Species question

[moubre13]

I just recently bought 4 orchids; 1 Paphiopedilum avalon, 1 Phalaenopsis sogo grape, Leptotes bicolor, and Dendrobium micro chip. I live in south Louisiana and will be putting together a small greenhouse soon and have a few questions.

Do any of these species not tolerate the heat well due to Louisiana's hot summer? I will have fans in the greenhouse but will that be enough? I will also add some shade cloth, probably 60%. I'm nervous they won't do well and thinking maybe I should stick to a window sill. Would they grow well on a porch? It would be shaded but still pretty hot.

Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated! Hopefully these will be easy to grow.

[katrina]

I don't have a g/h but I know my friends that are growing in a g/h in OH MUST have something in place to cool them or they get far too hot. Even shade cloth isn't enough to offset the build up of heat. If cooling is needed up here...I have to believe that it would be an absolute necessity down there.

I didn't notice what area of LA you live but if it's one of the very humid areas then you will also be battling high humidity and that will limit your choices for cooling the structure. High humidity makes the swamp coolers pretty inefficient at clearing the heat.

And, as a side note...the smaller the structure, the harder it is to heat and cool. Less space = less consistency/stable the air. I've heard of some people down in your neck of the woods using the g/h structures for winter to help keep things warm but moving the orchids out into the open during the warmest part of the year.

[Orchid Whisperer]

In south Louisiana I would be considering a simple shade house instead of a greenhouse. If it is small, you may be able to clear-tarp it & run an electric heater for the few days when cold protection is needed, or just bring the plants indoors.

[Optimist]

Your paph Avalon... There are various Avalons, and I am wondering which yours is. Is it "Mount Avalon," "Avalon Mist," "Avalon Druid"?

I have an Avalon Druid, and it has Paph. Druri in it. This is a cool growing Paph from India. Some Avalons have Pinnochio in them. I really think your avalon will not be able to take full heat. I am in dry hot NM and although my Avalon is outside now, it (nor the other paphs) will be outside when August comes.

One reason orchid people like to know the names of their plants is that they can look up the parents and see if the needs may be special. It is like crossing a poodle and a pit bull. Will you get a fighting poodle, a curly haired pitt bull? What will you get? Many orchid crossers are trying to get plants that will live in average housing situations. This means intermediate. It could be a problem for the plant (as in stress) if it has too much heat applied.

Your dendrobium comes from Austrailia, so not much problem there. Your phal, I believe Asia somewhere, and your leptotes? No idea, but it is a rat tail, (thin leaves) which usually indicates high sun but not necessarily high heat. It says they are native to Brazil and Paraguay, which to me means can take some heat. Cattleyas can take heat and light but often not full heat, and Full Light. I would use a mesh shade cloth or leafy tree limbs over most orchids any way.

[Paul]

Originally Posted by moubre13

I just recently bought 4 orchids; 1 Paphiopedilum avalon, 1 Phalaenopsis sogo grape, Leptotes bicolor, and Dendrobium micro chip.

Do any of these species not tolerate the heat well due to Louisiana's hot summer? I will have fans in the greenhouse but will that be enough? I will also add some shade cloth, probably 60%.

First, only one of your plants is a species -- Lpt. bicolor. The others are all hybrids.

A greenhouse, as others have pointed out, would be very difficult and costly to cool during your hot, humid summers and would easily and quickly get too hot ...for most plants, not just the orchids. The only time you would likely need a greenhouse would be in the winter, I imagine -- and perhaps not even then. (Don't know how often, if ever, you get frosts.)

In the future, your best option would be to do some research to determine what the orchids you are interested in need before buying them. Then you decide if you can feasibly provide them with the needed conditions. If you can't, then as much as it may pain you, you just admire those "from afar" and focus your efforts on those that will grow and bloom easily for you. Most of us have seen particular orchids that we love but can't grow. Fortunately, there are inevitably others that we can.

[estación seca]

Hi, moubre13, Welcome to the Orchid Board!

We have members from LA, so I hope they chime in.

People have greenhouses mostly to keep plants warm in the winter. I think lots of people grow orchids outdoors in LA in the summer. The issue I have heard is they get too much water, and it is too hot for the orchids from mountains, that like cool weather. So people avoid the cool growing ones, and often grow the others under some kind of cover, to keep rain off, or grow plants mounted on pieces of wood, with their roots exposed.

Most orchids are epiphytes, and they grow on tree branches in nature. Their roots like to have plenty of air all the time, and growing on a mount permits this. Growing in a pot is artificial and, in a good climate, orchids grow much better mounted.

If not mounted, people in wet climates grow many orchids in pots with large chunks of bark, expanded clay used for hydroponics (LECA) or volcanic rock. The problem with bark is it breaks down quickly in a wet, humid climate. LECA floats so you have to be a little careful moving and watering pots full of it.

Your Leptotes bicolor is perfectly suited to growing on a mount in your summer. I would move it to a mount now if it isn't, and put it outside where it gets bright shade. Gradually move it to dappled shade. I don't know whether this little thing will take your full sun, but dappled shade should allow it to grow and bloom well. Right now, a lot of us here on Orchid Board are growing this plant as a group project. You can read about it here:

Project 2016 B: Leptotes bicolor

The Dendrobium Micro Chip could also go onto a mount. Or, you could keep it in a pot. With all your rain, the roots might stay too wet, so be sure you use a small pot and large chunks of medium. It also will like dappled shade.

The Phalaenopsis is a great plant! The flowers are normally fragrant, and a dark purple. Phals are shade plants. They also normally grow on trees, and they are easy to rot if grown in a pot and given a lot of water. I might suggest this go outdoors on a shady patio or porch where the sun never shines on it. There is a whole thread on how to grow Phalaenopsis for beginners here:

The Phal abuse ends here.

And you can read how to tell when the potting medium is dry and ready to water here:

Using skewers to determine when to water

I haven't grown that Paphiopedilum. I would try to read some more and find whether it is a cool-growing plant. Some Paphs will do fine outdoors in your summer temperatures, and others won't. In any case, it will be happy inside your house, in bright shade, like near a window but with no sun shining on it. Paphs don't like to stay soggy wet, but they also don't like to dry out completely.

There is a lot of information here in older threads. You can use the Search function in the red menu near the top to find things.

Again, welcome! We look forward to seeing photos of your plants blooming!

[moubre13]

Thanks so much for the advice everyone! I have uploaded some pictures for you guys to see. They are either in orchiata bark and/or New Zealand sphagnum. So far they are doing well. I've only been giving them rainwater after they have dried a bit. They are under a northeast facing porch so they get bright, indirect light with a slight breeze. They seem to be doing better than they were indoors on a windowsill.

I was vacationing in Austin, Texas (I live near New Orleans) and went to someone's greenhouse who had a ton of beautiful orchids. I couldn't resist buying one of everything I thought was interesting because I knew I might not have that chance again in a long while. I'll see what does well and take it from there.

I am a senior studying environmental biology so I am a bit obsessed with plants. I've grown a bunch of other thing but have always been intimidated by orchids (plus they are kind of pricey). Figured I would give it a shot.

I will definitely research how to mount orchids if that would be best. I'm assuming you would have to mist or dunk them in water often without any substrate? I don't have any experience with epiphytes. I've done a fair bit of research but everything varies so much based on species and location so its all so confusing.

[moubre13]

I just transplanted the phal sogo grape and the leptodes bicolor into clear pots with a bunch of holes. I didn't really disturb the roots, they came out super easy. This way I can see when they need water and if the roots are healthy.

I'm thinking that they are looking pretty healthy? Let me know what you think.