An idea for summering orchids . . .

[Phalchid]

I used to leave my catts., dendrobiums and zygopetalum outside on the deck. The wind (I live in the Chicagoland area) toppled them most of the time spilling the potting medium. Tried putting them on bricks placed in the garden, and my chipmunk neighbor who lives in my garden stored all the seeds he collected from the bird feeders in the pots. I finally brought them back in. I like your idea of the mesh / netting on the shelves. And Velcro seems to be a great idea.

[blackvine]

Originally Posted by Vanda lover

I think it looks like a great idea. Adding the velcro would certainly make it less work than sewing. I have never had much of a problem with bugs outside. In our last place, my husband put shelves on all of the fences and I put the orchids on those. The squirrels were very polite. they ran back and forth over the fences but never bothered my orchids.

Vanda lover, those are polite squirrels indeed! Send some down to the States to teach our thugs . . .

---------- Post added at 10:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:37 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Phalchid

I used to leave my catts., dendrobiums and zygopetalum outside on the deck. The wind (I live in the Chicagoland area) toppled them most of the time spilling the potting medium. Tried putting them on bricks placed in the garden, and my chipmunk neighbor who lives in my garden stored all the seeds he collected from the bird feeders in the pots. I finally brought them back in. I like your idea of the mesh / netting on the shelves. And Velcro seems to be a great idea.

Oh my God, I LOVE the chipmunk caper story!!

[Optimist]

A very crazy squirrel hating dog. I have one, an Itallian greyhound who is a regular squirrel and stray cat bully. All this animal likes to do is find and banish small furry animals. The dog doubles as a great foot warmer for cold nights.

[Fairorchids]

Here is my outdoor summer arrangement:

The Vanda rack starts with lattice on top & sides. After 10 days the lattice comes off, and plants are in full sun from June 10 to end of September (in NJ).

Cattleyas, Dendrobiums & Zygos go on the shelf below the Vandas.

To the left, you can just see the end of a table with a white sheet covering. That is my Paph table.

Bugs are not a bad problem, though some pick up a few aphids and/or scale. I usually do spray the plants with Malathion before I bring them back inside.

Squirrels are the worst headache, since they consider both the rack and the table to be a freeway. When I added edging to the table, the number of plants landing on the ground decreased.

[Vanda lover]

Very nice set up! I could use something like that. I would love to have the space for that many vandas. Right now during the summer I put my orchids in my tiny greenhouse, but it gets so hot that I end up putting them outside the greenhouse on the ground. The vandas hang from shepherds hooks. I'm planing to at least get them some kind of low table this year. It is cooler down low, which is good during heat waves.