Commercial Floriculture

Temperature

• The temperature regimes used will be governed by the genera grown.
• Even though various species of orchids vary in their individual requirements of optimum temperature.
• Generally orchids thrive in a day temperature varying between 16 to 21^o C and a night temperature of 13 to 16^oC.
• If plants are grown outside the tolerance limits, poor growth or even death will result.
• A widely held misconception is that, all tropical orchids need really high temperatures, this is not altogether true and to subject them to such treatment can be disastrous.
• Three basic temperature regimes enable the enthusiast to grow nearly all cultivable orchids. They are

  1. The cold or cool
  2. The intermediate (temperate)
  3. The warm or hot.

Cool Season Species	Summer: Day Night Winter: Day Night	16-21o C 13o C 13-16o C 10o C	Cymbidiums, Odontoglossums, Paphiopedilums, Zygopetalums.
Intermediate Species	Summer: Day Night Winter: Day Night	18-24o C 16-18o C 16-21o C 13-16o C	Cattleyas, Laelias, Oncidiums, Stanhopeas and
Warm / Hot Species	Summer: Day Night Winter: Day Night	21-29o C 18-21o C 21-29o C 18-21o C	Phalaenopsis, Phaphiopedilums and evergreen Dendrobiums.

• Temperature influences not only proper vegetative growth, but also production of flowers in quite a good number of species.
• It should be noted that for optimum growth and flowering, the night temperature should be lower than day temperature.
• Cattleya labiata does not flower when the night temperature is higher than 21oC.
• Most Cymbidium species need a temperature of 13-16oC, during nights and plenty of sunlight during day time for proper flowering.
• The Dendrobium crumentaum, flower only in response to a sudden drop in temperature of 10oC. However, in all cases, temperature changes must not be too sudden and too often. Very low temperatures common at the foot hills kills plant tissues just as burning does.

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