Is it okay for cattleyas to be outside at 50-60F at night?
 

Hi all,

Is it okay for cattleyas to be outside at 50-60F at night?
I brought them indoors last night because I wasn't sure.

Also, should I water less when its cooler even though it isn't winter?

Thank you!!

It depends on the particular specie/hybrid. Cattleya is a large genre that covers lots of plants with different habitats.
Regarding watering, in principle the coolor the temps the lower the watering frequency. But, again, it depends on the plants you have.

Yes, it depends... I have nearly all of my Catts permanently outside (winter night lows down to 40 deg F or lower but some warming during the day) Don't move them back and forth... they can take the cooler temps if they have the opportunity to acclimate. The ones with warm-growing parentage I just don't have (at least not anymore) So you need to do a bit of research on the parentage of hybrids. C. dowiana and C. lueddemanniana, for instance, do need warmth, and if they are dominant in a hybrid, that plant will need wnter protection. But lots of Cattleya species are just fine outside. If it's cold reduce watering (they don't dry out as fast when it's cold anyway). If there is a serious cold snap forecast, don't water for a few days... a dry plant will tolerate cold much better than a wet one. If your nights are routinely going down below 40, though, bring everything in for the winter.

Thank you so much. Im looking at the tags now, these are all rlc, lc, and blc hybrids. I do not have any species yet! I will have to do some research on their needs. And I will definitely stop moving them! Makes my life easier. Thank you for so many details as always Roberta.

As long as the hybrids have names, you can look them up (the name is the "grex" or cross). So look up the cross on orchidroots.com. You can then get information about the species involved. If the plant has a lot of the warmer-growing species in its background, then you'll treat it more as a warm grower. (It all goes back to the component species... For example, if it has lots of dowiana, it needs to be warm. If there's C. intermedia or Gur. aurantiaca or L. anceps dominant it'll be much more cold-tolerant. As you learn about the species, you'll understand your hybrids better.

Another factor in dealing with cold is "how much" You can get away with a few nights of low temperatures if the days are warmer and the plants are dry. (And 3-4 hours of temps in the 30's F is different than 8 hours) So it is a balancing act.

Just fantastic!!!! Much to learn. Thank you so much!!!

If you want to get a sense of which Cattleya species are cold-tolerant (and so impart that characteristic to their hybrids) take a look at my website. In the "Index of plants" I indicate which ones I grow outside (so they tolerate night temps down to 40 deg F and occasionally get a few hours even lower).

Extremely helpful. I love your collection, so many pinks and purples! :D I do not see any Rlc under the cattleya hybrids. Does this mean it is not tolerant of cold temps? What would you suggest for care of rlc outdoors? I have an Rlc Shinaphat Diamond.

i have few hybrids. You likely won't find yours matching mine. (And I also have mostly if not completely the old nomenclature, Rlc used to be Blc) Whether a particular Rlc (Blc) is cold tolerant or not depends on which "l" (Laelia) and c (cattleya) species are in the background and in what percentages. jThe "R" is usually Rhynchoelia (Brassavola) digbyana... that one is pretty cold tolerant, it is the rest of it that is the question. So from my website you can gain information about the "base" species, but not the combinations. If you can list some of the names, I'd be happy to look them up and you'll see my thought process. (I have Orchidwiz, which calculates the percentages on hybrids that can give a really good idea of the behavior) The genus alone tells nothing about the details as far as temperature is concerned. If you can provide the names of some of your hybrids, this will all make more sense with specific examples.

It also depends on how warm will be the next day. If the next day will be nice and warm, they will tolerate low night temperatures a lot better. In my sunroom winter nights often dip into the low 50s F / 10-13C, and even occasionally into the 40s F / 5C. But the following day will almost always be above the upper 70s F / 24C. My Phalaenopsis don't mind. When I tried to grow them inside my home, which is quite cool in winter, they died quickly.