How are you all doing this winter?
kittymoonbeam
6 years ago
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How well do you do in winter, window sill growers?
Comments (19)This is a great thread! There are so many considerations for us summer out/winter indoors people. In the summer I have cattleyas, dendrobiums, oncidiums, and bulbophyllums out on a porch, with direct sun in the morning and late afternoon, and shade overhead at midday. This year I put out paphs too, on the bottom shelf where they had more shade. Everything does very well and adds a lot of growth. In the winter, they all move to a sunroom facing west but with a south exposure too. Life for my orchids improved immensely when I added Wonderlites (in the west and south windows) and big humidity trays to this set up, and it cost very little. Most winter days it is about 60% humidity, high of 80 F and low 55F. I have a tiny space heater to boost heat on really cold nights. My electric bill is just $25-30 a month. It helps that this room can be closed off to retain the humidity. I have the catts in clay pots and water about once a week. I think the humidity helps them cope with drying out completely. Another factor I think is that I choose catts that aren't seasonal bloomers but bloom at various times of the year. Originally I chose them just because I wanted to get more blooms, but I also figure they have a built-in urge to keep growing and not go dormant when the light and heat wane. They make lots of leads and lots of blooms during winter. My only basket plants are brassavolas that I water every other day. Calvin, I think your plan to cut back on water and fert until you see signs of growth is exactly the way to go. Generally I think it's important to observe the plants really closely and follow their lead. By the way I suffered from tinted windows for a month or two before I realized what was going on, but mine came with a little label that warned against using ammonia or detergent to clean them. The anti-UV tint was just a surface film that was gone with a few vigorous washings. By the way, I also remove the screens in winter as they cut down on the light. Good luck and keep experimenting! Margo...See MoreWinter bed, summer bed - how do you do yours?
Comments (35)Val, Bed Bath & Beyond sells duvet clips (you may have to ask someone to find them for you in the store, I did). They are padded so you won't feel them too much on the outside, inside they clip the edge of the duvet to the comforter. I had to buy a couple sets for my cal king bedding, just doing the corners wasn't enough. DH would tug on it and the clip would fall out. They're a hassle to put on and you'll find you don't want to wash the duvet as often just to avoid the whole clipping and unclipping process. But at least it keeps the comforter from traveling inside the duvet. I'm so sick of dealing with this problem this will be my last duvet. If I have to pile on layer after layer of coverlets I'll do it just to be rid of this annoyance. Maybe I dislike duvets more than most people because a Cal King comforter is so large it's difficult to shake it out when the comforter falls to the foot of the bed. I hate pulling up the duvet on a cold night only to realize there is no comforter inside, it's moved halfway down the bed!...See MoreHow do you deal with gnats and odors of house plants in winter time?
Comments (16)For me fungus gnats come only for a week or two and some odd time during the winter. Then as if it was magic they dissapear one day. Sometimes it's in December, sometimes January, Febuary, March or April. But they never last long. There's always a big explosion and poof. I know for a fact that I've in one way or another consumed fungus gnats. So annoying when they buzz in your ear........ Though a quarter of a mosquito dunk added to your watering kills the gnat larvae in the soil. Also, yellow sticky traps work wonders, especially if you put them beside windows where they seem to congregate. I've never had an issue with the smell. I've never even smelt a smell....See MoreHow do I keep peppers to eat all winter?
Comments (7)I have tried freezing. They wind up all mushy when they thaw. Canning is a PIA and they still come out mushier than I like. I cold can a bunch of Hot Hungarian Wax sliced peppers for my sandwiches. But the best bet for me is to dehydrate the other peppers and then either grind them into flakes or all the way to powder and use that to season dishes or let everyone put their own on to their liking. You loose a bit of the taste and texture, but not that much and the heat is still there. Oh, and it takes up very little space. A 4 ounce jar of super hot powder will last a long long time....See Moreskibby (zone 4 Vermont)
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agokittymoonbeam thanked skibby (zone 4 Vermont)eld6161
6 years agoJoanEileen
6 years agoElmer J Fudd
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agorob333 (zone 7b)
6 years agoIris S (SC, Zone 7b)
6 years ago
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