Water Temperatures for Cattleya

[nhman]

Wow!
How much does your RO tank hold???

[Don Perusse]

I live in SW Georgia and have a well for water. The water line is piped to the outside of the greenhouse then a hose into the g/h. I've been growing orchids for 3 years now and don't heat the water. I've never had any trouble with the water coming from the well. I suppose it may a little shock but I have not noticed any damage to my orchids.

[Ross]

I think water temps are a function of ambient temps. If ground water is (say) 65F, then water drawn from a well or city water line should be the same (or at least similar). I've found more problems with water too warm, than with water too cold. My water is in a 5 gallon reservoir and tends to be room temp (well the coolest end of room temp) or low 60 degrees F. I water everything including the Paphs, Phals, etc. with it and have not seen any tendency to stall in growth, to drop buds, etc. However, in the summer, when the water gets really warm, I do see some abnormal behavior, especially in tendency to grow mold.

[nhman]

So, all you living and growing orchids in warm climes are rather lucky when compared to those of use living in the permafreeze zones. The ground temps for well water or piped in water won't descend to the depths of those of us living in the North. Then again, my well water in the summer is nice and COOL, even when the temps hit 90 outside. So, I've got that going for me. For the other three seasons, looks like either a heater is a good idea or a storage tank to bring the water to greenhouse temps would be acceptable.