DJ, I have not seen any signs of stress on my plants; however, the temps here are abut 90 Fahrenheit (at least I guess). We are the north - north of Buffalo. Let us know how your plants are doing disbudded.

Yolanda

Hi Yolanda!

Might I assume you have A/C on when it's 90?

I will keep a posted update on how my plants do during this very hot summer, after being dis-budded and the light cart hours shortened (might end up shortening them further, since non-blooming plants won't need so much light).

DJ

Sounds like your plants are not doing too badly. Color is affected by heat, but is not necessarily a sign of distress.

My experience is of having plants die off in the summer, although that was in combination with exposure to Chloramine ...

Hi Aegis!

I wanted to thank you for all your past messages to me that I probably didn't get back to, to answer. You've said very helpful things to this born-again enthusiast. :)

I perhaps worry overly-much about my AVs, because, frankly, I don't have a whole lot else going on, since retiring a year ago. I am home almost always, and the light carts are right next to my bed. I stare at my plants daily - lol.

The last time I had AVs, some 20-odd years ago, I lived in the Chicago area, and temperature was only an issue a few days/year. I think I simply closed the window nearest the light cart, and turned on a small A/C unit. Here in Arizona, it gets ungodly-hot, and I'm amazed that the plants live at all, and some even keep blooming.

Yes - I've heard about how great chloramines are for AVs, and it makes me wonder what it's doing to US? Even though we "only" have chlorine in the water here, it's incredibly hard water, and I believe it has enough heavy metals in it that it shouldn't be used. So, my housemate carts home many gallons of spring and distilled water. There's only one company here that delivers, and they don't have distilled water, which is what I use to mist the plants (and I plant babies using it in the potting soil). When discussing getting spring water delivered, my housemate insists that it would be expensive enough to not justify it - he doesn't mind lugging gallons home. I sure am lucky, 'cause I couldn't do it.

Anyway, hopefully your plants are doing well this summer. If you want anything that I grow, I will ship to you in October or so. We've had weeks of 120+ degrees! So I'm not shipping in or out until then. But you're welcome to anything when the weather allows.

My Best,

DJ

DJ, yes we have air conditioning. It's just that everyone seems to think that north of the US-Canada border, we can still snow ski in July. Far from it. It is about 90 degrees today, and will probably be about the same tomorrow. Just saying.

Yolanda

My house can get pretty warm here in Eastern Washington, last summer was kind of brutal. This year has been a bit cooler, but I find a window AC unit in my bedroom with a well aimed oscillating stand fan aimed into my living room where my heat sensitive plants are goes a long way without jacking my bill to high. My AV's are happy, miltonidia orchid less so. Probably just me not knowing much about orchids yet there, not sure.

If you can - switch the lights to work in a night time (unless they are in your bedroom), keep the AC fan running all the time - it is not increasing the bill too much. I am losing the geneva edge too on mine and my Russian one do not show fantasy..

Hi Irina -

Unfortunately in this case, all three light carts are right next to my bed, so am stuck with daytime lights on. Good idea on the A/C fan. There is always a floor fan on in my room (not directly on the AVs), also. I only have one plant with fantasy - Ozio - and so far it's still showing fantasy, which is why I didn't de-bud it. Ozio and Frosty Cherry seem totally unaffected by heat. Those whose buds/blooms became smaller than normal were de-budded.

Which Russians do you have?

This is such an important topic right now!

It has been a very hot July here in northern lower Michigan - no AC here at home, just fans. I try to capture the morning's coolness and keep the house closed up during the hottest part of the day. When it is predicted to be 85 (F) and above, I just shut the lights on the stands completely off. There have been several 2 or 3 day "dark" periods in my plant room recently. Yes, the plants started reaching a bit, but I think that is better than being subjected to temperatures in the upper 80's and 90's. With the lights off, it gets up into the low 80's sometimes, but mostly upper 70's. I'm being very careful with the water as well, wanting them hydrated but not soaking wet while they're sitting in the heat and the dark. None of the plants are very happy (and frankly, neither am I. Not a heat lover; give me snow any day!) We're all suffering through it, but cooler days will come and the AV's will settle back into growing and blooming. Right now it's all about just keeping things alive.

Oh, and my ice maker just broke the other day. Sigh.

Anne

Anne, if you live in Michigan, you also know what happens when to the AVs when the furnace goes out. We have ac but also a furnace. The basement is taken up by necessary large items, such as the furnace. Last winter, which was not that cold, the furnace gave out on the coldest day. The AVs did not like it, but the furnace was repaired by noon that day. Just a suggestion, but the AVs could live in the basement under the windows Right now, some of mine do.

Yolanda

Hi all,,,,,I don't have AC either. BUT our older farmhouse has a very cool basement. We run a fan blowing UP the basement steps to bring up the cooler air, keep doors closed, have ceiling fans on the first & second floor and keep the air circulating as much as possible. I haven't found that I need to alter watering because with the air circulating as much as it does, no one seems to be suffering too much. Only lost a couple leaves so far.

The only time it is unbearable is when humidity is as high or higher than the temp! Then even fans don't help much.

Basement growing is not an option. Old Michigan basement, low ceiling, I am about 5ft.3in and I have to tilt my head to my shoulder to walk down there! But it is nice and cool. Always.

As far as violets/plants I take what they give me during the summer. If they make it,,,,,great! If the color/variegation is "off",,,,,well at least they are still alive. And I wait for cooler weather. And occupy myself talking to people on my favorite forum!

Yolanda, I do know about a furnace outage. Was out for 5 days during one winter and the loss was all my violets and babies. But sad as that was,,,,recovery was possible with friends on this forum!

Oh Anne,,,please no snow!!!! I can wait for that. But I would rather have the temp. not go above 75F. (sorry I don't know celsius!) and only moderate humidity. Ahhh but wishing ain't getting!!!!!

Some of my plants are blooming still. My new strep, Dale's Polar Lava opened its first flower also! It's pretty, but the variegation is what I fell in love with. Little babies seem to be doing ok. I will settle for that! Rosie

I've been holding off on shipping some plantlets/leaves because I'm afraid the heat in post offices will damage them. Anyone agree ?

Worst danger of the shipping is if the mailman will leave the box in the sun - and the addressee is not around to pick it. Second to it - if the addressee doesn't live near major airport. In this case the parcels are unloaded from the plane into the big trucks and sent to their destinations. It gets very hot in these trucks in summer.

Yes- it is possible to send in summer - if you use a small styrofoam cooler - or build one out of the insulation sheets. People who order from PJSViolets are familiar with these inserts.

For the purpose of sharing plants - I recommend to wait another couple weeks- and use weather.com to check the temperatures on both ends. If you see that your AV friend is going to have a cool spell next Monday- ship it on Friday or Saturday - and ship priority.

I., USPS cursed.

Leon, personally I would rather wait a while. Our weather is so back & forth and the humidity is, in my opinion, the real issue. There is just no chancing it. They are little living things and I have more than once received my package of unintentional mush.

Although Irina makes a good point to check weather at both ends there are still no guarantees the weather will keep its promise! Rosie

Pretty much if the max temperature is under 82F you can ship without insulation - just newspaper wrapped - provided the parcel is not going to sit in a black metal mailbox at the end of the driveway getting cooked.

There is another option that usps.com provides - you can organize that the parcel is not going to be delivered, but will sit in a post office until you pick it up. It is very useful if you are out to work - and not going to sit near the window looking for the mailman. The parcel is going to wait for you in an airconditioned post office. Not every post office is providing this service - but there is almost always one in 10 miles distance.

Shipping cost. USPS.com is cheaper than your friendly post office - and faster - you just drop your parcel at the counter, and paying through Paypal - if you have an account is even cheaper. You need to log into your Paypal - and paste this link :

https://www.paypal.com/shiplabel/create/

If you ship priority - the cheapest will be priority small box fixed rate.

If it doesn't fit - you can use your own box - the price increments by pound - and zone. 1 pound and less - under $7, 1-2 pounds - under $9 - depends on the distance - and I am talking about Paypal prices.

I.

Hi all, Celsius is not hard. You take the Celsius temp, eg 10 degrees, double it (10 + 10 and add 30, which should work to about 50 degrees F. It is definitely not scientific, but it lets you know approximately the temperature outside and what to wear.

Yolanda

Take Fahrenheit numbers, subtract 32, multiply by 5, divide by 9. Result is Celsius.

Take Celsius number - +10C - divide by 5, mutiply by 9, add 32 - you get +50 F.

This is precise.

Lazy way out. open Google and punch: Celsius to Fahrenheit. Google has an automatic converter.

Irina's got the prize. Let Google do it.

I keep telling myself that subtracting and multiplying numbers under 100 is a free exercise for my rusty brain ;-)).

Ohhhh too much math! I am with Irina and Leon!!! Let google do it!!! Rosie

Guys. Canada went metric long before everyone had a cell phone or a calculator on their desk. You had to do it an easy way.

Yolanda

Nah...you just relearn it...13C - or 56F - means I need a jacket.

More like for me, - I have relearned 30 c 0 need light jacket; -30 C - need parka and a hat, etc.

Yolanda

At - 30C - parka, fur hat, warm underwear - plus you need to add air to your tires.