Cattleya night time temps in California?

[johnblagg]

My catts are all in S/H and doing great ....I do let mine get down to 60 and a dip to 58 once in a while ...no problems here yet

[nutgirl]

My temps have been routinely in the 50's and 40's for the last few weeks in my greenhouse.

I'm experimenting with some NOID Cattleyas. So far so good. New growths and sheaths. They are in LECA but I don't use the S/H method, afraid of too much moisture and cold.

My daytime temps are between 60-80 depending on the amount of sun and I wonder if that's what helps the most.
If it is dark and cold I supplement with my space heater.

Maureen

[nutgirl]

I have an Iwanagara 'Apple Blossom' and a Cattleya trianae. Does anyone know if they are more likely to be cold tolerant?

Maureen

[Imperial_Exotics]

I'll grab 2 space heaters to be certain. I have heavy duty circuits in that area for my computer network already so power won't be a problem.

This morning I was treated to opening flowers which was a nice surprise..... Cattleya Orchidglade x Pot. Rubesence.

I had plants started spiking like a week ago, so I knew it was coming.

[mojomick]

I live in Washington State and it gets a lot colder here but I routinely keep the greenhouse about 58 in the winter with the use of a heater. My Catts love it and thrive I don't think 60 is too low. Betty

[Imperial_Exotics]

I grabbed some space heaters from home depot and set them to kick in at 60. All seems well. And Los Angeles area doesn't worry about snow and freezing, so I think I'm good.

When we get the big greenhouse going, we are going to have radiant heat running under all the benches and shelves.

[SOS]

I mounted an Lc. Mini Purple on a tree in front of my apartment this past May. Its gone down to the 40s and the bud hasnt blasted yet. Should be neat when it opens in a week or two. Putting an anceps out there this spring.

[orchidsamore]

I am a commercial orchid nursery and grow thousands of Cattleya outdoors under shade-cloth covered in light plastic to break the wind.

My high low thermometer showed that for six weeks last winter my temps were low of 40 and high of 104 every single day. (I run water all night when temps are under 35 at night)

All the orchids Phals, Cats, Paphs, Grams, Schom, Onc intergenerics, terrestrials, even Vanda thrived in this extreme swing of temperatures. I have not lost a plant to cold in the last two years. Friends with heated greenhouses lost hundreds in out cold winter last year.

Orchids can take these extreme temperature swings when they are adapted to it.

[BobInBonita]

I grow mainly outdoors in SW Florida (protected from wind, and shaded, but otherwise outdoors).
Low temps into the low forties during Dec/Jan with occasional drops into the mid thirties.

Catts naturalized onto palm trees near the house have generally done well, whereas on oaks away from the house "disappeared" after a prolonged cold snap this past winter (after several successful years).

Your temps should be survivable, especially if orchids have acclimated to conditions and they are dry. They obviously wont actively grow during the cold, but they may surprise you with blooms when it warms up.

[james mickelso]

Hi monique. Where in SoCal are you? I'm in Oceanside. I have a small shadehouse (now covered in VQ) which has a small heater to keep it around 55-60 at night. I have a lot of Catts and Laelias putting out new growth so don't want to slow them down.