What survived the cold?

[BobInBonita]

There have been several threads about cold tolerance and protection. So we all can learn from others as well as our own experiences, please tell us what the ACTUAL low temperatures were where your orchids grow, what survived unscathed, what was damaged but will live, and what bit the farm.

We shared opinions before the cold, now lets share facts about experience.

Here in SW Florida, we hit official lows around 30. My max/min thermometer amongst my orchids hit 37 last night. We have one more night like this, and then I'll list survivors. They're under cover, and I haven't even looked today.

[got ants]

Approx 125 orchids, all inside, except a few.

Even inside will have some negative effect. The pink phal with blooms is having flower drop, even though they are only a couple of weeks old, normally these flowers last a few months. Probably due to being under a halogen light over the dining room table.

Last year I was fighting the cold and watering them before I brought them in, a big NO-NO. It started me with mold and rot issues that went on and got worse through the summer.

I'm in my 5th year growing, so it's still a learning process.

Like, do I start fert again? Or do I hit them with epsom salts and potassium nitrate?

What I need to do and I'm waffling on, is building a structure to kkep cold out, and in doing so, water as well, but still get enough light, but how will it look in abackyard setting, and how will it fare in the summer heat?

Decisions, decisions...

[Gin]

If I moved to Fl. I would build a lath house plastic could be put over it with a small heater then taken off as soon as the cold was over . Where I am it is industrial strength i can hear the heater drinking up the propane lololol

[CTB]

The trouble with Fl weather is it's 26 this morning and going to be 75 on Friday. You'd be ripping plastic off and on. It's very hard to prepare because the cold only last a very short time but it bad when it hits. Next week it could be 26 again., after a week of 75's.

Carrying 200 orchids in and out isn't much fun either. Fortunately I have a large enclosed porch that is perfect but most have to use a gargage or the dining room table.
The poor orchids get so mxed up, they don't know weather to rest, bloom, root, multiple or die.

[tucker85]

All of my orchids (except the phals) have stayed outside during this cold spell in Ft. Lauderdale. After two nights of temps in the 30's everything looks great except one catt with drooping flowers. The other eleven orchids that are in bloom look perfect. In fact several catts have been in bloom for at least four weeks and look great. Luckily the sun has been coming out every day. If it was cold and overcast these plants might not do as well.

[Angurek]

The only orchids I trust to 40-somegthing-degree nighttime lows are my parvisepalum paphs. I've left them out on nights that dipped to 43 without any negative effects. I only bring them in when the nightly lows will be in the 20s and 30s.

I have the rest of my orchids stuffed into my apartment, and they're not liking it. The ones that took it pretty hard were my Huntleyas, since they're not the most adaptable orchids. I'm also having a big problem with erwinia on my Zygos right now, and the close quarters are not helping. I think I'll have lost about ten plants by the time this is over.

I'm thinking about investing in more paphs. So far, they're the only orchids that have been able to tolerate the high summer heat and bone-chilling cold fronts of fall and winter with grace.

Here's hoping these cold fronts move on away. We don't need them here.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Is this question only for Florida residents, or for people from all over the country or all over the world?

Southern California does dip down into the mid to high 30's F occasionally too. There are many plants that can survive this kind of night time winter low here.

A plant that can normally tolerate cooler temperature ranges can also be negatively affected by temperatures within their normal range of tolerance too. In this case, the amount of damage done to the plant really depends on how strong the plant is. I usually find that if the plant is well established and is strong, it can withstand cold snaps very easily.

However, since it doesn't go down into the 20's F here, temperatures in the mid 30's F is about as low as I'd feel comfortable letting the ones I grow outdoors get.

[BobInBonita]

Experience with ANY geographical region is welcome. I would have asked in the Floirda social group if I wanted to limit response. Temperature is temperature as I see it (although humidity, wind, etc play in.

Over the past two nights my max/min thermometer outside with the orchids hit 37. I had my orchids hanging in the racks about 6-10 feet up, with a single layer canvas tarp covering them. I slid everything as close together as possible to give larger mass. Tried to keep the phals towards the center. They are all VERY dry, hoping that they would tolerate the cold better.

No "for-sure" dead plants, but...
About 8 of 25 phals are a little limp - might just be too dry.
Two dendrobiums (of about 30) have a few yellowish leaves, but none look seriously cold damaged.
All of my catt alliance seem to have fared very well, including unprotected plants naturalized on trees.
One of 20 vandas might have some damage - I think it is probably physical damage from grouping everything together so tightly.
Biggest surprise - I have two vanilla planifolia naturalized on two different trees. First year plants onlky about four feet long. Survived without any protection (it got dark while I was covering things and I completely forgot them). One plant has what might be some slight curling of the top leaf, but it doesn't look serious.

Hope everyone fared as well. Thanks Tucker - you inspired me to leave them out this year.

[RosieC]

We hit 15F here a couple of weeks ago. But then I don't leave anything out except the Cyps, which are covered to try and keep them dry enough, and which need cold temps anyway.

It's really interesting that you are leaving them out, all be it covered, in close to freezing temps.

My greenhouse is being kept at 41F minimum, but had dipped to 32F on one very brief ocassion and to 36F for a few hours one night before I had the thermostat settings sorted.

I have a couple of Masdies, a couple of Restrepia, 4 cooler loving Dens on their winter rest, and a dormant Plieone bulb all doing well in there.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I tend to choose my plants that go outdoors as carefully as I possibly can.

Many of the plants I have growing outdoors will generally not die as a result of the cold if they are well cared for.

Some general groups of orchids I have outdoors all year round are:

Cool to intermediate growing or temperature tolerant Cattleya relatives.

Cool to intermediate growing or temperature tolerant Dendrobium relatives.

Disas

Cool to intermediate growing or temperature tolerant Pleurothallids.

Neofinetia

Cool to intermediate growing or temperature tolerant Vanda relatives.

The mention of these general groupings of orchids should give people here on the OB an idea of the wide range of possibilities for those places that drop to the mid to high 30's F.

I'd like to add that they're protected, because they're growing on a porch with the roof over them and such.