Cold? Something to think about.

[james mickelso]

How cold can most orchids withstand without any detrimental effects? That depends. Some orchids can take temps down into the 30's, some down into the 40's, and some don't like temps below the 50's. One of the conditions that can help an orchid survive when the temps get cold is how dry the media is. How much moisture they have in their roots. My GH gets down into the 30's for a few months every winter and my plants do ok. The cattleyas even continue to grow new pbulbs. But I don't water as much either. The past few weeks it has been down into the low 40's from about 10pm until about 8 or 9 am. I keep them on the dry side and they do well and flower well too. When the temps drop, keep them a little dry and they will be ok. Here's how cold mine get. The phals spikes are still elongating, the noid cattleya on the top shelf is still elongating, all the mounted orchids are still growing new pbulbs. My advice is to not worry too much about cold as long as you keep them on the dry side. Oh, and we are having dry santa anas right now. Humidity is down into the teens and single digits. It warms into the 60's during the day.