Quote:
Originally Posted by jerrymeola  I grow my cats and actually all my orchids down to 32 degrees. They were 39 yesterday. |
Let's be clear about something here, while some cattleyas might tolerate the occasional dip into cold temperatures, as Jerry's seem to have done, it is absolutely not recommended that cattleyas (and a lot of other commonly grown orchids) be grown in these freezing and near freezing temperatures. The recommended temperature ranges for cattleyas are intermediate temps, specifically with night time lows in the 55-65F (about 12-18C) range. This is a recommended range that should help a grower achieve good (optimal?) results. It might be reassuring to know that cattleyas may survive a cold snap like this (we typically worry too much about our orchids don't we) but by no means should this be taken as the generally recommended temps at which cattleyas should be grown.
There are exceptions. It is true that some cattleyas (especially hybrids made with C. coccinea) prefer temps a little cooler; Andy of Andy's Orchids grows his coccineas in his cool house with night time temps in the 50-55F (10-13C) range and I have a coccinea hybrid that I grow outside here in winter, down to about 45-50F (8-10C) but this is a long way from freezing and is certainly an exception to the rule. Some cattleya species even experience an occasional (albeit short-lived) snow, but not for an extended period of time and again this is an exception to the rule and not generally recommended for cultivation.