Neos Outdoors?

[charlesf6]

I tried putting my neos for the last couple of days outside and concerned with what I am seeing, browning on some tips, a real complete fast drying out in all pots, my tiny Kuro lost one leaf, my tiger stripes getting a real light yellow stripe rapidly and some leaf curling.

We're not even talking about real heat because it has been cool & my yard is completely surrounded with giant pine, birch, maple and oak trees and sun only sets on porchs for a few hours at a time in certain spots.

They have been doing fine inside all but the blooming part where only the Big Kibana put on an early summer show but I probably am to blame there with delaying a light source other than the 5 surrounding windows.

[estación seca]

It's like a human spending a long winter inside, then on a nice late May day going outside to mow the lawn shirtless. Sunburn!

The same thing happens with cactus that normally grow in hellish sun, when kept inside for the winter.

I haven't been to Japan, but habitat photos I see of Neofinetia show them growing in dappled shade. The shade pattern changes constantly as the sun moves through the day, so they are in a little sun - then a little shade - and so forth. Plus, most trees in Japan are deciduous, so understory plants get more sun in winter, and less in summer.

It's necessary to move inside-wintered plants gradually from inside to outside, in stages. And with increased air circulation, they may dry out faster, needing more water.

It also depends on air circulation. If the sun shines on a leaf, and there is plenty of breeze, the breeze carries off the heat formed by sun striking the leaf. The leaf stays at ambient temperature, and doesn't burn. If there's no breeze, even if it's cool out, sun may raise the temperature of the leaf to the point of burning. I can put my Vandas out in full sun when it's 95-100 F / 30-32C if I point a strong fan directly at them. Without that fan they would turn yellow and die in minutes.

[Subrosa]

I'm in SE PA and mine are outside as long as frost isn't a concern. They winter indoors under very bright led light, and when the danger of frost is past they get moved out into a shady spot that gets no direct sun. After a week or so I move them to where it will get an hour or two of early morning sun and bright shade the rest of the day. Then I bring them in before the first frost of the fall hits and repeat the process.

[MattWoelfsen]

I have several of my Furan outside. Because they spent winter indoors under LED, I do put my plants through a 'hardening' process, where they spend a little bit of time inside my eastern facing screened in porch, where they will get morning light, but in-direct light--through the screen material. They stay there for about two weeks. Then about 2-3 weeks later, I put them outside where they will get direct eastern light, rain, fresh air. At that point, they are outside. I experience a lot of growth during this time. I also feed them regularly.

I reverse the process when I bring them back in around September or October, depending on the overnight temperatures. This return indoors, includes blasting the plants with insecticide, etc. to kill off any pests or maladies before they are in place inside. I learned the hardway how important it is to irradicate pests before they stay inside.

[charlesf6]

Originally Posted by MattWoelfsen

I have several of my Furan outside. Because they spent winter indoors under LED, I do put my plants through a 'hardening' process, where they spend a little bit of time inside my eastern facing screened in porch, where they will get morning light, but in-direct light--through the screen material. They stay there for about two weeks. Then about 2-3 weeks later, I put them outside where they will get direct eastern light, rain, fresh air. At that point, they are outside. I experience a lot of growth during this time. I also feed them regularly.

I reverse the process when I bring them back in around September or October, depending on the overnight temperatures. This return indoors, includes blasting the plants with insecticide, etc. to kill off any pests or maladies before they are in place inside. I learned the hardway how important it is to irradicate pests before they stay inside.

Can you recommend a good insecticide for use with Furan?

[MattWoelfsen]

Charles, Furan do pick up scale and mealy bugs. So when I bring them in, I use a systemic like imidacloprid. Bayer Advanced makes. 3-in-1 solution that just knocks those pests right off the plant.

It is harmful to beneficial insects like Bees. So use cautiously.