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pleurothallid-l - [pleurothallid-l] reply to Jeanne Schudel

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  • From: Joorchids@aol.com
  • To: pleurothallid-l@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [pleurothallid-l] reply to Jeanne Schudel
  • Date: Sun, 24 Aug 2003 18:33:54 EDT

Hi Jeanne..Yes..I do remember you too...it has been many years since I was involved with the old PA....but never lost my interest in the small stuff.  Carlo can attest to that.  I am located just south of Clearwater..out on the beaches.  Little place called Largo, right on the intercoastal.  The greenhouse is up on a ridge..one of the highest places around..which is good in that it gets alot of breeze but bad..because if there is a frost in the winter we get hit good!..The problem is not the winters, as I have heat in my greenhouses...but the summers where the temps go over 100degrees inside the greenhouse even with the roof coated with three coats of coolray paint.  I have 4 large fans and 2 smaller fans going in the main greenhouse, So have plenty of airmovement, plus the west and east wall are totally open to outside air during the warm months, although covered with shade cloth.

I have a misting system that runs once a day..keeping humidity at constant 90%.  I let it dry out considerably more in the cooler months.  My miniature orchids and all pleuro types grow on a vertical wall, that is 55 ft long by 5 ft. high,  the back of this wall is 4 inches of foam rubber..and I have a constant water drip set up to keep this wall wet.  It is on the north side and coolest side of greenhouse.  Most of these orchids are on rafts or mounts.  The temperature in this area is usually about 10 to 15 degrees cooler than the rest of the greenhouse.  I also have the top of the bench on the north wall totally covered with carpet foam padding..which also retains moisture and gives off constant humidity.  This means that bulbophyllums grow like weeds.  Believe it or not..it is in the winter that we have a hard time maintaining proper humidity levels..because of the high elevation of the ridge..this area is always much dryer that surrounding communities.  Unless of course we have those wonderful Forida rainfalls.  (almost daily in the summer). 

So...what I need is pleurothallids that will tolerate cold down to 45 in winter..and hot up to 100 degrees in the summer.  Humidity levels about 75% in the winter and 90 % in the summer.  I am slowly learning what grows well for me here..but it is new experience since I have only been in Florida with orchids for three years now.  Some of the loses were due to moving plants through the mountains of Tenn. in a snow storm in an unheated truck..gurrrrrrr.   Paphs, Phrags, Catts. Laelias, all grow extremely well..and even the brachy paphs bloom and grow well.  So..maybe this explains what my growing conditions are like..and will help to show you what I might be able to contend with.  I sure would love to get more Pleuro's as I loved the little critters madly.  I know there are also supposed to be warm growing Masd. around but haven't heard much about actual success with them. 

I might be forced to start looking for another Florist's refrigerator..as that sure was the ticket.  I could grow and bloom anything in that.  it was set for high 75 daytime..and low 55 night, humidity of 80% with constant airmovement.  6 vertical grow lights, and three horizontal.  everything was grown on vertical racks in clay pots.  (Anyone need several thousand miniature clay pots..haha?). 

Happy orchid growing...!   Jodi




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