East window too much sun- help!

[gardengirl13]

Since this section is visited more then the windowsill section I'll post this here.

Ok we finally moved into our new house last week. I was hideously excited about our east facing bay/bow window since in our last two houses we had larger nice east windows and the orchids LOVED them! Not this one! In just a few hours I now have 4+ sunburned phals!!!!!! Luckily only the ones right up against the glass got burned, not all of them!

Now what? I'm not sure if this is because it's not a normal window it's a bow or what is going on here. We are living right across the street from the house we lived in before the last one, so the area is the same otherwise. It is slightly more south east the the other house. I don't want to use sheers because I want to see out the window, but I will if nothing else can be done. There are these little round hooky type things that I can string something through for the sheers and only block the bottom half. But when sitting you won't be able to see out at all then. The sun really beats down on it more then I thought it would. I have my higher light orchids in a window on the same side of the house in another room for now since the west windows are quite harsh too. This window seems fine so far for them. But they're on a table right up against the sill, not on the actual sill. I would move them into the bow but I don't want to fry them too in case they can't handle it. In that room I'd rather not have a sheer since the room is nice and bright from the window and I'd like to be able to see out of that one too. I got my rack back out to put everyone on for now, but now that my collection has grown a bit, they don't quite fit well. Plus I was hoping to keep them on the sills so I can still use all our windows instead of blocking them with the rack and orchids. My husband suggested maybe buying more lights and putting them more around the house. But in our environment it's better to create more micro-climates by having them closer together.

I really want to be able to use this bow! We are thinking of putting in a new window soon since it's old and leaky and not great. I was going to put in a nice deep bay to have room for most of the lower light orchids since they've always loved east windows before, but would putting in a normal flat window with a large sill be better? Would that let in less harsh sun and heat? Would just upgrading to a better window be enough since this is from the early 80's? Is older glass more prone to letting sun burn plants? Would maybe adding an awning work? But it gets hot from early morning too, but maybe that'll be ok if the sun is off them by 11 or so? We were also thinking of one day upgrading the front step area from an ugly aluminum awning type thing to a wood porch, maybe extend that over the window? Would that then shade that too much? Or would it let in enough light in the early am to be ok? Problem with that is it'll be quite a bit before we can afford to do something like that. A cheaper temporary type awning might be better for now.

If nothing can be done then what plants can be kept there? I know cactus will probably do well, but I don't think anything else will. I don't think any orchids will do ok there. I might consider plants on the outside, but we were trying not to put anything out there that would block the window. I was thinking something like limelight hydrangeas that we brought over from the other house, but I don't want to block it too much.

help.

[Ray]

In terms of the physics of light transmission, the plants view the glazing as the "source" of the light. Move them farther from the glass, and the light intensity will decrease considerably. Put taller, higher-light plants near the glass or hung from the ceiling or suction cups, and they will act as shade.

This is an opportunity, not a problem!

[gardengirl13]

So getting a deeper bay would be ok then if I keep the higher light guys closer to the glass and the phals farther? The sun is still on the sill right now pretty hard and it's mid-day, the temp/humidity gauge I had in there was reading 110*!! My husband also suggested maybe hanging sheers and moving them once the sun is off the window. But I worry about the potential of knocking things over. But if they are farther from the glass then that would make it easier to open and close them.

The other problem is one of the AC/heat vents for the room is right above the window. I assume that will dry everyone out. I'm used to baseboard heat and no AC, so I'm not sure how everyone will like this forced air system. I would put something over the vents to divert it away but then it'll blow on the fish tanks and me, which I hate anything blowing on me. Kind of weird, but it cramps my muscles real bad so I avoid it.

[Cym Ladye]

Ray is right on as always, and I know you expressed a dislike of shears but there are "shears" and there are "shears". Many only cut the glare and you can see right through them otherwise. Just another option and they do not need to be closed all the time.

[lotis146]

I second Ray. What high light plants do you have? You might consider spending $30 or so on a light meter and checking the light around the house, you'd be surprised. Have you experienced burn at the west window or is it brighter than this east one?

Newer windows might not let in as much UV light or heat transfer as older windows, I'm referring to new as in Low-E. So they don't harm your plants but might add minimal protection, thus their reference to higher energy efficiency.

[gardengirl13]

Yeah I think we're going to see about replacing the window and making the sill slightly bigger too then putting sheers on the bottom part just where the plants are. If it's not super crowded with plants opening them will be easy. Plus it's only summer we'll need to worry for the most part as in later fall through early spring they'll be fine in there without the sheers. The other thing I'm noticing while sitting here monitoring the sun for the day is the one window part that has a screen is a good deal greyer then the parts that are only glass. I think putting in a bay with screen on all the two side windows will help shade things a bit too.

now how about the vents? ha ha! sorry to be asking so many questions here, but I kind of freaked out on friday when I saw the sunburns! I couldn't believe it happened that bad in just a day or two!

---------- Post added at 12:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:12 PM ----------

Originally Posted by lotis146

I second Ray. What high light plants do you have? You might consider spending $30 or so on a light meter and checking the light around the house, you'd be surprised. Have you experienced burn at the west window or is it brighter than this east one?

I had tried catts without luck due to not enough light in the other two houses we lived in. So I was planning on buying one to try in this house to see how it does. I have an encyclia psychopsis which has not spiked yet for me in three years the last two in a west window and close but not under one of Ray's LED lights that I have for the carnivorous plants, I'm hoping this higher light will wake him up a bit. I have a iwga. apple blossom, 2 different bllra and an onc which were all in slightly shaded west windows for the last 1-2 years, that also had 2 of Ray's LED lights above them but were a little too far I think. (meaning I didn't shade them some trees outside the windows did, but they did get some sun on them for a few hours a day, and the lights were about 6-18" away from the leaves depending on which plant we're talking about.)

Right now the sun is dappled through a tree so it's finally off the window at full strength.

[Ray]

Shears could also just be placed like a valance, up high to cut the rays when the sun is higher...

[AnonYMouse]

I don't like sheers either. I've applied vinyl privacy film instead.

[gardengirl13]

Originally Posted by AnonYMouse

I don't like sheers either. I've applied vinyl privacy film instead.

I was thinking of doing this, but at least the sheers can be moved out of the way once the harsher sun is gone and not be up in winter. We plan on putting a few gardens outside this window and I really want to be able to see them.



So after I moved all the lower light guys onto a cart in the other east window and the higher light guys into this big window I've been keeping an eye on everyone. Hoping for the best. It's quite hot in the bigger window right now (110*) and the vents are blowing on just about all the orchids. The smaller window will get a vent diverter that will blow into the room instead of down, but in the living room we can't do that. The vent is about 5' above them, will that be ok? I've never had central air or forced hot air before (well as a kid we had forced but I didn't grow orchids back then) so I'm not sure how bad it is for them?

I just don't see how this kind of harsh sun or heat will be ok? I really wish I could get to a store and get a sheer to ease my mind a bit. I'm worried they'll get burned. The four that were burned last week are doing ok, but not great. They're dropping flowers and the leaves look bad. I know they'll eventually shed them and they'll be fine. But I still worry.

Now I'm wondering if I should put my carnivorous plants into a west window like they were in the last house. But the lovely west window is in the dining area/room and there isn't room since the table is almost right up to the window. My crazy husband wants to put in a bay window in the bathroom for them! A bay window in a bathroom! ha ha! But depending on how much THAT will cost it probably won't happen. I'll have to figure something out. I want to move a cart or something into the window when we're not using the table and move it out of the way when we are. But he thinks that'll be kind of a pain to do. But it might be the only way. Right now they're just under lights which might not be enough since they were in a dappled west window before. I wish the house was rotated so I can put them in the hotter east window and the orchids in the oddly cooler west window.

[snowflake311]

I have a few plants with sun burns but its been from direct sun outside or they get really bad burns if any water was on the leaf when the sun hit it. Make sure you plants in the high light areas never have water on the leaves.

I have some orchids in south and east facing windows. I have a small south facing bay window or grow window and no plants get burned in it. I think they would burn if I let water sit on the leaves.

How many plants got burnt? I think the fact it is a Bay window and the sun can shin right down on them for longer would be why. My worts burns happen when the plant is south east. That is the strongest longest time in the sun.