Outside orchid questions

[digriz]

So this summer I put several of my orchids outside and they seemed to really like. The Catasetums and the Dendrobiums were very happy and grew like weeds.

Next summer I wanted to put a few more out there. However, some of the ones I want to put out there Phals and none of them are mounted. I have them all in pots because I sometimes travel and I can easily leave for a week or so and nobody is going to die and I don't have to ask anyone to water my 60+ orchids.

So anyway, if I want to put some of my Phals outside for the summer do they need to be mounted? I know that in pots they are basically growing upside down and it worries me that they're all going to get crown rot if they're in pots.

Is there another option besides potting or mounting them?

[james mickelso]

Might be too much light for your phals to be outside. You have to introduce most orchids to those kinds of light levels slowly. But phals need shadows/low light levels.

[digriz]

I was reading that some of the species Phals like higher light levels, and they wouldn't be in full sun.

[MattWoelfsen]

You can grow Phalaenopsis in pots outside in Chicagoland. I'm not in Chicago but I have a similar weather condition here in Fort Wayne. When overnight temperatures remain above 55*F and there is no possibility of frost, I put all of my plants outside in my screen porch that is on the north east side of my house--around mid-May. They stay there until September's end.

If you are concerned with root rot, you should water your plants in the morning, shake off any water that is accumulating in the crown. Being outside, there is a lot of air movement that would dry off the rest of the water. In fact, I water my plants more often outside in the summertime.

[Leafmite]

Every plant in my home goes outside for the summer except new cuttings that cannot yet be moved. I put the ones that need more shade on the porch. When moving my plants/orchids outside, I put them all on the porch for a few days to help them adjust to the brighter light and then gradually move them into the brighter light. The phals get a little morning light but are mostly in the shade. I grow all my orchids in a medium that drains quickly because here in Ohio, we can have weeks of rain. Unless it is cold, I don't have trouble with fungus or bacteria. When it rains more, it is important to add more calcium as calcium washes out pretty quickly. I also add a bit of Epsom Salts for the magnesium.