Putting the 'chids outside

[Danelady]

I have several orchids that I would like to put outside when the time is right. I have a lot of questions about that, though!
I've read the different culture sheets, but I would also like some advice/suggestions from those w/experience.
I have 2 cymbidiums. I understand they can stand a good bit of light and cool temps. Is it too early to put them out and should I start them in the shade, and how much light can I move them into.
I have a vanda and I'm really not sure what to do w/it.
I have a large cattleya. How much sun can it take? Less than the cym, I think, but can it have any direct light? Should it be in full shade?
I have some dends that I was thinking I would put outside on the North side of the house. They would be in the shade most of the time. Only a little evening sun, is that enough?
The paphs and phals will be staying inside. Or, can the Phals take the heat if in full shade?
I would appreciate any thoughts, suggestions, etc!!!
I am in Georgia, just below Atlanta (Hotlanta), btw. I do not have a greenhouse and will be happy to gain back a little space inside the house!!!
Thanks!!!!

[benetay]

Most of the vanda's in our Singapore nursery are expose to 80-100% full sun and often grown in warm to hot conditions, expose to nature.

I suppose that vandas can really take the heat for some.

For the rest i can't really help! Sorry!

Cheers!

[mayres]

Well.......
I don't know how many people do what you are describing - but I'm certainly one! I put the majority of my plants out for the warm portion of the season - including all that you have mentioned - except I don't currently try to grow any vandas.
The biggest difficulty is aclimating them to sunshine when they have not been exposed to it for the past six months. You are right to be cautious about this period - they can burn VERY EASILY - the first year I burned many of my plants when the sun wasn't even out - even cloudy filtered sunlight is MUCH BRIGHTER then indoor light. Bad thing about sunburning orchids is you get to "enjoy" the results for YEARS!
Interesting you should note phals and paphs staying inside. For the first two years that was my tune as well. Last year the paphs went outside with "everyone" else! They LOVED it! :-)
I start taking my plants out in April - we're still getting night temps into the mid 20's so no cyms quite yet.
I have a roll of 65% shadecloth and place plants on the east side of my house and under trees - gradually giving them more and more sun until they basically get sunshine until late morning to nearly noon and then shade the rest of the day. Not necessarily ideal - but seems to work OK - will be working on improving in the future.
Phals are the only plants I have yet to put outside - they might be next?

[CharliesAngel51]

I have my cyms outside and have had for a couple of months now. I have them in mostly shade under my patio roof. They do get some late afternoon sun when it gets low enough to come under the roof of the patio. Our temps at night have been down as low as 40 degrees and as high as the mid 80s. They seem to like it. They are putting on new growth. I don't know about the others.

[digitalgate]

Originally Posted by mayres

Well.......
Bad thing about sunburning orchids is you get to "enjoy" the results for YEARS!

couldn't agree more

[Neenie]

What a collection!! I have quite a few Vanda's in wooden baskets- Outside ,however they do not get full sun. I water them a couple of times a week due to the bare root. Enjoy them, Vanda's are fairly easy, Beautiful Orchids.My picture is of a Vanda that won Best of Show & 1st Place at the Strawberry Festival in Plant City Fl.

[rcb]

Danelady, I move all my orchids out into the yard in the summer on shelving, and I grow in a g/h. The humidity, breezes, etc I think are beneficial. I start them out right under the trees, and move them out a couple feet every week until I have them where they stay. Also, I think the rain does quite a bit for them as well. If we are going to have a week's worth of rain or so, I'll move the cats back into the g/h temporarily, but the Vandas, Gongoras, Catasetums, Shanhopeas stay out in the rain. I just watch carefully for any bacterial/fungal growth, but honestly I haven't had much of a problem with this.

When the nights get to consistently 50 - 55F, I move out the intermediate growers, when the nights get to 60 - 65 consistently, I move out the warm growers.

I'm in charlotte, so my weather isn't that much different that yours maybe slightly cooler.

[patlee]

Danelady, I put some of my phals outside last summer. They seemed to do really well in the warmer temperatures--usually 80's to low 90's. I kept them on a shaded porch and the vegetative growth was good--lots of new leaves and aerial roots. The only problem is that a lot of my phals (and not just the ones that went outside) seemed to bloom late this year. I don't know if their "vacation" had anything to do with it, but I am planning on putting them out again

The only time I had a problem with sunburn was when I was careless and got water on the leaves w/o regard for the sun's rays. I thought they would be dry by the time the sun reached them--live and learn

[patticake]

I'm afraid that I'm not much help here... I live in the northeast NY, USA- plus I'm renting in a house that's on a busy highway! I don't put plants outside, although I sure wish I could! How lucky you are to be in the south!

[11Orchid126]

The north side of your house would not be enough light for your dens. They take as much light as cattleyas. Much more than phals. Unless they can get a few hours of sun, and then bright light the rest of the day. I see you live in Georgia, so perhaps the north side would be adequate. You would have to judge by the leaves. If they're dark green, the light isn't enough.

[FLBob]

I grow all my orchids out side.
My vandas will get the most light, full sun mornings and afternoons with dappled shade mid day.

Some of my catts are grown in my screened in lanai in full sun all day. I guess that there in 80% of full sun. I find that some catts can't take that much light so they grow with only morning sun.

Phals are getting morning sun in the screen room, about 2 hours of the early morning.

Dens are mostly in full sun like my catts

Epi are grown in full sun outside the cage

onc are outside but under the live oak. So medium shade.

I move the plants to a point that they get the light I want them in a little at a time until they harden to the light. I have rushed them at times and they suffer the consequences, sun burn makes a nice plant ugly quick, so proceed with care.

I've found that catts and dens bloom better with more light, vandas need light water and food or they are not happy.

[PhalPal]

Mike I tried a few phals outside last year in early summer, never over 82ish, and they did not like it one bit!! They were in the shade and just hated it. I wasn't the heat, because their room is about the same, so it must have been the draastic drop in humidity or the big swing between day and night temps. (maybe 60-65 at night) You are quite a bit cooler with some more humidity so hopefully you'll have more luck.
Danelady Cyms love being outdoors but I understand that they don't like high heat with humidity. You might want to wait for a few Florida growers to chime in here.

[Wendy]

Do you have a large tree in your yard? I am lucky enough to have one and the few orchids that I put out for the summer are hung in the tree. That way they get dappled sunlight all day as the tree sways in the breeze. I set any larger pots on the stone garden edging under the tree so that they too can enjoy the dappled sunlight. I also have a small cart that I put on our deck. It is covered with shadecloth and the plants get sun through the cloth in the AM until about 10:30 and then again from about 3pm until sundown.

[Danelady]

Originally Posted by Wendy

Do you have a large tree in your yard?

My yard/house set up is a little awkward. There's a deck around 2/3 of the house. The largest part of the deck faces south/south-west. The back is more eastern and the front is west/north-west. Most of it is not covered. The front yard has two small trees that I don't think would be good for much shade. Maybe good for an orchid that requires a lot of light, but these trees are also short. There are woods at the side of the house that provide a lot of shade to the yard. There's one prominent pine tree at the edge that I've considered for putting 'chids under. The only problem I see w/that area, though, is that there are a lot of squirrels there! I would like to keep as many things up on the deck as possible. I know the squirrels still get up there, too. I spend spring and summer pulling little oak and peacan trees out of my containers!!!!
I'm just not sure where to go w/anything yet!! If they all required the same lighting I could put a table up in one spot and put them all there. I have different varieties, though w/too many different requirements!!! Oh, and no funds for a greenhouse. What little extra money I have had has gone into acquiring the 'chids in the first place!!
I do think, though, that I will start all of them out infront of the house where they will only get a little late afternoon sun and then gradually move the more sunloving ones out more. I know where the least sun is. We actually got several inches of snow last week and that was the last place to melt!!

[davetheorchidaddict]

My Cym's stay out all year except when we have freezing weather, yes we go get some of that in Florida - 19 one night and 29 another. I never really take them but them inside because it is too warm, I put them on the ground and cover them with a plant blanket or put them in the garage which is not heated.

[PhalPal]

Wow Dave! 19!!??? I know you have a few cold overnight lows like we do but I think the coldest we ever got down to was 28. ONCE. For a few hours!! This winter the lowest overnight was about 40. I had no idea Florida could get that cold.

[FLBob]

Originally Posted by PhalPal

Wow Dave! 19!!??? I know you have a few cold overnight lows like we do but I think the coldest we ever got down to was 28. ONCE. For a few hours!! This winter the lowest overnight was about 40. I had no idea Florida could get that cold.

PhalPal most people forget just how large Florida is, in most peoples mind Florida is Miami. Springhill is about an hours drive north of Tampa and this year the whole state had a cooler than normal winter.

I live over an hours drive south of Tampa and very near the coast where my coldest overnight temp was around 38. The only good news about this cool winter is that more people I know actually had their cymbidiums bloom.

Moving plants in and out is risky.

I had to move my plants inside twice this year, I lost two Phal seedlings due to the low humidity in side and lack of air flow, and a number of plants got sunburn since I never seem to be able to put every one back where they came from.

[Danelady]

I put the cyms outside today. This week's lows are to be in the 40's. Hopefully that won't be too big of a change from the inside temps. I put them out on the northside of the house for now where they will only get evening sunlight.
I had 2 plants before they went out and now have 3 outside!! One of the plants was very crowded in its pot. The pot was somewhat oval shape where it was pushing so hard on the sides! I have new root growth and what appears to be a new psuedobulb on each division.
I'm experimenting w/some of the back bulbs. I was able to get 3 good backbulbs (2 were rotten). I put them in a little spag where I will keep them humid and see if I can get any growth from them!! It's not like I need any more orchids. I am so running out of room! I just thought it would be cool to see if I could get some growth!!