Question RE: Cym. madidum hybrids

[Andrew]

Originally Posted by orchids3

Andrew, I have had the same experience but mist mine below freezing to prevent freezing. Do you water less in the cold weather?

I do keep them on the dry side over winter.

[cymbidster]

Cym. madidum hybrids will bud blast when exposed to excessive warm temperatures. We have found that the origin in where the madidum was originally collected has a large bearing on the bud drop. Most reputable nurseries can provide this information. I have a specialty cymbidium discussion site you might find interesting.

George Hatfield
Hatfield Orchids

http://forums.delphiforums.com/Cymbidium1/start

[smweaver]

Thanks very much, George, and everyone else who's responded, for your thoughtful replies. The plant is still doing well alongside its cool-growing neighbors at night and so far the spike is continuing to elongate nicely. So for now I think I'll continue to give it standard cymbidium treatment.

Steve

[Bobfharris]

George raises an interesting point regarding the origin of various madidum. It is possible that all the ones I'm seeing in Hawaii have come from isolates that were selected for their warm tolerance. So my experience is limited to what I've seen here.
However there is another issue, and that is one that has been widely discussed by many of us who work with cymbidiums that show warm tolerance. The definitions of warm tolerance need some clarification. George in So. Calif may be subjected to 100 plus degrees and this high temperature can adversely affect all but the hardiest of warm tolerant cymbidiums. Here in Hawaii we rarely see such high temperatures, but rather our issue is the warm night temperatures and or the relatively narrow difference between day and night temps. Perhaps defining the difference between Heat tolerant and warm tolerant may be a way to define some of these differences. In California while high day temperatures can be very high, if you live close enough to the coast, the night temperatures may drop dramatically. This may lead to a different climate picture than one in which say the day temperature is only mid 80's but the night is only 70.
As with all of these situations the best advice is to monitor your temperatures, and try different varieties to see how they adapt.
One further note. Species may behave a certain way, but the hybrids, being more complex, may exhibit a different response to the environment. So warm tolerance in a species may be a guide to how a hybrid may perform, but not the entire answer. The mix may add or subtract from the tolerance.
I hope this helps..

[smweaver]

Thanks, Bob. Yes, your answer was very helpful. "Warmth tolerant" in my situation is defined as being able to tolerate night time lows of anywhere between 62 and 64 degrees F without risking the loss of flower buds. In the summer, I've found that the madidum hybrids (and the species itself) are very tolerant, while they're in growth and not producing spikes, of the high day temps' here in the Midwest where I live. In the winter, however, most of my plants grow in the area of my home where night temps' stay in that 62 - 64 F range. I do, however, have a large south-facing unheated room where cooler orchids spend the winter, and the night temperatures are in the 48 to 53 F range. The hybrid I'm concerned about is Cym. Lambert Day. I'm not sure what the other parent was, but one of them was madidum. So, assuming that the mystery parent was a "standard" cymbidium, I'm erring on the side of caution and keeping the plant in the cool room. Its spike is close to eight inches long now, which is significantly longer than it was when I first posted this thread, and buds are finally starting to emerge from the sheaths. So I'm hoping that it will continue to tolerate the cool night temps that I'm giving it. Thank you again for your thoughtful response. It's much appreciated.

Steve

[Bobfharris]

Hi Steve
In your case your night temps are about what mine are in the dead of winter, and my madidum hybrids do just fine. In fact they are budding out right now (Mad Irishman, madidum, etc). So if you decide to keep them in the house where it is warmer it is no problem. As to cooler that generally is not a problem either.
The other parent for Lambert Day is Hot Line, a rather standard hybrid. You can look up many of the parents of crosses easily on a page that SBOE had for this Pedigree of Cym Red Beauty. Not extremely up to date but if it is listed then you get the entire genealogy.