Following the sun

[Maba]

In another thread Jerry said: "Every time you move a plant it subjects it to some shock."

I have been wondering about this. I have been moving my Colm. Wildcats throughout the day to windows following the sun. Do you think this is doing more harm than good?

Thanks, Maba

[ryan_d_cruz]

Moving the plant too frequently could cause root damage due to the plant being shaken when moved. Also different rooms and positions have slight temperature variations and air pockets that might harm the plant if frequently moved from one place to another. I have found that my ocelot has grown better after I had it hung in one bright corner without much movement, it just gets some direct light once in the morning for a few hours after that the location falls into a bright shade, the plant has already flowered 3 times this season. All the best

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

If the plant is very firmly potted in the mix, as it should be, moving the plant should not be a problem. Remember that the plants are exposed to some very good breezes in nature, so are used to swaying around in the wind. But the plant must be firm at the roots. If the plant wobbles in the pot, don't move it at all until the roots take a much firmer grip. This is one of the reasons why the mix is pressed very firmly into the pot when repotting, to keep the plant from moving at the roots. Cynthia, Prescott, AZ

in nature the plant is stationary and recieves light as the earth rotates, i don't see the advantage in chasing sunlight. you might try adding extra light with cfl's or just position the plant closer to the window.jmo

[jerrymeola]

Sorry I did not notice this thread.

My comment about some stress when moving a plant was not intended to be this critical. I mostly was talking about the big change from ideal greenhouse conditions to which a plant has adapted to less then ideal or at least very different conditions in your home when you first purchase it. Whatever stress occurs moving it at home will be very minor.

I move plants all the time. I rotate them so they grow more uniform and often move flowering plants closer to the house or indoors to enjoy the flowers. I take plants to markets and shows regular. Most take it well.

A mounted cattleya I had for a year had three buds and was taken to the Tampa show last week. It promtly dropped all the flowers and died from being in the box for a day. 400 other orchids took the trip perfectly.

I always agonize when it is cold in the winter here and I have buds. Changing the temperature by moving it can affect the buds. I had 1000 flower buds on a nobile dendrobium I was conditioning for the Tampa Orchid show and my wife moved it closer to the house when the flowers started to open after 3 months in bud to enjoy it. There was also a big temperature shift from the 40s to 85 over two weeks. and I lost 600 of the buds. Still an impressive plant but not what I wanted.

Your Wildcat is an easy growing plant and your moving it seems to be a lot of work. I doubt it will ever harm the plant but summering it outside will probably be easier to increase the light levels. Most Wildcats only bloom once a year, and since they only need the extra light to flower, you could leave it in one place over the winter, even if it is much lower light levels. Most orchids grow well in low light but need more to flower.

[sunny9]

I move my plants to the sink every week to water it. Is this movement harmful to the roots? I water them by the sink so they are totally drenched, then I rotate them 180 so that they get sun evenly.
Is all this moving around bad for them?
Thanks,
Sunny9

[jerrymeola]

Sunny the little move to the sink and back should be no problem. Remember to avoid chlorine in tap water if you live in an area that use heavy chlorine.

[sunny9]

Jerry, thanks for the response regarding moving my plants to the sink.
Sunny