My new window sill set up - Is this curtain too much?

[hypersparkle]

Originally Posted by Mountaineer370

Hypersparkle, your set-up is almost identical to mine. I'm in SE Michigan. Take your window and add a second one next to it, and you have my set-up. In our latitudes, the sun is coming into those south windows most directly in the winter.

I don't care for sheers, either. I find they block my view of the outside more than I like. What I have is a woven, lacy kind of tier curtain that just covers the bottom half of the window. In the summer, when the sun is higher in the sky, I even push that all the way open to let more light in. There's also a matching valance across the top. Like many of us, my orchids are in the main living area of my home, so I try to find a balance between what's good for the orchids and aesthetic appearances.

I also do what Paul mentioned above which is to move plants around, depending on how much light they prefer. I do have a couple taller ones that I can use to shade others, or I may simply move them back and forth closer or further from the window. It's a balancing act, and the positions change with the seasons.

I'd love to see a picture of your set up. Yeah, I'm trying to figure out the balancing act. For right now, I'm leaving the blinds wide open and I think if it is going to be a clear sky day, I'll close them before I leave for work in the afternoon. Maybe supplement the light with a lamp in that case. I just really cannot stand the way a curtain looks there so far. Maybe if I find the right one.. Still considering doing the "jungle" to help with the intensity, but I really want my orchids to be my focus and not take on more plants. Hrm. Decisions, decisions.

[Mountaineer370]

Ah, okay, I took another look at your photo and I do see what looks like a horizontal slat blind drawn all the way up. I was actually going to suggest that. That is what I had in my windows before we remodeled a few years ago. I always liked the versatility of being able to have the blinds drawn all the way up, all the way closed, or the slats adjusted to let in more or less light as you wish. Of course, I hate cleaning blinds.

I'll try to post a picture of my current set-up.

[Paul]

Originally Posted by hypersparkle

....I really want my orchids to be my focus and not take on more plants. Hrm. Decisions, decisions.

You could hang some small/mini orchids on your lil lemon tree ...

[rbarata]

I'm in southern Wisconsin.

We are almost at the same latitude.

My curtain is this one:



This is great during the winter because it lets a lot of light get in, which almost increaes room temperature above 22ºC (72 F) without any energy consumption.
It's a south window.
I would sugest you to use the same type of fabric and adjust your collection to these conditions. Regarding tall and low maintenance plants you have many Catts that fit these requirements, as well as your actual conditions.

About how to evaluate light intensity, follow Roberta's sugestion.

[estación seca]

There is a chance you don't need any curtain now, in mid-winter. You certainly will sometime before summer. Buy a small, cheap house plant than needs shade. Put it in that window. After a few days you will know whether it is sunburned or not. I suspect your plants will do fine without the sheer curtain now.

I lived in Milwaukee when I was a kid. I only saw sun on snow a few times. Mostly it was gloomy and grey all winter long. February was the worst month.

[Optimist]

The problem I see is that you have a collection of orchids that all like different light levels. The phragmapedium and vanda type would love to be blasted by the light, while the phal might be getting too much. Personally, if it were mine to do, I would look for "Zones" of light that are suitable to each plant and put them there. Phalenopsis like the same light (+/-) as small mottled leaf paphiopedalums and the like. Big strap leaf paphs like phrag and cattleya light(+/-). Oncidiums can like low or high depending on type. They can't all be put in the same place. Even in a greenhouse, they must be put high or low, or under more or less shade cloth.

[hypersparkle]

That's true. It's a work in progress figuring out how to have the best set up. I ended up accidentally leaving the blinds open in the afternoon (curtain ended up coming down and haven't found a replacement yet) and now my phrag, oncidium twinkle, and the neo have sunburn spots (or at least I think they're sunburn!). The phals are further back so they didn't get burns but in bloom full size one is definitely showing light stress. I got some of the red/blue lights from Amazon and I'm going to start closing the blinds in the afternoon and using those. I may move the phals to the north side of the house too and use a light to supplement. I just have to get more humidifiers if I do that. Right now, I have two plus the humidity tray in this set up (one tiny one, one larger one).

My husband informed me our house is actually slightly west (so these windows are Southwest). :/ So that afternoon light is quite intense.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by hypersparkle

My husband informed me our house is actually slightly west (so these windows are Southwest). :/ So that afternoon light is quite intense.

Remember, too, that as the seasons change, the sun will shift. So in winter, it sets toward the southwest, in summer toward the northwest, in spring and fall nearly due west. How much this varies depends on your latitude - wider shifts the farther north you are (in northern hemisphere) So about the time you get it right, you'll need to adjust again.

[hypersparkle]

Originally Posted by Roberta

Remember, too, that as the seasons change, the sun will shift. So in winter, it sets toward the southwest, in summer toward the northwest, in spring and fall nearly due west. How much this varies depends on your latitude - wider shifts the farther north you are (in northern hemisphere) So about the time you get it right, you'll need to adjust again.

True, it's always changing. For now, I'll just put the blinds down when I'm note home to monitor what's going on. I got these gooseneck strip grow lights from Amazon... not sure if I'm using them right, but here's my new set up.



I also did take the suggestion about the Leptotes and it now is hanging in my lemon tree which is by the patio door.

[Mountaineer370]

It could be that keeping that cellular shade drawn and then lighting the plants with those gooseneck strips will solve the problem, but I can't really say as I don't know anything about artificial plant lights.

I will suggest again the possibility of a horizontal slat-type blind in that window. Wood or faux wood would look nice since that appears to be your living room or family room, and the window frames are wood. I find horizontal blinds to be very versatile. You can do anything from completely open, meaning slats drawn all the way to the top of the window frame, or completely closed, and everything in between.

Also, I don't know how big that room is, but is there a possibility you could use a larger table, one that sticks out a little more into the room, meaning some of the plants could be further from the window?