Myrmecophila albopurpurea advice
 

Hi OB,

My husband and I are visiting family in Florida this week and I had a chance to visit two nurseries yesterday. I was super excited to see Myrmecophila growing and flowering on the grounds of one of the nurseries and marveled at how giant they are. I had never seen one in person before.

We then went to the second nursery where they were selling Myrmecoplia albopurpurea in bloom. I did not know there are compact-growing species in the genus and bought one on impulse. This is the most expensive orchid I have every purchased and I am now in a bit of a panic about how to care for it properly, with my biggest concern being how to give it enough light.

I currently grow my entire collection under LED lights and can bloom Cattleyas (although I don't grow very many of them). Since Myrmecophila need more light than Catteyas and often grow in full sun, I'm considering growing it on my deck during the four months it would be possible to do this in Chicago and move it back under lights for the rest of the year.

I know from experience that it is a bad idea to move a plant into full sun without an adjustment period. I'm looking for some practical advice about how to transition a plant to full sun without burning it. I would also be grateful for any other advice y'all have about growing this wonderful species.

I lived in St. Louis and brought a large collection of cacti & succulents in and out each Winter/Summer. Many people in the Henry Shaw Cactus Society do this. First move them outside to full shade for a week, then somewhere they will get only early morning sun for a few hours for a week. Then move them gradually into more sun every few days. If your conditions require big leaps, start with bright shade, then move to more sun, covered with two layers of shade cloth. After a week take off one layer, then wait a week and take off the other layer. At all times be prepared to move back to more shade if they look heat stressed.

Putting a fan blowing directly on the plant or plants when the sun is on them lets you move them into sun faster. The air will carry off the heat and the leaves will not heat up much past ambient temperature. The fans works well here in Arizona until it gets over 105 F / 40.5C.

Thank you, ES!

Having a roadmap for the approximate duration the plant should be at each step is super helpful.