Having a hard time managing obligated hot/warm orchid temperature

[PuiPuiMolcar]

now that my collection has doubled from last year thanks to me being impulsively curious in cooler growing orchids. I'm trying to twist my head around on what to do with them when the upcoming warmth is approaching.

I have a few warm and cool orchids and many intermediate cattleyas/oncidiums. Two obligated warm grower (paph/Pleurothallis/bulbophyllum) and two obligated cool grower (draculas) that require high humidity.

From what I understand, lower elevation orchid that like to stay warm dont need the big gap of temperature drop at night so I assume they dont mind staying in my green tent year round with the only changes are the seasons.

I will keep my cooler orchids like dracula and odontoglossum outdoor this spring where the temperature remain safely around 50s low until summer they go into the cool tent indoor.

Intermediate orchids confuse me, I left most of my mine outdoor this year it seems they are doing ok so far. I suppose I will just give them less light in the summer as insurance. I treat them like cool orchids but with brighter light.

One thing that I want to confirm is that I need to give obligated warm orchids like paph leuchochilum less light in winter while cool orchids like masdevallia/cymbidium more light in winter? My climate is mediterranean

[Keysguy]

I'm not sure I understand your use of the word "obligated" here.

I also don't understand why, in SOCAL, you would be concerned about managing temps for "intermediate" temperature orchids, especially in summer. I am in Key West and I grow plenty of "intermediate" temp orchids outdoors year-round and theoretically I guess I should be sticking to warm growers because my day/night temp differential is typically only 4-5 degrees. Some of it is the correct plant stock, some is gradual acclimation and some is "managing" the environment.

Anyway, I would think you would be more concerned about the cool growers. They are waaaay less temp tolerant than intermediates.

[Roberta]

Most of these cool growers really aren't "obligate" cool... they will tolerate quite a bit of heat, especially if they can cool off at night (which happens most of the time naturally in southern California). I have found that my Draculas are actually more forgiving of high daytime temps than Masdevallias. The Dracs open up in the cool of the morning. Flowers partially collapse in the heat of the day, to open fully again the next morning. (This can go on for a couple of weeks before the flowers finally fade). On REALLY hot days (especially when the humidity drops) I just water more... you can water in the evening, so plants have maximum time to absorb the water, then again mid-morning or so to get them wet again so evaporative cooling helps them. You can also use sphagnum in clay pots (or even double the clay pots) so that you get insulation and evaporative cooling around the roots. Definitely shade those cooler-growing plants. If you do these things, you will be surprised what you can get away with. Take a look at my website to see what I grow outside, of these cooler-growing plants. Summer nights mostly get below 68 deg F (20 deg C) except in August. Days where I live usually are below 85 deg F (29 deg C ) but there can be several weeks where nights are warmer and days are hotter, and with the shade and extra water the cool-growers do fine. Don't get too hung up on the labels (like cool and intermediate), see what you can get away with.

Now, there are limits of course. Some Draculas are pickier than others. I can't grow Den. cuthbertsonii (I have tried and given up) - those orchids that come from elevations about 2500 m or so at the equator may really need more cooling (people grow them in wine coolers) but there are many that will tolerate some heat.