Well do to health problems I has not able to wrap the shade house in plastic and put heaters in there.
BUT so far no damage even thought the temps get down to 32 the other night and remained there for a number of hours..
Everyone keep their fingers crossed for me as next week it will be colder.
How cold can the epi's stand.
I used to have a greenhouse, it was heated, but, to save on heating bills, I never heated above 35, and all my plants, surprisingly, even tropicals always survived just fine. Im not suggesting low temps, but, I think a few times it may have even been down as low as 30ish. I think it was more about them being out of frost. I am quite surprised about the tropicals though. The rhipsalis and orchid cactus actually did way better when they did have low temps in the winter.
They can take the cold but not the frost. So as long as they are inside and not exposed to frost, they should be fine.
That is what I think. The shade house has 2 1/2 sides of hard plastic sheets and the other one is the silver shade cloth. The temp out there is 45 degrees out there about 4 degrees warmer than the weather station says.
Heat in the summer is a bigger problem. Last year it get up to 120 degrees out there and I lost a number of epis. This summer I put a fan out there and has a misting strip that ran most of the day. Most everything came through this summer great.
sandy
In my garage, it has gotten down to 45F and I try to hold at 55F. Guess they are tough little critters.
Mine live outside year round where it gets down to low 30s (but no frost), and up to 103F in the summer, with no apparent damage.
In Coastal North Carolina it has been in the 20's several times in the last couple of weeks. I leave my GH temp at around 45 but it has not been able to keep up (gas) and has dropped to 30-34 range several times with no damage to plants. Several years ago, I lost most of my orchids to temps around 30 so it really does scare me. bob
They always say 40 is the lowest but I think it depends on the epiphyllum. I've left mine out in 33 degrees before and had no damage. Some seem to be hardier than others.......I know my other plants have been getting hit hard this year. All these hard freezes we have been having. Most all the plants I covered with sheets are black and crunchy. Don't know if they will come back or not. I put most of my potted plants in my garage but I have no grow lights or heaters so I don't know how much I will lose to shock and cold. This is the coldest winter we've had. My neighbor has hers under her carport and never covers them and they always seem to survive some how.Well hope this was helpful I wish you luck with yours.
Rebecca
looks like I lost some but as I can not really get out there to look I will not know, stupid ankle and knee are hampering my gardening.
So, here in the north country can put our plants out as soon as the chance of frost (32F) has gone?
Yes
Thanks, I was thinking of a low of 45F for them, and that would take longer.
From what I have seen that they can take it cold but not freezing, that is what killed some of mine.
Mine will be under the deck but sheltered a bit from the south/southwest where the weather comes from. Since I have been moving from C&S to more pedestrian tropical cacti more and more of my plants like this shade. April 25 has a 10% chance of being below 32F according to the DG tool.
I have a bud on mine and it hasn't gotten any bigger since the weather got cold.
I think I lost some of mine too wren, I had them out on the covered porch and I covered them but it was still too cold. I am in the Jax area as well. I don't know if they will come back from the roots. I put most in the greenhouse that I heat if it gets below freezing. So far they look okay in there.
I lost a lot, but some look like they are untouched.
Sandy
We usually bring in our epi when we arrive in FL about a week before Christmas. However, this year, not only did the pump in the well fail in the fall, (no water) and we had two cold spells -- down to freezing -- I don't know how long so when we got here, the epi looked completely cashed except a couple of green leaves. The phaius had completely BLACK leaves. After bringing all of them in and cutting off the black phaius leaves and trimming back the epi, I now have ONE long branch that was completely bare sprouting two green leaves(?) plus the one branch that has several leaves. I won't have to answer to my grandmother in the hearafter for killing her epi if all goes well. The phaius are now sprouting from the bulbs and two are actually sending up flower stalks. You can imagine how bad I felt about all of that, but this has been ANOTHER COLD WINTER IN FL!
This was my phaius last year on Valentine's Day. I have one pathetic flower stalk this year, but the plant is still ALIVE!
I am scared to go out into my shade house.
Wren: When you do, be careful -- we don't want to have you racked up with another problem! Haven't been posting, but been praying for you, your DS, DB, and DM.
Hope you find things in the shade house survived the cold.
I did go out there a week ago and there was some green, but many of the plants beside the open side look dead.
Thanks I am doing better, not as much pain, DS is back home and better, DB is still on crutches and I may kill DM if she makes another mistake like the last one that sent her to the hospital, she told me that her blood sugar was high and I gave her a shot but it was not and it dropped way to low. She is fine now but I have to watch her like a hawk.
I know this is a kind of old post but... After working all night this winter I came home to a greenhouse at 29*. My husband forgot to light the kerosene heater. I was fit to be tied of course. Anyway all epi's and everything made it with the exception of my lipstick plant which was only partially damaged and my spinach tree which I hope will come back from the roots. I guess it wasn't below freezing for a long period of time which must have been the only thing that saved them. Now I always call and say "light the heater!"
I lose a good number, not quit half.
that's cold for Florida. we've been having warm weather here.
It get very cold down here. We had a record number of freezing nights. There was no way I could of paid for the cost of heating the shade house. Our Jan. electric bill was over 300 dollars.