Low Humidity Orchids?

[Wrebbitrocks]

miltoniopsis will not like you just sparing you the trouble from my trial and error. i live in tucson so i feel i have the same conditions you do. dendrobiums may fare well since theyve adapted well for me. same for small catts because of their lower growing habit and nearer to the media for some evaporation, and beliave it or not phals because most of mine are in sphag and the low humidity helps them dry out faster

[Leafmite]

I think quite a few orchids are quite tolerant of low humidity. A few of mine demand higher humidity but some just don't seem to care. My first three orchids, a cattleya seedling (Blc Lady's Favorite 'Morning Mist'), the no ID strap-leaf vanda seedling, and the no ID dendrobium did remarkably well for years with winters of low humidity. I still have all three. Good luck!

[flexdc]

I live in California, so I deal with low humidity all the time. Cattelyas, Laelias, Encyclias, Epidendrums I think are ideal for you. Also Phal-type Dendrobiums and some Austrailian dendrobium such as dendrobium kingianum does not mind low humidity also.

[Arenalbotanicalgarden]

Originally Posted by Monkey

Hello, I'm new to this and I was wondering if there were any orchids that do alright with low( <20%) humidity. I have a humifier and water tray setup but any more easy going orchids would be ideal.

Study Australian species.

[Bud]

New Mexico is elevated in altitude, dry and arid...with winds blowing fast and dries the plants in the land...only misquite, agave and some pines survive....as I observed in my drive from east to west coast on the I-10 the past summer of 2010 and back again that winter....
humidifier and humidity trays are very good for summer and in winter then you need heater and humidifier for your orchids...
you are lucky that winter frost only span two months in your area....mid January the spring thaw happens and in the daytime temperatures are in the 80's....you can even have orchids outdoors mid October provided you spray them once a day

[Orchidreamer]

I grew up in New Mexico, but I didn't start growing orchids until I moved to Maryland. I definitely remember the dry air and the especially dry winters that was very hard on my skin.

Here are some of my "tough" orchids I grow, that do not seem very exacting in their environmental requirements:
Oncidium splendidum
Laelia anceps
Maxillaria luteo-alba (unkillable orchid)

You can also supplement humidity by using a humidifier or humidity tray, or by planting your orchids in sphag (which dries out more slowly).

[Wrebbitrocks]

be wary though that when spike are showing to keep even moisture. im sure the same applies in any conditions but more so for us. i've yet to bloom my psychopsis and it keeps sending up spike and buds but they keep blasting... ive missed out on at least 12 flowers this year good thing is you can keep them outside within you garden plantings for some extra moisture. its almost november and i still have my plants outside. got some major spiking on some plants

[The Orchid Boy]

Most paphiopedilums do fine with low humidity. My Paph. Magical Venus grows like a weed no matter what. I have a Paph. delenatii and it does fine in low humidity. It has very tough, leathery leaves. The leaves are also very beautiful. I've also found paphs are easier to grow than phals (at least for me).

[Monkey]

Well, I'm definitely wary to try and grow orchids outside no matter what time of year. The winds here are too unpredictable. I couldn't even grow some of the hardier carnivorous plants outdoors and they are from temperate North America. I'd like to thank everyone for their suggestions thus far it's been a big help! I just have some research to do now lol.