I'm bringing them back inside.....
 

I used to have all of my orchids inside on a shelf in front of my southeast window. Blooming was hit or miss. I put them outside last summer and really didn't see anything spectacular. But, I maybe should have left them out in the fall for a little longer. This spring I put them out again. But you know what? Summer temps here average about 95*. To get lots of light some are too wet, yes even in bark and clay. In summer it is typical to rain every day. So I am bringing them back in! Maybe I will put them out for fall and spring, but not for summer. I feel I have better control over them if they are where I see them constantly: in front of my southeast and western windows. Do any of you put them outside for any of the seasons? Are you using growlights in addition to natural light? Any special equipment?

It's too hot here for the summer. I do have some out fall, winter and spring, but most come back in for a few nights if frost threatens.

You could build a polycarbonate cover for your outdoor orchids to keep the rain off them.

What kinds of orchids?

I am not sure what you grow but there are types of orchids that would thrive in those conditions. We had a summer that was in the nineties nearly the entire summer and I had the best growth ever. I grow in red lava rock and basket pots so if we get rain every day, the roots are fine. If you grow pleuros or some of the other cooler growers, yes, they need to be grown indoors. Cattleyas, Phal-type Dendrobiums, many Angraecums, Vandas (including the falcata), Phals, and Oncidiums should do very well in your outdoor conditions. The Phals might need to be hung side-ways to help with draining the water off of the leaves. I find that, with my red lava rock and plenty of rain, I need to fertilize more often and add extra calcium and Iron (Ironite) as the rain flushes the medium. With higher temperatures and drier conditions, I use less of my MSU formula and add Ironite, Calcium and Epsom salts (so as not to burn the roots--not a problem if you are getting plenty of rain).

I dont have a large collection and the ones I have don't do much. Some have never bloomed at all. I have lost several already this year. There is a variety: LC, Enc, Dend (that have been banished😱), Oncid, etc. i know some are heat tolerant but I worried all last summer and still lost a few. And I still didnt get any more to bloom. My Vanda will remain in my tree. And I think the slacker phals which are in total shade, unless they start to look stressed. Our show is in a couple of weeks and I am checking the info on purchasing others. I am using DynaGro foliage and am thinking of making a change. DynaGro Orchid? Info on phosphorus % is conflicting.

I had to bring mine in last week because we had a horrible hail storm and it got cold and rainy again! Tomorrow they will go back outside, hopefully no more cold snaps!!

Now I am confused.....again.....as usual. Lol. I thought that since this was a windowsill growing forum that you guys raised yours indoors. By windowsill do you just mean that you don't raise them in a GH?

I had to bring mine in because we had snow and frost. I put them out again yesterday and just covered them (43'F--night temperatures). Most of my orchids are pretty tough.

How are you losing the orchids? If it is the roots, try using red lava rock for the Cattleyas and Encyclias. They love plenty of water but need plenty of air around their roots. With all the rain, bark mixes decompose more quickly, become compacted, and snuff the roots. Only re-pot, though, if you have new growth and before the roots develop. If you are having fungus issues, add two teaspoons of powdered milk to your watering can and give them a dose once a week (only outside--use Cal Mag indoors). I find that this prevents most fungus issues. It is an old time gardening trick.

Have your orchids that are not blooming bloomed previously? I buy quite a few seedlings and it can take four or five years before they reach maturity.

Good luck! I remember when I first started growing orchids and I know it can take some time to figure out the best way to grow them in one's conditions.

It seems to be from all of the rain even though they are on the edge of the patio on a shelf. Here they get the most light/sun, but do get misted on heavily when it rains. I don't repot before I put them out since it is before new growth. So many are in bark in clay containers. So be windowsill growing, you mean that you are not using a GH but do put them outdoors? So many people are posting very nice results indoors. Regarding blooming age, this year i will only purchase blooming, in spike or just finished blooming so that I have a reference point. I am getting a little discouraged.

With all your rain, the bark probably stays too wet. I would try Leafmite's suggestion of volcanic cinders or perhaps LECA clay balls. Or, on mounts! Plants on mounts do fine with lots of rain.

You can get cinders at garden centers. It's sold as landscaping material.

And definitely get advice from your local growers.

Don't be discouraged. You will get it right.
No, I don't have a greenhouse. When we have a cold night, I have plastic drop cloth and I cover the orchids and most everything else with that...unless it is going to be freezing or below...then I bring them inside. Here in Ohio, we can have all types of weather and, in the beginning, when I grew in bark, I always had to move my orchids out of the rain after a rainy day or two or the roots would rot...very frustrating. I now use orchid bark for the citrus, camellia and other plants, not orchids (along with plenty of sand and perlite to keep a fast-draining medium).

I have been through what you are going through and I do understand how you feel. I did try bark in the beginning and did not do well root-wise and also went through losing most of my collection, once, to Calcium deficiency. Very discouraging. And, now, I just moved nearly all my newer orchids to red lava rock from the LECA I was trying because LECA did not work for me long-term (seemed very promising in the beginning but it moves around too much) and I have some orchids that need to grow roots again.

I prefer red lava rock as it is heavy and doesn't move around when you water. I lost quite a few roots with the LECA so I am no longer a fan of it...except for the Phrag. The lava rock also keeps the orchids from blowing over when there is wind and roots really grip onto it. After a few years, the roots hold the rock in place so that even if you tip over a pot, the rock doesn't move. Pretty nice. For pots, I use basket pots to give the maximum amount of air to the roots. With all of your rain and humidity, I would recommend transferring your orchids to rock and then using the extra calcium to help prevent fungus. No idea why the extra calcium is so effective but it really is. I only tend to lose plants to fungus/bacterial issues when I am lax with the Calcium which I try not to be, now, after having done it in the past.

If you do want to grow indoors, I recommend T5HO lights. I went with four-foot, four lamp Envirogro from Hydrofarm (amazon) and then bought a two foot, two lamp Sunblaze, second hand. I bought a four foot wire shelf set and used S-hooks to attach the lights to the shelves, then lined them with plastic tablecloth to protect the lights. For the Sunblaze, I used an old clothing bar to hang the lights (I use this for the small citrus, camellia, etc.). I bought timers for both so that I didn't need to worry about turning them on or off. There is an adjustment using lights, too. It dries everything very quickly and I lost a bunch of orchids the first year due to a lack of humidity and, probably, being too close to the lights (again, discouraging). Some orchids I grow just hate the lights and do much better in the windows for the winter. One example: I have a Bulbo that, no matter how far it was from the lights, would lose every leaf...two years in a row. It recovered outside in high light the first year and in a window this past winter. This second year, I even made certain there was more humidity. My Vanda falcata and Angraecum didieri seem to do better in the window, too.

Good luck. Just keep asking questions. I know how it feels to be discouraged as I have been through this...a few times. :|

Leafmite, I thought red lava rock was the perfect medium for about a year. Roots were all over it. But after that it was clear that orchid roots were starting to be repelled by it, which I can only attribute to mineral buildup(?) I thought I was flushing enough to avoid this but apparently not. I have since switched back to bark and moss in aircone pots, and everything is growing much better.

Just adding a different experience.

If you use red lava rock, you need to go light on the fertilizer and flush very well. That is why I use Ironite, Epsom salts and other sources of Calcium and then go pretty light on the MSU. I have had orchids in the same rock quite a few years without issue. The rain really flushes everything in the spring very well, which helps.
The nice thing about bark is that it gets changed just as the bark starts to accumulate stuff. I just cannot grow in bark. The rain really gets the bark quickly here and with cooler temperatures at times, it always spells doom for the roots.