Orchids are back outside!

[herenorthere]

Weather systems conspired to deliver us day after day of rain and moderate temperatures.  So, while everyone else was complaining.

, I was happily moving the orchids outside

.  They joined the Neps (highland) that had been out for a while (with a few return trips indoors).  For any windowsill growers hesitant to put orchids outside, trust me that they'll improve dramatically with just a few rainy days out there.  Put them in a shaded, sheltered spot and give them time to adjust to the great outdoors.  After a week or two, gradually move them to more exposed spots and let them have the light they want.  I hang most of them in trees. Few want full sun, of course.

 

[elgecko]

I grow my orchids outside this time of year also. Mine look great in the fall when It's time to bring them inside again.

 

[Khai]

beware of keeping them too close to any reflective surfaces as this will soon burn your plants.
I find my Catasetums really appreciate fullsun until about 1:00 after that they are in the shade of the house.
Massive amounts of ferts at this time does wonders as well.

 

[Vertigo]

Beat ya to it!

The rains been great. I was low on water and worried about the humidity change for my plants, but we've been getting 80's in the day and mid 60's at night with high humidity or intermittant rain consistantly for days.

Everythings exploding!!!

 

[PlantAKiss]

I have half of mine outside but still need to bring the rest out. Got to get it all set up. But the rains have been great. Of course we've also been having unusually hot temps here...90s almost all of last week. Not typical May weather for VA. Most of this spring has been very strange with huge temp fluctuations from hot to very cold. Whatever happened to nice 70 degree May days??

But YAY for the orchids jump to outdoor freedom!

 

[herenorthere]

May is showing her other face this weekend  

and most of the orchids are coming back in tonight.  The forecast is for 40 tonight and mid 40s tomorrow night.  I won't bring them all back in because I just potted up two flasks of seedlings, using up some space.  All except one small Gongora have shaken off all signs of their long winter indoors.

 

[PlantAKiss]

Yep...its gotten cool again here too. Not in the 40s but coooool. I'm sitting here with a sweatshirt on and my little heater running. Its cloudy and sprinkling rain every now and then. Guess no grass cutting this morning. I think the sun will be out later.

Did notice yesterday my Sharry Baby is in spike. Yay! Cool nites mean spikes. I have new canes coming up on a lot of the rescue dens. A paph is in spike as well.

I gotta get some beer for slug control. Had problems with that for the first time last year. ICK they are gross!

 

[herenorthere]

Beer is perfect for a slug problem.  After I have a few beers, the slugs are no longer a problem.

All the orchids (and Neps) are on their way back out again.  Rain is forecast for the next few days and lows are supposed to remain 50 or higher.  So it's another great orchid week.  I discovered I had forgotten to take my Max. tenuifolia and Phal. pulchra out last week, so they still have the indoor blues.  The Phal actually looks good, as it always does, but the Max is a bit peaked.  The Max always perks up right away outside, so should be fine by Thursday.

 

[PlantAKiss]

lol UGH. I put beer and slugs on the same level.

My orchids are enjoying the cooler, rainy weather. Gotta love new spikes on 90% dead orchids. I do need to unload some of them. I have waaaaay too many after The Great Lowes Rescue of 2003 ($548 worth of plants for $5).

 

[herenorthere]

They migrated in again last night because we were heading into the 40s for a couple nights.  They'll go back out tomorrow in time for some more rain.  The hardest part of bringing them in is peering around a tree at sundown trying to find small mounts hanging in branches.

 

[pond boy]

Quote[/b] (PlantAKiss @ June 01 2004,3:31)]lol  UGH.  I put beer and slugs on the same level.  

My orchids are enjoying the cooler, rainy weather.  Gotta love new spikes on 90% dead orchids.  I do need to unload some of them.  I have waaaaay too many after The Great Lowes Rescue of 2003 ($548 worth of plants for $5).

Hint.......Hint.......I`d like to try growing orchids and would pay postage for one or two easy one......Hint.....Hint.....

 

[herenorthere]

The 40s are returning for the next couple nights. Some orchids have to come back in, especially the mottled Paphs and recently deflasked seedlings. But a lot of the others will just have to button their coats and deal with it.

 

[PlantAKiss]

Yes we've been having such strange weather. In May we had numerous days in the 90s...now its June and temps have dropped with chilly nites and cool days. What tha'??

We also had a torrential rain storm that dropped 3-4" inches of rain in a short time. I didn't mind that because it filled the bogs to overflowing and I got my rain barrel filled.

Hasn't been cold enough to bring any plants in but it sure is unusual for this late in June. Its nice not being so hot though.