Here in Phoenix we've had highs of 107-108 F / 41-42C the last few days. You can't keep Cattleyas outside during weather like this. It's too hot for them.
Keep it in the house in a window. Direct sun is OK if a fan is blowing on the plant to keep the leaves cooler. Without the fan the sun will burn the leaves. If you don't have a fan, put a sheer curtain between the plant and the window.
Water it when the center of the medium is almost dry. Use a wooden cooking skewer to check the dampness in the center of the pot. There is a thread here on Orchid Board dealing with this:
Using skewers to determine when to water
Try to increase the humidity around the plant. Evaporation trays don't do anything. Ultrasonic humidifiers will do the best job. Get more dogs or people in your house if possible. They exhale water vapor and make a big difference. (Cats destroy house plants.) Or put a lot of thirsty house plants around your orchid. That will raise the humidity into at least the 30% range, tolerable for Cattleyas.
One orchid you can definitely grow outside in the heat in dappled shade is Eulophia petersii. You have to bring it in for the winter because it can't tolerate freezing. But our summer heat is no problem. If you use the Search function in the top maroon menu you can find a recent thread mentioning it.
Newbie from Vegas
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