Lowes' find

[Park Bear]

I was going to Lowes to get a timers for some lights and as I usually do I made a trip[ ti the greenhouse to look at the orchids. As usual there wasn't much that interest me. Then I looked at the marked down rack and I found 6 Cymbidium "Golden Elf's". I saw them over Christmas and they wanted around $36 while in bloom. Now 5 of the 6 looked like they were in great shape, so I picked one up and I was expecting them to be priced around $20. Well, I was shocked to see all of them were priced a $5, so I had to get the 5 good ones. No what am I going to do with all of these plants :evil:

 

[Heather]

LOL! Re-sell them on ebay for $20 each?

 

[Cinderella]

Or sell them to other forumites? :clap:

 

[Heather]

Or sell them to other forumites? :clap:

See how easy that was, Lowell!?
Orchid people are so predictable huh?

 

[NYEric]

I hope it's cool enough to keep them over winter where you live.

 

[bwester]

hells yeah!! good find

 

[Marley]

Your Lowe's is certainly a lot better than mine!
Golden Elf is a great plant. It doesn't need any particular cold treatment. I keep mine right along side all my other orchids, outdoors in summer, indoors in winter, with as much sun as possible. It blooms twice a year, mid summer and autumn and has a lovely lemony fragrance as a bonus. I grow it semi-hydro in a very tall, narrow plastic cymbidium pot...the pot was my lucky find at a $1 store.
My sister-in-law grows hers in a chc/diatomite/spongerock/charcoal mix with equal success.

 

[Park Bear]

I'll probably give some to a few of the local at the club or I'll just grow them like everything else. I tend to be a black hole, nothing ever leaves the collection....I keep everything. I keep my cyms on the floor in the basement under 1000w HPS and 1000w MH. It can get hot in there, but I have plenty of light.

 

[NYEric]

It's kind of hilarious to read all these posts about growing in the basement. I live on the 20th floor. It would be great if more people added their location to their ID's, and showed their set-up in the growing area mega-thread.

 

[IdahoOrchid]

I hope it's cool enough to keep them over winter where you live.

Yeah, like besseae?

 

[NYEric]

C,C,C, Cold

Yeah, like besseae?

I think I read somewhere that to get the best color from Phrag besseae/hybrids you need coolnights but I think Heather jinxed me. Last night, it was so cold that the cool air coming through the vent space made the temp in the lower areas of the growing area [i.e. living room] 60 degrees F. I turned off the circulating fan for the first time all year to keep the plants from getting too cold. This AM, since I have full southern exposure and when the Sun comes out the mid day temp is about 80, I watered the plants and turned the fan back on. Of course it didn't move. :viking: Now I'm hoping the plants dont steam. If the fan still isn't working when I get home around midnight I'll have to buy another tomorrow. I'm not worried about the Phrags but more concerned about the Paphs. I also am waiting for some plant orders so hopefully this cold will go away soon.

 

[Heather]

... but I think Heather jinxed me.

Always bringing me into it....

My growing areas are getting down to the mid 50's at night and everything is still doing okay. My upstairs temp. was 54 this morning. I'm sure the plants don't adore it but they're holding their own. My besseaes are definitely brighter shades of red this winter.