
Frosts and cold damage on orchids. Re published 27.06.2019 PART TWO. We just had our coldest day in 30 years. So what happens?

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Bronwyn stanton on
Hello
I live in Tallong NSW in the southern highlands. We currently have our orchids well protected from frosts but we are thinking the limited light is effecting flower production. If we build a house for the plants what would be the best covering material to prevent frost and allow sufficient light and not cook them i summer? -
Sue on
Frost Damaged flower spike on my cymbidium. yes I asked for it Yes I live in Canberra this sadly was the first time I got my orchid to flower and eek I left it under the eaves but -8 hurt badly the spike the leaves looking fine. Question do I cut the flower spike off now or wait. Hope you can help. Suze
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Ian Broughton on
Hi Wayne
I HATE seeing and hearing such horror stories and my heart goes out to all in the nursery industry affected by such damage.
One small thing: free water on foliage actually gives a degree of frost protection. It’s called the latent heat of melting: turning ice at 0 deg to water at 0 deg requires heat. The reverse applies and freezing water makes heat available to the foliage and gives some frost protection. I used that to good effect in my fern nursery in the Upper Yarra Valley.
But you do have to keep the foliage wet which means running the sprinklers for short bursts regularly through the period of frost. And another really BIG BUT: you don’t want orchids wet through winter – so that’s not a lot of use to you, and flower spikes will probably be cooked anyway. -
Newbie on
Thanks for your info, my glass house was not closed up tight enough and i have had more damage than ever, about 50% of my cymbidium spikes burned off , not sure how to do proceed.
I live in Bendigo and have only been growing cymbidium orchids for 4 years . I can keep them alive it’s just trying to get them to spike . What’s the secret? I have them facing north but what am I doing ?