Tolerable Temperature for Cattleyas

[ss12spaz]

Hi, this is my first post. I just moved to Southern California from Florida and this is the first winter that I am spending here with my orchids. I have very old orchids that belonged to my mother and I am not sure that they can handle the cooler temperatures that we have been experiencing. It gets down to about 45 degrees at night now. I have them hanging under a gazebo and I hung clear plastic shower curtains along the sides to help with the temperature. Should I be bringing them inside? Can theses lower temperatures hurt my orchids? Any help or advice is really appreciated.

[Tobi]

Hi and welcome to the forum ss12spaz. The average recommended low for Catts. is
around 58 F, however many will do fine with a range of 50-60 F. Some Catts that have
a cross of Sophronitis are able to tolerate low temps even colder. If you have the room
inside you might want to consider bringing them in. Since I'm in a colder climate, I don't
have the experience of growing them outside year round. Possibly some of the other
members in the SoCal area can further help you out.

[jerrymeola]

Cattleya are grown outside year round in Florida.

Mine go into the low 30s regularily and have hit 28 by accident on occasion. The Cattleya do fine even this low in temperature.

[ss12spaz]

Thank you replys. So how do I know if the lower temperatures are affecting them?

[Leisurely]

I seriously doubt if you will have damage to your plants but if you do it will show up as leaf damage, either yellowing or darkening.

I live in Central Florida and grow in a greenhouse but I experimented by putting duplicate plants outdoors where they were subjected to temperatures around 35F. The plants were Cattleyas, Dendrobiums and Phalaenopsis. There was no damage to the plants. You must make sure that they are in an area where it does not frost on them.

[tom499]

Good news for me, winter is a bad time for temps, growth is slow.

I think light is a more important factor in good growth though?

[PhalPal]

Hi ss12spaz and welcome to the forum. I'm sorry I missed this post earlier. Where in So Cal do you live?? The weather varies greatly here since we have beaches, mountains and deserts. I have Cymbidiums and Laelia anceps outside all year and I live down in Orange County. Both can handle temps from the 20's to 105 degrees. You'll want to get some Cyms - they do great here!! Beautiful patio plants. I bring all my other orchids (phals, catts and a maxillaria) inside below 50 because I like nice pretty leaves. Please feel free to PM or e-mail me if you like; I can hook you up with some good suppliers in the area also. Welcome to the group!