Amount of sun for my orchids

[Rhonda Svoboda]

I haveCymbidiums currently flowering and 3 catts. I also have one oncidum. I consulted the american orchid socities culture sheets which conflict with other sites as to the amount of sun.
My orchids currently reside in a bank of southern windows. The tricky part is the direction of the sun. There are a lot of trees so the direct sun is at the floor and the higher up the window bank there is progressively less sun- its bright but not direct.
I live in western Michigan so the sun is weaker than in the south.
Given this information many culture sheets say that the cymbidums need full sun, as does the oncidum. However, other sites say bright light but no direct sun. For the Catt's, the advice varies widely.
I have no idea how much direct sun to give any of these orchids.
Please help!!!
Thank You

[estación seca]

Hi Rhonda! Yes, it can be confusing.

Keep in mind winter Michigan sun is very weak compared to tropical winter sun. You will quickly get a sunburn outside within about 25 degrees of the Equator at any time of the year. During winter in Michigan, even on a clear day, this is not as likely. In general, orchid growers in cold, cloudy northern areas try to give their plants as much light as possible in the winter.

Cymbidiums tolerate full summer and winter sun in southern California if there is constant air moving across their leaves, to keep the temperature down. In cold-winter areas, they need as much light as possible through the winter.

You could put them outside in full sun in summer, but not if you have still air. The leaves would heat up in the sun and burn. An OB member named Fairorchids grows his outside in the summer in full sun in New Jersey, but he says there is always air circulation.

In ideal climates, most Oncidiums need less sun than Cymbidiums. Do you know which Oncidium it is Cattleyas do well with a little less sun than Cymbidiums, but more than Oncidiums. But in a cold, cloudy winter, all these need as much light as possible.

One problem can arise after a long winter. As the sun northens and increases in intensity, it is easy to burn orchids that have become unaccustomed to sun over the long winter. This applies to all kinds of plants wintered indoors in cold areas, even cactus.