A case for growing under lights YEAR ROUND . . .

[blackvine]

So, every time I turned around, someone was telling me "Oh, you HAVE to summer your chids outside! They grow soooo much better." So, this year, I did. I brought most of my 30ish orchids outside and left about 7 inside under my lights. Before I list my observations, here is a bit of info about my "inside" and "outside" setups:

Inside: 2 - 4', 4 bulb (2 white, 2 red) T5s. Humidifier for winter, which keeps room at 60 - 70% humidity. 2 open windows in summer

Outside: 2 bins with holes drilled in bottom for drainage, sitting on ground on top of little 2" wide X 1/2" high boards so water drains faster. One bin is in 6 hours midday sun, other bin is in somewhat high shade (no direct sun, but clear sky above, partially covered by tree leaves).

Observations:

1. Of 4 blooming size Phals inside, 3 spiked in June and July and bloomed 6 weeks after spiking.

2. Of 5 blooming size Phals outside since May, 5 have spiked about 4 to 5 weeks ago, but buds are only developing properly on 1. The others do not yet have buds.

3. Of 1 blooming size Cat type (a Potinara) inside, 1 - the Pot - spiked in June and bloomed 4 weeks later.

4. Of 4 blooming size Cat types outside, only 1 sheathed and the sheath blasted.

5. Of 1 Onc types inside (an MTSSA), 1 - the MTSSA - spiked in May, bloomed in July and is in spike again.

6. Of 4 Onc types outside, none have spiked.

Conclusion: I don't know why outside has not worked so well, but I will now grow inside, exclusively.

Just thought I'd share my experiences!