New orchid lover in NC

[Ray]

Originally Posted by mofms1

Do you ever put your orchids outside? I was told by a lady at the Triangle Orchid Show that I could put my FDK. After Dark FCC/AOS outside under a tree during the summer months.

I live on the intracoastal waterway, and with the island running east-west, my deck faces north.

EVERYTHING is out on the deck as soon as the lows are reliably above 50F. This year that was late-April through about two weeks ago.

The sun is REALLY intense. The intensity difference between a south-facing window and outdoors is huge. The human eye adjusts; a plant does not. When you think about moving plants outdoors, you want to 1) know what light levels that particular plant wants, and 2) transition it into that light level over a week or so.

Definitely get involve with the Triangle folks. Many of them are quite knowledgeable about orchids. I've had the pleasure of lecturing there a couple of times.