendrobium antennatum
Cirrhopetalum curtisii
Sophronitis cernua
Neostylis Lou Sneary
Stenoglottis fimbriata

All bloomed reliably for me under lights without a significant
temperature drop at night. I'd suggest that the majority of lowland
tropical orchids do not require a temperature drop to initiate
blooming. Blooming could be triggered by a variety of stimuli:
increased light simulating defoliation of deciduous trees in the dry
season, reduction in watering, subtle changes in day length, or simply
maturation of the newest growth.

Plants from monsoonal climates are probably more likely to bloom in
response to cooling. Some orchids do bloom reliably after a sudden
drop in temperature (Dendrobium crumenatum, for example), and
certainly a temperature drop in the autumn may help others
(cymbidiums, hybrid phals) to spike, but there are lots that don't
require it. Since cooler temperatures in the autumn usually come
bundled with shorter days and reduced fertilizing, I think its unclear
exactly what the plants are responding too.

Orchids that are CAM plants may require a temperature drop for
efficient photosynthesis, and highland tropical plants will want
cooler temperatures at night. But those are daily, not seasonal,
requirements and are not directly linked to initiation of blooming.

Nick
--


Well I'm not going to dig my heels in on this point, and I will admit I
learned something, but I'll still bet that in nature its cooler at night
than it is during the day whereever these orchids come from. And was the
original poster talking about any of the plants on this list?

K Barrett

K Barrett wrote:

Name one orchid that doesn't want at least a 10 degree change in day/night
temps in order to flower.



Many phalaenopsis and most Maudiae type paphs will bloom without a
day/night differential. That's a start. I would agree that they
probably bloom better and more frequently if given the proper diurnal
range. I think this came up a while ago on another topic, but I will
paraphrase - many modern hybrids have had 'stupid' bred into them - at
least when it comes to responding to their normal environmental cues.

All that said, I don't know of many environments where there isn't
some sort of diurnal change in temperatures. Even in a house it is
usually a little cooler at night. It may not be 10 degrees cooler though.

Rob

--
Rob's Rules: http://www.msu.edu/~halgren
1) There is always room for one more orchid
2) There is always room for two more orchids
2a. See rule 1
3) When one has insufficient credit to purchase
more orchids, obtain more credit
LittlefrogFarm is open - e-mail me for a list )

"Rob Halgren" wrote in message
...
K Barrett wrote:

Name one orchid that doesn't want at least a 10 degree change in
day/night
temps in order to flower.



Many phalaenopsis and most Maudiae type paphs will bloom without a
day/night differential. That's a start. I would agree that they
probably bloom better and more frequently if given the proper diurnal
range. I think this came up a while ago on another topic, but I will
paraphrase - many modern hybrids have had 'stupid' bred into them - at
least when it comes to responding to their normal environmental cues.

All that said, I don't know of many environments where there isn't
some sort of diurnal change in temperatures. Even in a house it is
usually a little cooler at night. It may not be 10 degrees cooler though.

Rob

--
Rob's Rules: http://www.msu.edu/~halgren
1) There is always room for one more orchid
2) There is always room for two more orchids
2a. See rule 1
3) When one has insufficient credit to purchase
more orchids, obtain more credit
LittlefrogFarm is open - e-mail me for a list )

Thanks Rob.

K

"Rob Halgren" wrote in message
...
K Barrett wrote:

Name one orchid that doesn't want at least a 10 degree change in
day/night
temps in order to flower.



Many phalaenopsis and most Maudiae type paphs will bloom without a
day/night differential. That's a start. I would agree that they
probably bloom better and more frequently if given the proper diurnal
range. I think this came up a while ago on another topic, but I will
paraphrase - many modern hybrids have had 'stupid' bred into them - at
least when it comes to responding to their normal environmental cues.

All that said, I don't know of many environments where there isn't
some sort of diurnal change in temperatures. Even in a house it is
usually a little cooler at night. It may not be 10 degrees cooler though.

Rob

--
Rob's Rules: http://www.msu.edu/~halgren
1) There is always room for one more orchid
2) There is always room for two more orchids
2a. See rule 1
3) When one has insufficient credit to purchase
more orchids, obtain more credit
LittlefrogFarm is open - e-mail me for a list )

Thanks Rob.

K

K Barrett wrote:

Name one orchid that doesn't want at least a 10 degree change in day/night
temps in order to flower.



Many phalaenopsis and most Maudiae type paphs will bloom without a
day/night differential. That's a start. I would agree that they
probably bloom better and more frequently if given the proper diurnal
range. I think this came up a while ago on another topic, but I will
paraphrase - many modern hybrids have had 'stupid' bred into them - at
least when it comes to responding to their normal environmental cues.

All that said, I don't know of many environments where there isn't
some sort of diurnal change in temperatures. Even in a house it is
usually a little cooler at night. It may not be 10 degrees cooler though.

Rob

--
Rob's Rules: http://www.msu.edu/~halgren
1) There is always room for one more orchid
2) There is always room for two more orchids
2a. See rule 1
3) When one has insufficient credit to purchase
more orchids, obtain more credit
LittlefrogFarm is open - e-mail me for a list )