New orchid lover in NC

[mofms1]

Good morning, All! I am a fairly new orchid fan in Raleigh, NC. I say fairly new, but I have had some store-bought orchids on and off for a few years now. I've been online and seen some of the more unusual and exotic types, but never seen them up close until recently. I was able to go to the Triangle Orchid Show at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens a few weeks ago and it was a lot of fun. I picked up some different varieties of orchids, as well as some growing and mounting tips. I never thought to mount an orchid before, but I bought 2 bare-root plants that I am trying to grow mounted on tree fern. I also picked up 2 different types of Lady Slippers and an After Dark. I'm really excited about having these beautiful and interesting new orchids.

[Ray]

Welcome from Oak Island.

[WaterWitchin]

Mofms!

Orchid show! That's a fun time... and we all know how hard it is to go to a show and not come home with "something."

[Mountaineer370]

Welcome to the Orchid Board! Yes, once you start going to shows and buying plants, there's basically no turning back.

[Chris17]

Welcome!

[mofms1]

I came home with 4 "somethings" and my SO's mother came home with 2. It was great. I have never seen so many varieties outside of the computer screen. I was also blown away by how smart about orchids everyone was. They had an open discussion room and the women in there were able to tell me so much about how to care for my new orchids.

[mofms1]

Originally Posted by Ray

Welcome from Oak Island.

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.

[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.