Bring inside... or cover... or....

[paphlovian]

Hello!

I am a Florida resident who is a bit unsure when I need to bring my orchids in (due to lower temps). It is scheduled to get down to around 44 degrees this week. I have a various types of orchids, so just bring all of them in when I've felt it's too cold. I prefer to leave them outside if I can b/c it lacks air circulation indoors and proper lighting. It just seems the outdoors should provide them with a better environment-- I'm just worried about cold fronts.

What I would like to hear are your thoughts and opinions regarding how low might be too low on my COVERED PATIO that I keep my orchids on. It is enclosed on 3 sides and has a screen on only one-- so it is pretty sheltered-- but it still cools off out there! One thing I'm curious if it would work to use a sheet or blanket to cover my orchids when it cools instead of bringing them in? Do you think this would work out okay? It RARELY freezes here, but we do get cold fronts that drop the temps down around 40'ish at times. Are there any other methods to use for being able to keep them on a patio?

Thanks so much for your input! I don't want to loose my orchid investment, but I don't have ample time (or space to place them) to be carrying them in/out everytime we get a cold-front.

[cb977]

Hi Angela

I'm in Spring Hill and whenever the temps are going to be at or below 50, I bring the 'chids into the orchid room
and set the heater for 52.

[Leisurely]

I live just west of Orlando and I grow in a greenhouse. I grow some plants outside and I have experimented with leaving duplicate plants out during cold spells. Phalaenopsis, Cattleya, Encyclia, Epidendrum and Oncidium were left out and came through 40F with impunity. None of the plants were covered but they were in an area with high tree canopies and were not subjected to any frost. The reason plants are covered with fabric is to take advantage of the heat that is generated by the soil so if you cover plants they should be at ground lever with the cover secured to the ground versus throwing something over them when they are suspended. I think the general consensus is that you can raise the temperature a couple of degrees by covering. Epidendrum radicans and Cymbidums can both take temperatures to 28F without damage.

[paphlovian]

Thank you, both, for your responses. I'm not sure if I should take a chance. When we had a freezing spell here a week or so ago all my patio plants appear fine (I only brought in my orchids) while I had significant damage to my outdoor plants. Maybe this is a sign that my patio is more safe to those lower temps? I wish I knew more for sure. Perhaps covering might help a tad, maybe it might not help since they're on a table and it might not make a difference. Hmmm...

Thanks again... and I'm open to more ideas, always!

[quiltergal]

Can you cover the screened in side with plastic and run a space heater at night?

[cb977]

Originally Posted by quiltergal

Can you cover the screened in side with plastic and run a space heater at night?

That's what we did prior to having the room built! We used our hurricane shutters (which go along the outer wall of the covered lanai, rather than up against the windows to block off the end section then hung a tarp across the open area that was left. All the 'chids went into that area, most of the time without a heater and they were fine. I think the heat coming through the glass sliders was enough to keep them happy.
Temporary winter shelter

[khill]

I am in SW Florida and when we had the "freeze" about a week or so ago, I brought in all my orchids. (what a job that was!)

Otherwise, if it is only going down to the mid-40's, I only bring in my vandas. I grow on a covered lanai (no screen) and some outside. We have had other nights this winter where it has dipped into the 40's and everything faired well. (phals, catts, oncidiums)

Usually the low temps are only overnight, and it warms up fairly quickly the next day. Tonight I will probably bring in the vandas. Actually, all my phals are currently spiking and I remember reading somewhere that the cooler temps make for better blooming---we'll see.

[paphlovian]

I think the screened opening is too large to cover with plastic... it would probably just be easier to bring all 25 inside, but thanks for the idea! Perhaps in the future I can create a set up like that. In the meantime, I will have to figure something out. I might end up taking a chance and MIGHT cover them. I took a chance with my outdoor plants by not covering them during our "freeze" and half of them have lost their leaves. Hoping the same will not happen to the orchids.

Good to hear that one of you have had good luck in the mid-40's. I gave up on Vanda's when my first one died after a long battle. I have heard the phals are sensitive to the colder weather (compared to others), so it is nice to hear you were okay with those.

Thanks again!

[epiphyte78]

I'm researching temperate tolerant epiphytic orchids so it would be great if you could leave them all outside and let me know which ones survive! Then you could replace the non-survivors with other more hardy orchids and then you wouldn't have to worry about the cold... well... except for that blue moon super cold that occurs every 10 years.

If you don't want to sacrifice some orchids in the name of science I recommend researching minimum low temps for your orchids. By far the best resource for doing so is the orchid culture website by the Bakers where for $1 you can purchase a comprehensive culture/climate sheet that contains average minimum temperatures by month for the orchid in its native habitat. Here are some free example sheets

Or, if you know the latitude and elevation of the orchid in its native habitat you can calculate the lowest average minimum temperature by inputting them into this equation I developed...

Min = 77.35541724 - 0.838402676(Lat) - 0.003051964(Elev)

On average its off by 3 degrees... so to be safe add 3 degrees to the result.

Or, you could see if your orchids are on other people's outdoor growing lists...

Outdoor growing list for coastal Southern California

Outdoor growing list for Southern Australia (down to 23 degrees)

Outdoor growing list for Sydney, Australia (down to 32 degrees)

Summer time outdoor orchid list for the UK (displays country of origin and elevation range).

Santa Barbara Orchid Estate used to have a webpage that listed all their outdoor growing orchids but for some reason they took it off and only list a few outdoor orchids. You can call them and they'll mail you their full outdoor growing list. It's quite extensive. You can also do a google search for temperature tolerant site:sborchid.com to see all their temperature tolerant orchids. You can also do the same thing for Andy's Orchids but with a lot less results.

Hope that helps!

[paphlovian]

Very interesting information!

I decided to leave them on the screened patio. The forecast reported a low of 42, but there is no way for me to know exactly how low it got last night. Tonight it's reported at about 44 degrees. This is the first time I've left all of them out when it's supposed to get that cold (well, for Florida, it is "cold"!) I can let you know if they survived. But, I guess I might not be able to tell how it affects them exactly (i.e., stunts growth, etc...) I can report, however, if they survive!