Dear Orchid Lovers,
Happy Thanksgiving! Winter is upon us as demonstrated by the 12″ (30cm) of snow that fell on us this weekend. It was supposed to be 2″. Let’s hope that’s not indicative of the entire winter.
How are your orchids faring with the changes? Summer outdoor growers will have brought in their orchids, and all of us northern growers have had the heat on. No matter where you had your orchids during the pleasant months, they are now experiencing different conditions: light, temperature, and humidity are all potentially different. Here are some Neo care tips now that winter here:
Neos and other orchids in the greenhouse for winter
Light: We removed the extra shade cloth that was protecting some of the shadier growers, so everyone is getting 50% light right now. We will keep it like that until March or so. For plants that live on or under deciduous trees, winter actually brings them an increase in light availability as the canopy opens up. This makes up a little for the shorter day length and diminished light intensity. And I like that with the extra shade cloth gone, it’s a lot brighter in the greenhouse!
Temperature: We grow under intermediate conditions as best we can. The greenhouse goes down to 57 at night and can get into the 70’s during the day in the winter. Those temps are much higher in the summer, of course, and most plants will go outside to avoid the high heat of the summer greenhouse. If you’re growing in your house, you are probably not getting much of a swing in temperatures. Just remember that some plants, particularly Dendrobiums and Cymbidiums in my collection, need that temp swing to set flower buds. Some recent discussion with a nearby Neo grower makes me think that for those of you having a hard time getting your Neos to bloom, a little temp fluctuation might be the trigger they need. It certainly can’t hurt as long as you keep them above the freezing point.
Water: THE most important thing is WATER. I want to be clear that the same rules apply to Neos year round: water them well until those roots turn brilliant green–not white and green, but entirely green–and then let them dry out. Repeat as necessary. For me in my dry northern conditions with forced air heat blowing on the plants in the greenhouse and my woodstove burning off all the humidity in the house, I need to water about every other day! That’s how fast they get crispy. If you have better humidity, and especially if you’re able to get your plants good and wet with each watering, you may only need to repeat every four days. Maybe even just once a week. They are YOUR plants in YOUR conditions. I am just giving you the guidelines to go by: get wet and then dry to crispy. If you don’t have moss, just wait till your medium is dry and the roots are all white. If you’re growing bare root, you can water every day. And remember: when in doubt, wait one more day to water, especially in winter when the plants aren’t doing much in the way of growing.
I want to emphasize that Neos do NOT have what most people think of as winter rest. They slow down in winter because of light and temperature, but they still need all the same stuff just dialed down a little to match their metabolism. Plants like Catasetums, Habenarias, Pleiones, and some Dendrobiums–those guys get nothing or next to nothing for months. THAT’s a winter rest. They come from areas that have wet and dry seasons where it’s either raining every day (wet season) or it rains once a month (dry season=rest). Neos are from temperature regions of Asia which are comparable to much of the US (but not Florida or California or other annoyingly pleasant places), where we have four seasons all of which involve precipitation.
I am writing this from bed having just had my gallbladder removed this morning, so if anything doesn’t make sense, let me know so I can edit it. I just didn’t want anyone putting their plants in danger and having a sad holiday season.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I am thankful for my health, my greenhouse full of orchids, my friends (many of whom are reading this), and my family who make every day great.
Kristen
p.s. That red thing on the table in the featured image is a 12″ ruler.
Feel better soon, Kristen! Happy Thanksgiving to you too. I hope to see you at Tamiami festival and get some plants 🙂
A speedy and uncomplicated recovery to you! Your 2 lovely boys will be experienced in plant and mommy care. Have a wonderful holiday season and take care of you!
Missed not seeing you this last Saturday at GLOS Meeting. Glad your Gall bladder surgery went well have sent you a message on Facebook Messanger. Hope to visit your greenhouse when you get better.
Kristen,
Thank you for the info on wintering neos.
Hope you get out of the hospital and are able to enjoy Thanksgiving with your family.
Take care of yourself first, Joy
Kristin, did not know about your surgery. Sounds like you’ll be impatient with recovery, which actually should be pretty quick. Feel better soon and grow great plants! Thanks for winter care reminders…..
Hope you heal very quickly and have a great Holiday. Thanks for this wonderful culture information. Mine never got a winter rest because I grow indoors under lights and I learned that they thrived very well. It is great to have that confirmed by your expertise.
Thank you for this very useful advice. I think perhaps I have been letting my neos stay dry too long and will take action accordingly. Best wishes on a speedy recovery from your recent surgery — or was it merely a “procedure,” as they like to call it? — and like many others I look forward to tour spring neo list. By the way, in the last sentence of the paragraph that precedes your reference to your surgery, you refer to the “temperature regions” of Asia when you mean “temperate” — but aside from that, your note is amazingly articulate for someone recovering from surgery.
And a typo of my own: “your,” not “tour”…
Glad it’s done, wishing you a speedy recovery. I am now enjoying some of the things I have been unable to eat. You will be back to normal soon and can enjoy Christmas which is sneaking up on us very quickly xxx
Kristen – I’m sure you will be up on your feet in no time. Thanks for the great article. It’s a perfect read to usher in the winter.
So sorry to hear about your operation. Hope they gave you fun things for the pain! 🙂
-John, Pewaukee, WI
Thanks for the tips Kristen …
MOS wishing you a speedy recovery and a safe and healthy Thanksgiving
I hope you feel better soon. Thanks for sharing the winter care advise for our Neo’s.
First, wish you a speedy and painless recovery so you can enjoy the holiday with your loved ones and second thank you for this valuable information. I live in Michigan and we did got snow on Saturday. Moved my orchids to the second floor where the temperature feels more pleasant and hope they don’t suffer during this winter season. Thanks for the posting.
Get Well ,Kristen ! It was great seeing you at the Mass. show !
I realize this is an old post, but I’m glad to see their winter watering requirements confirmed. i read on another website that they shouldn’t be watered during the winter or they won’t bloom, and almost made a big mistake. After a few days without water, the oldest leaves were starting to turn yellow, so I soaked them for a while, and decided to keep watering like I normally would.
Dear Rachel,
I’m so glad I could prevent a catastrophe. There are lots of orchids that need a winter rest, but Neos are not one of them. Even my guys that really do want a winter rest never spend an extended amount of time without water. I may be sacrificing a few flowers, but at least I know my plants will survive the winter!