Are Your Outdoor Epiphytic Orchids Shivering?

[epiphyte]

This is a nail biting time of year for me as the temperatures continue to drop for my outdoor orchids. I checked on weather.com and saw that it hit 36 degrees last week. Brrrrr. Here are some of the epiphytic orchids that I have outdoors...

Bifrenaria harrisoniae (potted)
Dendrobium delicatum 'Rosimina Brown'
Dendrobium kingianum
Dendrobium nobile (unknown hybrid)
Dendrobium nobile
Dendrobium speciosum var. hillii 'Don Brown' (growing soooo slowly)
Dendrobium teretifolium (growing vigorously... wonderful roots)
Dendrobium Zeschia Lynn (budding)
Encyclia hanburyi
Epidendrum parkinsonianum (blooming)
Laelia albida (blooming, small wonderfully scented flowers fragrant the whole area)
Laelia anceps (in spike)
Laelia gouldiana
Laelia pumila Coerulea My Blue Heaven x Sanbar Ind
Laelia/Schomburgkia superbiens (spike broke off because hit the top of shade cloth...ughhh)
Myrmecophila tibicinis? (wonderfully turgid leaves, hollow pseudobulbs)
Oncidium flexuosum (climbing)
Oncidium ornithorhynchum (in bud with fragrant chocolate, vanilla scented flowers)
Rhyncholaelia digbyana (potted)

All are mounted except for the two indicated and all are under green shade cloth.

Which epiphytic orchids do you grow outdoors year around and what are some of the coldest temperatures that they have been subjected to?

[tom499]

Well it depends on alot of factors.

Air temp is just one. How windy it is will cause a lot of extra chill, how wet the plants are will also effect them.

If they get warm days then the cold chill at night isnt so much a problem, but if there in constant chills then its not so good.

Most of your plants look like the cool type, see what others say.

[palito]

i have Den. kingianum Den. delicatum and Laelia purpurata outdoors taking 33 F for the past three nights. no signs of damage so far.

[PhalPal]

I can only speak for the Laelia anceps since I have one growing outdoors completely unprotected. It also has two spikes and is doing just fine. I have only a few oncidiums so I put them out during the day and bring them in at sunset.

Just a note, as you know the LA news and weather covers about a third of the state. Being in OC, I never really know what we are going to get as far as weather is concerned. I bought a little 'weather station' that tells me indoor temp and humidity, and outdoor temp so I can keep an eye on my cyms and tropicals I have planted in ground. It has been an invaluable tool but it cost about $50 online.

[palito]

Last night we had a freak unexpected low of 28F. my Dend delicatum shows some pale blotches in some leaves and damage in the new growths, they feel tender to the touch but still are green, so maybe they'll recover. It definitely can handle lows down to 32 but not below that.

On the other hand the Laelia purpurata and Dend. kingianum show absolutely no damage at all. very impressive hardiness.