Why can't they come inside? It was freezing last night, any plants outside would be dead.

Jane

Probably they aren't housebroken. If he has an SO like my ex he would probably rather have tender parts of his anatomy covered in honey beside an anthill than allow the beastmaster to find a watermark on the parquet floors. I wish I had more sympathy, however, it simply isn't that hard to train modern hybrids in the use of the potting mix or humidity tray. Even recalcitrant species like C. mossiae can be made to confine their exudate to those times when the drip trays are out on watering day. If I have a highly strung species or hybrid I sometimes find placing it next to one that is naturally submissive and eager to please helps to reinforce the message that life is better when The Grower is happy. There are commercial greenhouses that will board orchids for a fee but usually only if they are properly housetrained. Finding a private greenhouse owner who doesn't already have his/her space maxxed out will probably prove well nigh impossible.

H

I had to LOL at howard's commentary. Do you live near a university/institution that has a greenhouse? I made friends with the guys who run the green house here at my university, and they offered to over winter plants for me (I declined, simply because I wouldn't have enough control over the plants...I am inclined to drop off my one cool grower in their 'temperate zone' room).

Lucky for H the bee population is declining. :-))

I looked into that during "Howard's Light". The commercial G/H's refused. They were afraid of bugs and virus. Don't blame them. Don't know how universites would feel about that, an idea worth investigating. Maybe one of the SUNY's. I don't have any house-trained orchids. The rogues have the run of the place

Good Luck! You too H!

Clara

Hi - Sorry for my belated response. The temp. here at my house hasn't gotten below 37F, and my orchids (mostly Phals) have adapted to at least staying alive in weather this cold. I have them in this little greenhouse "thing" now. Here's the link: http://littlegreenhouse.com/flowerhouse-dream.shtml

I put hot water in big plastic containers at night to keep it a bit warmer in there. Anyhow, I still haven't had any luck. It seems everyone who has a greenhouse has it filled to overflowing, which is really what I expected. Oh yeah, I can't bring them inside because of my parents. They're paranoid there's gonna be mold or water damage. Plus, they hate orchids. I'm pretty much out of options. I suppose I could see if SUNY Farmingdale has a greenhouse. I don't think any schools on Long Island would have any. I'm gonna try to contact some orchid societies in the area to see if they can help me out at all.

Jason

Yikes - 37 degrees will be their demise surely! Seems like alot of complicated trouble you're going through with just to keep these plants alive, but sometimes the simplest solution may be the best..in this case, I would just smuggle the plants into your room and grow them there. :P

Nah, it is 32 degrees, not 37, that will be their demise! Phals are pretty adaptable if they are able to adapt slowly and gradually. Unfortunately, I can't just smuggle them into my room because my parents will still not allow me to take that many plants into my room because of the reasons I mentioned before. No matter what I tell them, and how I say I'll make sure my room does NOT become humid, they will not be convinced. They put down their feet, and they will not open their minds. I think the real reason is that they want me to communicate more with people and try to find connections in my area with orchid growers because they think I'm too solitary. (That, and becuase they don't want their house to be "overrun" by orchids, even if they're all in my room because it's still their house, and they can make up the rules.) It's all so silly how they still NEED to control my life and be hyper-involved in it. Well, I've already spoken with one orchid grower in my area who belongs to an orchid society and knows other people who grow orchids in the area, and of course she had absolutely no room in her greenhouse, and none of her friends do either.

Now I feel bad bout my earlier flippancy. Too many issues here that are not germane to those of an orchid forum, however. Occasionally we run into those and there seem to be only one acceptable way for those of us not immediately concerned to respond: commiseration and idle encouragement. I usually stay away from such threads because my acerbic, realist take on things is usually the opposite of the group think. However, in your case because you are young enough for there to be hope I offer this: seize your power. You have more than you know. If the choice is your joining an anarchist youth movement or being the nice son that they know and love, there is little doubt in my mind that most parents would choose the latter. That said, could there be any truth to what your parents think? Is it remotely possible that you really are kind of remote and could just withdraw to your fortress of solitude only to be seen at mealtimes? Too late to change that perception before real frost sets in, in any case. And, Calvin is right, damage to many of your orchids will occur long before 32F. This is less about the orchids than family values and it may simply be that you cannot grow in such a situation. Short of threatening to start a meth lab to earn the money to board your 'chids you need to stress to your parents how important a hobby, any hobby, is to a young man. Would they prefer you collect Barbie dolls? Depression Glass? Put it to them that you are a collector and dag nabit you are going to collect something and those are their choices, orchids in the living room or boxes and boxes of doll clothes under your bed and in your closets.

If you cannot get their cooperation then you cannot grow orchids until you leave home. I didn't. Most of us didn't I would reckon. You have time, I think, unless you are 37 and then you have other problems that need to be addressed but even then, you have time. Relax. Work with the parents, work on the parents and work on yourself. I have spoken.

H

C.W. Post College on LI has a big greenhouse.

"Short of threatening to start a meth lab to earn the money to board your 'chids" - That's not a bad suggestion.

Meth lab threats never phased my parents -- they told me that it would probably help my chemistry grade.

You might also want to call around to high schools and see if any of them have space for a few plants. I managed to get about 50 kept while I was moving and settling into a new home by a local high school. I had to take care of them, but that was my preference, anyway. Is there any way you could squeeze them into a bathroom where humidity and apergillus are a threat anyway? :)

Good luck.

subwayguy

I think it's time you got your own apartment and moved out of your parent's house. They may be trying to give you a hint. It's difficult for adult children to live at home with their parents. Fortunately I married at age 19 and moved out for good. I took my plants with me. At the time I only had some snake plants and philodendrons.