Temperature Question

[DavidK]

Hi Everyone ,
I have just been bitten by the "orchid bug" and have a few plants , mostly cattleyas and as I'm getting into my new addiction and hoping for flowers I come across some orchid information on sites saying they need to drop down into the 60's at night .
I live in Central Florida where the night temperature doesn't drop that low in summer , normaly mid to high 70's ! do you think this will stop my plants from flowering ?
All my plants look healthy with nice mid-green leaves except one which I have moved about to try to get it to look healthy , it is a cattleya hybrid , and it's leaves just stay dark regardless of where I put it .
I'm growing my orchids in the screen room which faces west , and getting good light & humidity at this time of year , do you have any tips for me ?
Thanks ... David

[Ray]

I wouldn't worry about the temperatures so much. Assuming you acquired the plants reasonably locally, they are probably just fine with your temperature conditions.

Some plants do require a day/night temperature drop in order to initiate the growth of flower spikes, but even in the most tropical parts of the US, that happens naturally in the fall and winter, so just be patient!

[DavidK]

Hello Ray ,

Thanks for your reply .

I must admit I did go a bit mad buying and have got orchids from Hawaii , Texas & Penn. to name a few , but they are all doing well with their new growths and roots etc.

I do have a Psychopsis in flower just now , I had only seen pictures of this orchid and had to have one , and when it grew it's spike and eventually flowerd I was over the moon

Thanks Again ... David