What a beautiful room! Some of those plants are HUGE!!

Wow! Beautiful orchids!

Wow, Harvey, you di a lot of work!

I didn't bring one plant inside. They all are fine. Still blooming and budded. 40's really isn't a big deal as long as the days warm up which they did.

I would only bring in the plants which would get damaged if the temps went down into the 30's. Hasn't happened this year....yet.

Jane

I can see a lot of work hanging up in that room, not to mention the other half of them. At least the exercise will keep you warm.

nice setup Harvey. Keeping plants above 50 degrees, as you do, does make a big difference in CONTINUITY of growth patters. I am getting a crash course in keeping check on long range temps in my new area. so far have had to shuffle plants in and out 5 times and will put them out this morning for 8-9 days.

Wow!,. That's my dream....my family thinks I'm crazy with about 40:). Absolutely beautiful. There are a few people I always watch for posts from....Harvey you are one and Jane I watch for your posts too❤️ Thanks for sharing with those of us who have soooo much to learn!

Harvey, those are just awesome.

Thank you for the nice comments. Jane, I believe in a few days you will see some damage. All experts like Odom's and many others recommend 50 to 55 for low temps, depending the source. 40 anything is looking for trouble. Maybe one night briefly at 48 but we had a week of low to mid 40's. Brazil has a lot of catts. there are some at altitude that tolerate colder temps but most see lows at 58 or 59. I like to give them what they get in nature as close as I can. That will bring results.

Awesome deco! Having plants around the house definitely complete the look of our home and they really lift moods as they brighten up the crib. Some of my friends also display terrariums around the house which I thought was a really great idea as they require very low maintenance and offers a quirky twist on traditional indoor plants! Came across one really pretty here at Rainforest Garden Terrarium | Floral Garage Singapore !

Those orchids look perfect !!!

That was last winter. Now the AC has been going for a month now. No plants in the house now. They don't like there AC. I may bring one in for a day. And May had so much rain. the general area got lots of rain. Around 15 inches north and south of us And we had 25 plus inches!!! for May. More rain than a hurricane. But it drained well. Short term pooling on some roads. South Florida has excellent drainage, mostly. First of June and it looks like the rain is going back to normal.

I created a group buy of 4 dozen orchids. A dozen to each person. They were terete vanda. Each dozen got 4 each of white, pink and white, and pink. They look like Miss Joaquam. They love to climb any type of palm tree. I have some 30 plus feet up a palmetto. After I helped my friends plant then lots of rains came every day for a month and cemented their futures.

Hopefully we will have calm weather for the summer season...

I don't know, Harvey. I didn't bring one single plant in and all is fine. They never missed a beat.

I think because I grew in NY, my plants were exposed to low temps frequently during the winter. I even had Catts freeze and they survived (I wouldn't recommend that).

I have a lot of Odoms Catts. . I believe they are in a colder part of Florida, Ft. Pierce. They get a lot colder than we do. You are even warmer than I am.

What I learned is that night temps aren't as important as day temps. If the temps drop into the low 40's, 30's, its for a short period. As the sun rises, the air temps rise and the days are warm and sunny.

The killer in New York was low night temps and low day temps, grey skies which go on for days and days. That will rot any orchid. But brief drops never hurt anything.

I also have more orchids than I can count, probably over 200 easily. But mine are spread out all over the yard. I don't have enough room for anymore on my lanai.

My biggest problem is fungus and the high heat. I am about 12 miles from the beaches and do not get the ocean breezes which would be so helpful. The high humidity and heavy summer rains cause the most problems and concern.

I find it more difficult growing orchids in Florida than I did in NY. Easier, but more difficult!

Jane

Jane, do what makes you happy. Whatever results you get, warmer in winter will get better results. Temperature is very demanding. AOS recommends lows 55-60 for Cats. Also wrong on Fort Pierce. John Odom is a member of Martin County Orchid Society and Fort Pierce is 15 mile due north of me. Slightly cooler than here by 2 degrees. Both of us are far enough east to have favorable influences from the Gulfstream. We had 25 plus inches of rain in May! Finally clear skys. Normal patterns are beginning...

This discussion puts emphasis on the importance of micro-climates. The Z10b next to my id doesn't infer that the climate here is the same as Florida. All it says is why the lowest ever night temperatures are in the low 40Fs. Why is that? Because the land slopes away to the north and the cold air drifts to the north to a frost hollow. Similarly, because the land is slightly tilted towards the sun in winter, it is slightly warmer here during the day than in nearby places.

My experience with Cattleyas is the same as Jane. Many are cool tolerant, some that come from warmer climates appreciate a warmer start to the day so, The one glass-house with heating gets warmed up from about 4am in winter (when power is cheap) so that they are warmed a bit when the sun comes up.

Sorry, 55 -60F might be fine if you can afford the heating cost, but it is not necessary for most.

I can't afford 55-60 either. I have a thin plastic holding the heat. I like your idea of turning the heat on at 4am but it would take too long to make a difference with my situation. My point is that if you have temps below 50, adding heat if possible will improve the outcome. Exception for cats is those that are at altitude like it cooler. I can't get those plants as my summers are too hot for them.

Interesting about the cause of weather in your 10b. At my latitude around the world is climate cooler than here. The big influence that gives us subtropical weather is the Gulfstream. It hugs the coast from southern point of florida to about where I live. 2 or 3 miles off shore. Combined with the prevalent Southeast winds. Before it gets to me it starts veering off out to sea. So where I live land 4 or 5 miles from the shore towards inland gets the full benefit. Another 75 mile north the benefit diminishes.

Beautiful display! Thank you so much for sharing. Harvey, is your greenhouse a leanto or a stand alone? Do you have fans that circulate air in your growing area? Have you ever needed a heating source for the greenhouse?

I am trying to figure out what I will need for a stand alone greenhouse in my zone and it's all so overwhelming.

Hi Jordan, The best advice I have is for those living near me. I never freeze. I think you do. I'm glad to answer your questions but the answers are not suited for zone 7.

My 9 x 14 greenhouse is3 walls attached to the back of my garage which is a concrete wall. I have a bench on that wall that covers and irrigation pump and a pool pump. In 2 steps out of the greenhouse is my pool and pool enclosure. The 9 x 14 is heated. The walls like the pool enclosure is aluminum screen enclosure. I add wiggle wire to hold uv grade plastic . Google wiggle wire. Great stuff. There is an outdoor ceiling fan on low forever.

http://www.aos.org/About-Us/Affiliated-Societies/affiliated-societies-lookup.aspx This is a link to the Tulsa Orchid Society contact info. Go to a local successful orchid grower and see what they do to make it work. Bring your camera. The absolute best advice on this issue can be found in Tulsa. Regards to Cains Ballroom! Best honky tonk ever...

Thanks so much! I will check on those references, and yes Cains still brings in the best gigs around :)