Recent Orchid Freezes - Survivors?

epiphyte · #1 03-24-2010, 03:35 PM

Thought it might be educational to start a thread where people from Florida could share lists of their orchids that survived the cold. Sharing lists of the survivors can be helpful for people looking to replace their orchids that did not survive the cold. If every year cold-tender orchids were replaced with eurythermal orchids then the percentage of orchids that survived cold spells would be greater each year...aka survival of the fittest. Eventually, more and more orchids could be grown outdoors more and more north.

If you are not in Florida but your orchids survived some significant cold then feel free to share your lists as well. Here in So Cal it didn't get too cold but here's a great article on some Cattleya alliance orchids that survived frost and here's a photo of Miltonia flavescens covered in snow.

Maybe as demand for eurythermal orchids increase the supply side will respond accordingly. Speaking of which, anybody ever see this article... Researchers Develop Cold-Resistant Orchid...written in 1983? I've never seen an Enduracold orchid so maybe the crosses didn't pan out? I'm guessing the Georgia orchid used in the cross was Epidendrum conopseum...the northernmost occurring epiphytic orchid in North America.

epiphyte · #2 04-02-2010, 05:20 AM

My friend in Italy recently shared this really neat photo...you can click on it to see a larger version.

Vanda coerulea in snow

Marci in SoFL · #3 04-02-2010, 06:30 AM

That's a chillingly beautiful photo. Did the plant survive? I'm not going to be of much help in answering your post above as I hauled most of my plants indoors during each of the many cold nights we endured in South Florida. Those that remained outdoors were Dendrobium anosmum which not only survived but are currently in bud and a Schomburgkia tibicinis, too large to move, and thus far appears to have made it through unscathed.

epiphyte · #4 04-02-2010, 12:45 PM

It survived no problem. My friend has had it outdoors since 2005 and it has endured several freezes.

A while back GraphicGreg also mentioned Dendrobium anosmum surviving some cold, which I was surprised to hear because as far as I know it's a lowland tropical. Perhaps because it rests during winter...aka hibernation...it's better able to withstand the cold. Schomburgkia tibicinis is another lowland tropical but it's been included on several outdoor grow lists. Not exactly sure why or how it's able to withstand some cold temps.

Thanks for sharing your supporting evidence for those two species.

Marci in SoFL · #5 04-02-2010, 01:55 PM

Perhaps I should have added that I keep the anosmum's dry all winter except for occasional rain. The Schomburgkia was dry during cold spells and was well protected from winds on a wall and facing another wall.

lauraads · #6 01-20-2011, 10:28 PM

I'm in Central Florida and I just won't risk leaving them unprotected on the several nights we have had in the 20s and low 30s this winter (a first). Last year I brought everything in for three weeks. This year, I wrapped the shade house in 6 mil poly and used a ceramic heater on the 40 nights and a propane heater on the 20-30s nights (just because I couldn't get the needed temps with the ceramic and running more than one blows the circuits). I grow far too many tender orchids such as phal and dens to take chances. I was told at the local society that I could have left my Paphiopedilum Spicerianum out in the cold easily.

Martin Motes of Motes Orchids has a great article on cold tolerance of different types of orchids.

By the way, when I took them into the garage last year (insulated) they dropped their buds. Even with the heaters in the shade house, they have been flowering without a problem. Of course, I have to get the heater shut off early in the AM and unwrap it because the sun heats it up quick. Keeps me on my toes but has been rewarding.

Carl Chapman · #7 05-17-2011, 09:23 AM

Hi all -
I realize that this is an older thread, but I am fairly new getting back into orchids. As I posted in my introduction, we have a plant of Potinara Dorothy L. Adair that we have had for well over 40 years. We summer our plants outside for several years and Dorothy survived some nights as low as 34° F. We normally didn't try to leave things out if the prediction was for temps that low, but our local weather people are notoriously poor at predicting such things, They can sometimes be off by 10°.

Carl, southern WV