Cool snaps and light reduction?

[mimigirl]

In reading info on general orchid care I have found that some orchids need a nightime drop in temps to initiate blooms. Also read that some are prompted by the length of uninterrupted nighttime darkness. But when I look up info for individual types some don't mention either or only one. My question is, is it safe to assume that it is OK to give all orchids a nighttime cool? And, which ones need the longer nights? Thank you because I am floundering here....

[estación seca]

You have to read a little about what it's like back home for the orchid, or the ancestors in the hybrid. Almost all plants from mountainous regions get a substantial night-time cool down. Almost all lowland rainforest plants don't.

However, they don't all need that cool-down period, and a lot of hybrids don't, either. But plants from constantly-warm areas really do prefer being warm. This means such things as many Vandas, Phalaenopsis, lowland Dendrobium and lowland Angraecum alliance plants.

So, it isn't possible to generalize to all orchids. But you'll have a great time reading about them! You'll learn a lot of geography and meteorology!