Cattleyas outside with a bit of direct sun?

[(..._...)]

Hello!

I would like to put my Cattleya outside for the summer. Would it be ok if it gets about 3 hours of direct early moring sun without any shade/ filter? I have never grown this type of orchid outside before.

thanks

[GreggC]

and put them on an 8'8" bench in my front yard. I am sure that all of my plants get some early morning sun, unless they are shaded by another plant. I cannot see any reason for not putting it out there, because usually, early morning sun is not that bad.

[smweaver]

Might depend on what kind of Cattleyas you have. I can only speak from personal experience, but my Cattleya amethystoglossas and nobiliors (and, to a lesser extent, walkerianas) can take lots of direct morning sun. After they've been acclimated to it, they can withstand direct sun from around 7:00 A.M. until noon (and, in fact, they seem to really thrive with this much light). I tried the same treatment with a Cattleya mossiae last summer, however, and nearly lost it. So introduce your plants slowly to high light over a period of, say, a few weeks, and see how they do. If they start to get purple/magenta spots on the leaves, that's a good sign that they're getting a good amount of light. If, however, the entire leaf starts to turn purple, move that particular plant to a spot that's not so intensely bright. Good luck with your Cattleyas. You might be pleasantly surprised by how favorably they react to as much light as they can take without cooking them.

[Royal]

smweaver is right on. Catts really like the light, but increase it gradually so you don't burn them.

[Don Perusse]

I don't think the sun is as intense in Canada, say, as it is in Florida. Cats do like high light but generally not like direct sun. I would think that the morning sun would be okay, but as smweaver suggested, introduce gradually. I live in SW Georgia and have burned some with direct sun.

[Randy]

Greetings,

I've always put my all my orchids outside in the summer. Cymbiduims, Cattleyas and some Dendrobiums in front shading the more sensitive plants. All would be slowly accustomed to the sun and would get either early morning or late afternoon direct sun and bright sun for most of the day.

All plants would be watched for hints of sunburn, too much sun (extreme yellowing), not enough sun (deep greening), etc. and moved accordingly.

During extreme heat any heat sensitive plants would be brought into the house for better temperature conditions. My new greenhouse will allow me to air condition the space keeping temperatures ideal because I have a geothermal system and the cost will be very minimal.

I will have to fence any area outside where I put my orchids from now on because my dogs have free run of about 2 acres inside of the invisible fence (IF). My Rigdgeback has been known to destroy orchid plants when possible. She has been taught to leave the table, where they are in my house, alone because I booby trapped it with mousetraps. Don't worry, they have never caught her feet or anything, they only scare her when they go off, or possibly slap the knucles on her feet. After 1 or 2 mouse traps she has left my plants alone for now. Although she does look up at them from time to time. I still wouldn't trust her in the house when I'm not home. At this point she stays in her crate until I get home from work or where ever I am. She's in that "terrible 2's" & "teenager" stage right now all at the same time.

I want to be able to keep the plants close to the greenhouse and the only way to do that would be to have an enclosure of some kind of fencing that is not the IF. If I used the IF I would have to carry several large tubs of Cymbidiums and Cattleyas ~ 100' back and forth. Not something I would look forward too! I would much prefer to have the plants outside where I only need to move them 10 or 15'.

Thankfully, chain link fencing can be purchased 1 section at a time so I can buy only as many sections as I need and a gate.

Randy

[isurus79]

I grow lots of Catts all year round in VERY bright conditions. Many Catts in the wild are exposed to such conditions and Ive noticed that most people have a tendency to coddle their plants. The key is gradual exposure to higher and higher light conditions. Many of my Catts get full sun almost all day long here in Hawaii. Its really nice because they start developing a red or purple color and it really makes a nice contrast to the typically green leaves. Sunburn will make a spot on the leaf turn yellow (very rapidly, in a few hours sometimes) and then black. This happens when the sun intro is too quick. Early morning sun will probably be rewarded by great new growth and added floriferousness. You might want to take any sun loving plants (Brassavolas, bifoliate Catts, Laelia purpurata, etc) and experiment this summer with just how much sun you can get away with. Good luck!!

[Randy]

Hey There Steve,

You have the perfect growing conditions for many warm loving orchids there in Hawaii!! I love it when the leaves on the Catts have that reddish glow. But lots won't get that if they don't have the purple/red gene in them somewhere. I've never seen the leaves from a plant that had white flowers have leaves with the reddishness in the leaves. Maybe you have??

Randy

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by Randy

Hey There Steve,

You have the perfect growing conditions for many warm loving orchids there in Hawaii!! I love it when the leaves on the Catts have that reddish glow. But lots won't get that if they don't have the purple/red gene in them somewhere. I've never seen the leaves from a plant that had white flowers have leaves with the reddishness in the leaves. Maybe you have??

Randy

Randy,
Youre right about that. Two of my most light loving plants are my Laelia purpuratas and they show absolutely no sign of redness in their leaves, only a light green coloration. Thats why you have to test each plant of yours to really know what it likes and what its reaction will be to said conditions. Youre also right about many white/light colored flower varieties not having the red leaves. However, some do. For example, the Brassavolas and their close relatives the Rhyncolaelias. My digbyana has mostly green flowers, but the plants get full Hawaiian sun and are a deep purple color, mixed with a gray blue color (I think theres a pic in my gallery). My nodosas also have white flowers, but have a deep reddening of the leaves. So it really depends on the species or species composition of your plants. Again, from my experience, most Catts enjoy brighter than darker conditions, but you really need to experiment and test each individual cross or species to be sure. In my opinion, the experimenting is one of my favorite parts of growing orchids!

[Randy]

Hi Steve,

I noticed if the L. purpurata gets too much sun the leaves get very yellow.

Late last summer I aquired a cutting from an awarded B. digbyana. It's in as much sun as I can give it now inside my house but I will do my best to get it the highest light spot in the greenhouse and give it full sun when I get it outside. Thanks for that little piece. I did notice that my B. nodosa did get purple leaves when in full sun. Of course it was one of the plants I lost while I was living in a house with city water.

Thanks,
Randy