# Thorn in my Side



## mormodes (Jun 20, 2011)

I was going to call this thread 'Disasters' except that this isn't a disaster, its just a sequence of unfortunate events conspiring to make me pull my hair out.

Of course the swamp cooler motor flamed out yesterday (Sunday) at 5PM. I'm double booked at work (my partner is out with health issues) so there's no way I can deal with getting a new cooler until Friday. And of course the weather is going to be hot hot hot.

So how to deal with this?

I took the siding off the greenhouse such that the prevailing breeze can blow through the greenhouse. The shade cloth will act as an insect barrier (Oh the lies I tell myself!! I should be ashamed) And the misters come on periodically. Hopefully the temperatures won't get too high. And luckily I grow mostly cattleyas, so they won't mind the 20% ambient humidity. Yeah right, that's what I tell myself.

So its only Monday. We'll see what happens by Friday. Luckily the swamp cooler is still under warranty, hopefully they'll give me a new one.

OK, enough bellyaching. Gotta go get the masdevallias indoors and move the over head plants to someplace lower... Yeah, like that place exists...


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## Shiva (Jun 20, 2011)

I ache for you really. This is a bad situation and I would help if I could. And I don't even know where you live. Good luck!


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## Ernie (Jun 20, 2011)

You could add a little more shade until your swamp cooler restored. Hot might not be so bad if you can lower the light level. Bright light + hot temps can = burnt leaves.


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## NYEric (Jun 20, 2011)

Sprinkler hose.


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## Heather (Jun 20, 2011)

I have to say, I too looked for your location. Comiserating. 

Had to move my plants this week because they are turning their telltale summertime colors (red and purple). Looks like we are back to indirect sunlight for the summer. Thank goodness for shadecloth! Temps up in the triple digits the next couple days. Every year is an adventure out here. A week ago I was worried it was too cold and wet for the Neos, now we're in desert mode. 

Alas, the zucchini are UN-f'in-stoppable! Off to make muffins...


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## Ernie (Jun 20, 2011)

Heather said:


> Had to move my plants this week because they are turning their telltale summertime colors (red and purple).



Read somewhere that red/purple on orchid leaves could be reversed simply by adding Mg to the diet. Or is that only a cold weather thing?


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## KyushuCalanthe (Jun 20, 2011)

I agree with Ernie - more shade and I'd mist more often and keep the air moving too. Last summer was the hottest on record here and I noticed that all the local nurseries amped up their shade cloth until things cooled down.


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## SlipperFan (Jun 20, 2011)

What an unfortunate situation. I hope you and your plant make it though this week OK, mormodes.

The first think I thought of is to increase air flow. Can you add a couple fans so that the plants are cooled by the air movement?


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## mormodes (Jun 20, 2011)

That this is also almost the longest day of the year is a blessing and a curse. Blessing because I have more daylight hours after work to deal with this crap. Curse in that its more hours of heat! sigh.

I moved all the overhanging plants to under the bench or amongst the other plants which means there's no canopy over head... more light = more heat. Grrrrr.... I tell you I can't win for losing.

OK so I'll take the advice about increasing air flow with fans... I can do that easily. I can also add more shade cloth to the west side without climbing on the roof. So once again we'll see how things fare by Friday. They are expecting 100F temps tomorrow and Wed.

Ha! Where's the wine... (whine)

I'm in Northern California, to the east of San Francisco Bay area, not the Berkeley cool side but the Walnut Creek/Concord griddle side. Makes for great cloud watching but the water quality and heat are my nemeses.


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## SlipperFan (Jun 20, 2011)

Sounds like you will make out OK. Fingers crossed.


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## Mark Sullivan (Jun 21, 2011)

A few suggestion- Put all your orchid on the ground. Hot air rises and the coolest and most humid air will be at ground level. Use your benches for more shade. You can also put a cloth over the benches (like a tent) for more shade and spray it with the mister to keep the cloth (bed sheet) wet raising humidity. Less light but only till you get back into shape.


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## Heather (Jun 21, 2011)

mormodes said:


> I'm in Northern California, to the east of San Francisco Bay area, not the Berkeley cool side but the Walnut Creek/Concord griddle side. Makes for great cloud watching but the water quality and heat are my nemeses.



ah! So we are in the same boat with the temps, blah! 

Ernie, thanks for the Mg info. I am terrible about fertilizing. But working on it! I just figured it was the sun, because it is worse on my pink flowered plants than others and seems to happen every year when the light level goes up.


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## mormodes (Jun 23, 2011)

OK, teh weather changed and we have more normal temps for the next week. I thought I'd let you know what worked, as far as I can tell so far.

Taking the siding off the GH so the prevailing breeze (what here was of one) worked the best. Second came damping down the GH floor as often as possible. As well as adding more fans to move the air. This has worked so well I'm considering not putting the siding back on and retiming the misters to stay on longer. Eh. Maybe not.

Anyway, putting the plants on the floor and hanging them lower helped too. as well as taking the masdevallias inside the house. Considering my lack of success with masdevallias they may all go on teh auction block this fall. Why waste the bench space?

OK off to damp down the floor. Replacements parts are on the way. Yeah. We'll see.


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## SlipperFan (Jun 23, 2011)

:clap:


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## Mark Sullivan (Jun 24, 2011)

mormodes said:


> Anyway, putting the plants on the floor and hanging them lower helped too. as well as taking the masdevallias inside the house. Considering my lack of success with masdevallias they may all go on teh auction block this fall. Why waste the bench space?



Growing Masdevallias in Walnut Creek must be hard. I have learned to grow what I can easily grow and enjoy the orchids of others that I want to grow but know I would struggle with. It makes you look like you know what the hell you are doing.
Anyway you shouldn't have to much trouble enjoying other people's Masdevallias in the Bay Area.

I am glad things are going well and you are recovering. :clap:
I hate it when things go south but sometimes that is when you learn the most.


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## Heather (Jun 24, 2011)

So Mark, what do you grow? 
(I'm in Sacramento, no greenhouse, but grow primarily outside.)


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## Mark Sullivan (Jun 24, 2011)

*What do I grow?*

Well in the bay area especially San Francisco Cymbidiums and Masdevallias, Draculas, and other cool to moderate growers are easy. Most orchids are relativelt east except the warm growers. Cymbidiums are real no brainers. I don't grow many, but the ones I do grow, grow outside. Other than breaking them apart and repotting them once they break out of their pots, I throw water on them when I remember. They seem perfectly fine with the temperature and rain pattern here.
Ever since I started working hard on orchid conservation I have gotten ride of a large number of orchids so I could spend the time I use to spend on maintaining the collection on orchid conservation. Getting rid of many orchids to have a smaller collection really is a good way to narrow down the orchids to the ones that grow well for you.
I grow Paph, Phrags, and Cyps. Phrags are very easy. Cyps are easy also once you have them established. They need infrequent watering and I get to stick them in the refrigerator for three to four months or even a little longer if I want the time and forget about them.
Some favorite easy growers for me: Oncidium phalonopsis, Brassavola cucullata (got everything going on there, nice flower, tough, great night smell, powerful), Mormodes, Stanhopea (big explosion, fun), and Anguloa.
SF Orchid Society is a very species oriented society. Few hybrids are on the show table.

Sacramento is a lot hotter. I would ask people that have been grow awhile in your area the question what grows easily for them and what of those do they like? Orchid societies should put a list together of orchids that are easy to grow where members live as resource to members and new members.


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