3 Novice Questions About New Phalaenopsis

[wintergirl]

Originally Posted by Tschimm

If you are browsing OB with tapatalk, there's no thanks button available. (What a bummer)

Wow, I did not know that, too bad

[HiOrcDen]

Thanks again to everyone for your advice and for the welcome!

Thanks to Camille and Terracotta. I will try your approach!

It's my impression that direct sun through a window, without shade, is ok if the plant is far enough from the window, as the light intensity quickly diminishes further from the window. Is this true?

Also, we've got double paned windows which are supposed to block uv rays; could this be a problem for receiving enough of the proper light?

For the moment, I'm monitoring for signs of burn, to try and maximize a safe level of light. I'm thinking a light meter would be great. Again, any thoughts on smartphone light meter apps?

[WhiteRabbit]

[HiOrcDen]

[estación seca]

Welcome. In S California, no phal should ever receive direct sun shining through a window. Risk of cooking is very high. If you put a sheer curtain between the plant and the window it will probably be OK. Or, move the plant back to just beyond the sun's path.

As the sun advances and retreats with the seasons the light pattern will change, and you have to pay attention to that.

[HiOrcDen]

Originally Posted by bil

See? Doomed, just like the rest of us!

A fate I'm glad to accept!

---------- Post added at 08:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:43 PM ----------

Originally Posted by bil

Sorry, I know nothing about light meters. You may have to experiment a bit.. in the end you get a feel for it, but you will get a few sunburned leaves along the way.

You were quite right about the sunburn from experimenting. Luckily I only got a slight brown tinge around the leaves of one of our plants, so I drew the shades just to be safe, though now I'm thinking the light's a bit low. I'll have to find an ideal setup; I'm thinking closer to the windows with a sheer curtain as suggested.

Curious about a few more things... Is it a good approach to try and get close to the upper limits of ideal light levels, for a vigorous plant? Can orchids build up tolerance to light like a human tanning? Can they tolerate spikes of high light any better than sustained high light levels?

I actually found a couple of good light meter apps. I'm gonna compare readings of a couple of them to verify accuracy.

[estación seca]

I push light levels on almost all plants I grow, not just orchids. I learned this growing cactus and succulents. Most plants do better at the higher end of their light tolerance. High light warms and cooks leaves, so good to stiff air circulation becomes more important as light exposure increases for orchids.

A plant grown quite shady will adapt to more light, but it can take a while. In the mean time you must be careful not to burn it. Move it slowly. The common snake plant Sansevieria trifasciata cultivars will mostly adapt to growing in black plastic pots on a concrete patio in full Arizona summer sun all day, but it takes a while to get them to this point.

Phone light meter apps are hit or miss. It all depends on the charge capture device in your phone's camera. They are mostly not made to meter light, but to take snapshots. I looked at using my phone to meter light some months ago, and decided buying a separate light meter would be a much better solution. They aren't that expensive.

[HiOrcDen]

Originally Posted by estación seca

I push light levels on almost all plants I grow, not just orchids. I learned this growing cactus and succulents. Most plants do better at the higher end of their light tolerance. High light warms and cooks leaves, so good to stiff air circulation becomes more important as light exposure increases for orchids.

A plant grown quite shady will adapt to more light, but it can take a while. In the mean time you must be careful not to burn it. Move it slowly. The common snake plant Sansevieria trifasciata cultivars will mostly adapt to growing in black plastic pots on a concrete patio in full Arizona summer sun all day, but it takes a while to get them to this point.

Phone light meter apps are hit or miss. It all depends on the charge capture device in your phone's camera. They are mostly not made to meter light, but to take snapshots. I looked at using my phone to meter light some months ago, and decided buying a separate light meter would be a much better solution. They aren't that expensive.

Ok thanks, that's great to know. I just want to be certain I'm using responsible methods.

So if I'm monitoring my orchids constantly, will any faint signs of overexposure show immediately, or can you do damage without any way of realizing it until too late?

I see what you mean about light meter apps, though I did find one called green thumb, designed for gardening. I can't speak about the accuracy, as it may require calibration. Any recommended separate light meters I should look into?

[estación seca]

If they're not used to sun, and it shines on the leaf, it can burn in minutes. So with your window, start with them far away, then every few days move them a little closer. Unless you're willing to push it and accept a few burns here and there.

Just go to or an online camera specialty shop or a physical camera shop and buy one that's on sale. They're likely accurate to +/- 10%, which is far more accurate than you need.

[HiOrcDen]

So a slight burn isn't fatal? Still you seem to be hinting it's best to be a little conservative...