Coelogyne dayana outside in zone 10?

[Kostas]

Hello,

I would like to ask you if Coelogyne dayana(=Coelogyne pulverula) can live tree mounted,outside all year in zone 10.

Thank you very much in advance!

[WhiteRabbit]

Botanica's Orchids indicates hardy zones 10-12, so I guess it's ok ...

[Kostas]

Thank you very much for your reply Sonya! Thats great to hear!

Does anyone know or have first hand info with how much cold it can take? Has anyone overwintered this outside,unprotected, in zone 10?

Thank you very much in advance!

[Bud]

According to the Baker culture:

Summer days average 69-75°F (21-24°C), and nights average 58-59°F (14-15°C), with a diurnal range of 10-16°F (6-9°C).

---------- Post added at 01:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:29 AM ----------

Coelogyne dayana is native to the island of Borneo. It is an equatorial plant and will not like frost. This beautiful species has tapered conical pseudobulbs that reach 7 inches in size. The bifoliate, long, stiff, pleated leaves are about 2 feet in length. The flower spikes emerge several times per year and can be up to three feet or more in length. The flowers have a nice woody-nutmeg fragrance. Growing it mounted in a tree is best since this can really grow into a very large plant.

[Kostas]

Thank you very much for your reply Bud!

It wont be seeing frost as the tree offers overhead protection from it. But it will see 0C or even -2C in bad winters for 1-2 nights,at the coldest part of the night,just before the sun rises and heat everything up! Can it withstand such temperatures? Stanhopea tigrina,Prosthechea cochleata,Leptotes bicolor and Sedirea japonica saw -2C to -2,5C this winter without damage and Lycaste lassioglosa just got 50% leaf damage in a northern,more exposed location.

Thank you very much in advance!

[orchidsarefun]

when temps will be that low, why don't you just protect the plants from frost damage ? Blankets, newspapers, cardboard - all would work. I wouldn't forgo a perfect grow spot for occasional frost......

[Kostas]

Thank you very much for your reply

I live 300km away from Pyrgos where my garden and mounted orchids are and so its not possible for me to protect them because chances are i wont be there when the freeze happens. Frost does not form where my orchids are as they have overhead protection from their evergreen tree so i dont worry about frost at all Its just the absolute temperatures and nothing more that could damage it. The tree trunk and the good microclimate the area i plan to grow this species has will offer extra protection and it may not see that low temperatures but more like 0C or -1C even in bad winter and possibly +1C in good ones for example but still,it will see freezing temperatures at some point,at the coldest part of 1-2 nights,just before sunrise.
I would say that if this species has the capability to withstand 0C briefly,it should grow successfully mounted in my area. But can it stand 0C?

[orchidsarefun]

I found this, don't know if you have seen it

Orchid of the Week Library: Coelogyne dayana

according to the article the minimum temp is way above 0c
( 58f )

I could be your επιστάτης if you want !

[Kostas]

Thank you very much for the link

I do have seen that and others mentioning about these temperatures but most sites about growing orchids just list the ideal range for the species and not what it can tolerate. For example,guides from this site never mention 0C or less for any species while many do can take such temperatures.My outdoor mounted orchids laugh with such guides...They know they can do better than what the guides say! Thats what i am counting on for this species as well but a first hand info would be needed for knowing the truth...

Thanks for the offer! That would be nice actually! A few butane space heaters would take care of any cold hardiness issue they would ever have I would even be able to grow Coryanthes and Phalaenopsis gigantea no problem!

[camille1585]

All the website, books, guides, etc, give optimal temperature ranges for each plant, which doesn't mean that they can't survive at temps outside the given range, but they certainly won't thrive. But I think there must be a limit at how far you can go from the recommended temps. For this orchid, a minimum low of 14°C is a far far cry from 0°C! That being said, if you think it'll be fine then give it a try, and you'll find out for sure.

Something that intrigues me... why have your orchids 300km away from you? You must not get to enjoy them very much.