Easy orchids for gardening under lights

[dperry]

I'm new to this site and was wondering if there is a list of orchids suitable for growning indoors under artificial light. Is it also beneficial to put orchids outside in summer? I live in Ohio.

[maiseymoo]

Welcome to the forum! I am not in Ohio so I can't really help, but I am sure someone will pop along soon and answer you.

[PhalNewbie89]

I am sure it would get warm enough in Ohio to summer outdoor some, but you would want to be careful with the weather changes. I personally don't like the idea of summering outside because KY has some strange bugs that I do not want to bring indoors :P


:WELCOME: You will love it here.

[dounoharm]

i think any of the mini cattleyas, paphs, and phals would all do well under lights and are simple enuf for a beginner to succeed with....i dont think summering out of doors is an especially great idea due to bugs and sudden changes in temps.....gl and have fun!

[mehitabel]

I agree that phals and minicatts do well under lights. Potinara Hoku Gem is especially floriferous -- it blooms on every new growth, a desirable habit in underlight plants. You can *grow* almost anything under lights, but the taller, higher light orchids don't bloom well under lights. Shorter, lower light orchids do.

Summer: I have summered my orchids outdoors every summer since summer of 04. Getting the right amount of shade is a trial and error thing and takes some persistence to get just right. But I have found that if you get the shade/sun balance they need they thrive outdoors. That goes for catts, encyclias, oncids and phals. In fact, without a summer outdoors, I don't think catts and encyclias get quite the light they need for abundant blooms.

It's the easiest way to give them plenty of light, air and humidity. And I love having the mess outdoors, and being able to water with a hose.

I've never found any particular bug problems outdoors. Once a caterpillar, and once or twice a wannabe grasshopper that didn't last long after I found him. But not even one incident per summer, and easily taken care of if you have the habit of inspecting your plants often. And far fewer pests than you get on indoor plants. Mine do summer on a second-story deck, not near any garden plants and that may influence the dirth of bugs.

All of them, but especially oncids and phals benefit from being outdoors in late August and September when the lengthening and cooler nights stimulate spiking

If you decide to try minicatts, go to Marble Branch Farms website, where they specialize in mini-catts, and are very helpful. If you call them they can give you an idea of which ones bloom on every new growth.

[katrina]

Hey dperry!! Good to see someone else from Ohio...even better...Columbus! Welcome!!

What type of lights are you planning on using? This will be a big factor in determining plant recommendations.

As for summering orchids outdoors...all of mine go outside late May/early June and stay there until the night time temps start to drop into the 50's. I have different zones/areas set up for the different light levels each plant requires. IMO, they benefit greatly from the time outside.

[mayres]

I'm with both Mehitabel & Katrina - a good number of mine head outdoors as soon as weather permits - usually about mid April to late April and then stay out until Late September to mid October depending upon the year. They love it outside and I've never had bug problems from the move. As noted the AMOUNT of light you give them outside can be difficult to determine, especially the transition phase as there is MUCH more light outside than indoors under artificials. Nearly any orchid could potentially be grown indoors under lights if you are willing to invest in the hardware to give them the entensity and temperature/humidity that they want. I suggest you tell us what YOU would like to grow indoors and move outside in the summer and we'll give it our best shot telling you what you will need to do to make that happen. Sound good?

[syndywindy]

All mine summer outdoors from May( or when I'm sure temps are fairly stable and no danger of frost) until late fall. I have an area in the back yard that gets very early morning sun, very filtered shade most of the day and late evening sun. It's perfect for jsut about all my orchids. In winter I do a combination of lights and window (french doors) growing. As the others said, there are some good choices for growing this way. I have a pretty diverse collection and this works for all of them. I think potinara's are a good choice, I think Mehitabel mentioned one. Another would be Burana Beauty, blooms on new growth, is yellow and red and has a wonderful fragrance.

[dperry]

Thank you all for your help.