Orchids outdoors in summer - what do you do about rain?

[epiphyte78]

All my orchids are mounted outdoors year around here in SoCal and they and have no problem with our cold winter rains. I wish it would rain here every other day during summer. My recommendation would be to mount your orchids on branches and leave them in the rain. In the tropics that's pretty much how frequently it rains during the monsoon season.

[Swamper]

Originally Posted by got ants

It may just be coincidence, but it seems to me that those flowering catts I see at the local shows are either mounted and grown outside, or potted and grow commercially like under plastic.

Since I grow outside ONLY, I'm learning to use fungicide more frequently.

My Enc Tampensis rarely get anything from me, maybe an occasional water/fert-ing. Never gets fungicide, and they do great. Catts on the other hand, I struggle with, along with oncidiums, cyrtopodiums, tolumnias, schomburkias, and vandas.

Phaleanopsis', well lets just say I murder them.

So basically you're saying you struggle with all orchids except Enc. Tampensis? LMAO sorry dude I couldn't help that one.

[Royal]

Originally Posted by RoyalOrchids

2. Rot comes in many forms. It's not just the medium/roots that you have to worry about. Just like water in crown of a Phal can be trouble, water collecting and sitting in the crown of other types is also dangerous.

I still totally stand by this statement.

Phals hanging downwards in thier natural position can rot. Encyclia tampensis can rot. I understand that in nature rains are abundant. One key difference - we're not growing them in nature (well, most of us aren't). Florida weather patterns are great for a FL native plant, just as the Philippine climate is perfect for some Phals. But unless you are growing the orchid in its range, there is always a possibility of something going wrong. In nature, orchid viruses are basically non-existant. In culture they are rampant. All I'm saying is that there is such thing as too much water. If there wasn't, we'd be able to grow them in the floor of our aquarium.

I have an E. tampensis mounted on a block of wood, no moss, just roots on wood. It grows fine for me and flowers every year, but had a developing p-bulb get some sort of rot this spring. It just aborted that growth and spit out two new ones, but it did rot so I had a few less blooms.

I'm not trying to be all doom and gloom here. If you refer to my first post you'll see that I still grow a bunch a plants outdoors (about 300+) and agree that they love it. I was just warning of some potential issues that could be of concearn.

[Call_Me_Bob]

Originally Posted by RoyalOrchids

I still totally stand by this statement.

Phals hanging downwards in thier natural position can rot. Encyclia tampensis can rot. I understand that in nature rains are abundant. One key difference - we're not growing them in nature (well, most of us aren't). Florida weather patterns are great for a FL native plant, just as the Philippine climate is perfect for some Phals. But unless you are growing the orchid in it's range, there is always a possibility of something going wrong. In nature, orchid viruses are basically non-existant. In culture they are rampant. All I'm saying is that there is such thing as too much water. If there wasn't, we'd be able to grow them in the floor of our aquarium.

I have an E. tampensis mounted on a block of wood, no moss, just roots on wood. It grows fine for me and flowers every year, but had a developing p-bulb get some sort of rot this spring. It just aborted that growth and spit out two new ones, but it did rot so I had a few less blooms.

I'm not trying to be all doom and gloom here. If you refer to my first post you'll see that I still grow a bunch a plants outdoors (about 300+) and agree that they love it. I was just warning of some potential issues that could be of concearn.

I AGREE!! there is always a possibility for rot or any other mis-haps.

[Wrebbitrocks]

i have a few of mine outside atfer a mishap i had and noticed theyre growing much more vigorous outside than indoors. but its monsoon season here in tucson, az and i have been worrying about the phalaenopsis-es because im afraid that the water will stay in their crowns or any other leaf joints and theyll rot since theres no sunshine, just humidity and clouds. i think that the water staying in the crowns isnt as much of a problem as long as temps dont go down and if its warm, the water will EVENTUALLY evaporate. one of them is also potted in moss so im also worried about it being overwatered and root rot since the moss has been consistently sopping wet but i may be wrong. the plant has a large new leaf TONS of new roots growing into and out of the pot as well as splitting the pot in half and also a new spike so perhaps rain isnt that bad?