Leafless Orchids

[K Barrett]

Hey, this is what most of my orchids look like normally! You Floridians are wimps!!! Jeeze, a little grey cloud on the horizon and you go all to pieces, LOL!!

But seriously, I dunno, I see a lot of green pseudobulbs there. Sure a lot of leaves dropped and a few phals on the trees were lost, but there are still a few hanging in there. I don't know if you remember Barbara from OrchidSafari but she had a Den kingianum freeze one winter, it died back to the rhizome and the next year it came back like gangbusters, (I have it now and should post a picture) so keep hope alive!

[epiphyte]

This thread is going to quickly get lost in the photo category that it is currently in...perhaps it should be moved into the category for growing outdoors.

[Mauro Rosim]

It is really a sad sight, Greg!
But, I am a little surprised because it is common here where I have my shade house (950 meters asl) that temperatures fall as down as 38ºF for several days during the winter or still lower than that, around 35ºF, for shorter periods and I've never experienced something like that. It is true that I used to cover the whole growing area with transparent plastic film, but that was only to protect against the very cold winds. Last year I decided to cover and protect just the more sensitive and the vast majority of my plants stood the low temps and the wind. I lost a few leaves, but nothing so dramatic as you are showing! I was not worried about something like that, but now I think I need to keep an eye open next winter.

[BrianMonk]

That sux, Greg & Kathy. I was surprised by the damage the deciduous Dends took too. We had the same temps for the same time out in Belle Glade. Milton says he has never seen anything that lasted that long and he has been livign there all his life! My favorite Den, and anosmum that he gave me, seem to have totally crapped out. It may grow back, but it will be a decade before it looks like it did. Very sad.

[trdyl]

Ouch! I feel your pain.

[strkpr00]

Thats sad to see, but a reminder to bring them in when the temps. dip. I had an old neighbor ship some back after he couldnt make them happy in So. Illonois, this is my first winter with a large selection of orchids, they all go into the garage when the forcast is below 50.

[Alice-NJ]

When many growers say that their plants weathered a certain degree of cold, it may often be the result of gradual cooling, rather than a chill from a sudden drop in temperature. The plant sort of gets acclimated to the cold more slowly, and at that point a sudden drop doesn't seem to faze them, whereas a sudden chill to a plant that has been warmer is totally unexpected and devasting. Does anyone else think this is possible?

[Kathy-WPalmBeach]

I most definitely agree. We have seen it many a time. Sudden drops in temperature cause far more damage than gradual ones, We also see a lot of damage after prolonged spells of abnormal cold like we had last year.