Brassia Outdoors??

[kazjak]

Hi all! I've moved my Cattleya, Dendrobium, and oncidiums outside into the shade to start acclimating them to my Northern Ohio summer... I have a Brassia Rex I picked up from a local nursery cheap but I'm not completely sure how much light it should get. Can I eventually give it full morning and afternoon sun with the rest or just morning sun? It was in a huge pot so I repotted it in a 4" to give the roots some love and I want to make sure it has the best chance at survival.... THANKS!

[mayres]

I have a couple brassias and I give them full sun until about noon. One of them is blooming right now - seems to work......
mike

[kmarch]

Mayres,

Full sun where? Indoors? Outdoors?

[jerrymeola]

Brassia are treated the same as any Oncidium alliance orchid. They like about 2500 foot candles of light to flower.

Full noon summer sun is around 11,000 foot candles in the south and about 9-10,000 in Ohio (light is less intense the further north you go)

So I recommend that Brassia and all Oncidium get morning sun and afternoon shade. (It is the heat build up that damages the plant not the sun directly, but heat from the sun). Morning sun is bright but not as hot.

[mayres]

kmarch - I put them outdoors from may until sometime in october - they are placed in my flowerbed along the east side of my house. The rest of the year my higher light orchids are unfortunately just in maintenance mode under fluorescents. Hoping to get some higher output lighting fixtures one day in the not too distant future - maybe before this next winter - for at least half my higher needs plants ($).