Orchids For Dummies. Steven A. Frowine

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      © John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

      FIGURE 2-1: Maximum-minimum thermometer.

      For an idea of what your minimum temperatures are outdoors where you live, check out the USDA hardiness map online at https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/pages/view-maps. If you’re a weather geek like I am, you can use a recording weather station that reads and records the maximum and minimum temperature, humidity, wind speed, rainfall, and barometric pressure every hour and stores this information so it can be charted. Mine has remote sensors and a wireless connection to my computer.

When you’ve determined the average summer and winter temperatures in your area, turn to Table 2-1, which lists some of the most common types of orchids by temperature requirements. Notice that some orchids are adaptable enough to fit into more than one temperature range. This information is merely a guideline; if you’re off by a few degrees, especially the high degrees during the day during the summer, don’t worry about it. Orchids are adaptable.

TABLE 2-1 Orchid Temperature Preferences

      Measuring your light intensity

      Just as important as temperature is the amount of light your orchid will get. Orchids that thrive in high light need several hours of direct sunlight (preferably in the morning to early afternoon), or bright artificial light whereas those that thrive in lower light will perform with less direct and more diffused light in a windowsill or under less intense lights.

Will you be growing the plants under artificial lights? Most light setups consist of multiple florescent high-output lamps and LEDs, and they can provide adequate illumination to most orchids. High-intensity-discharge lamps are capable of much more light output but can be expensive to operate and generate quite a bit of heat. For most folks the best option is going to be LED or various fluorescent bulb units. For much more details about lighting, see Chapter 5.