In or Out?

[Heather]

As my rothschildianum buds are plumping and the spike is growing, I am increasingly concerned about it being outside.

It rains, and it rains when I am not home, so water does collect in the crown and on nights such as the last, it is getting cooler - 55° range. So far, everything is going smoothly, but I am getting increasingly concerned that I should bring it inside, at least on days when we might have a chance of rain.

However, it, and all of my outdoor plants seem very happy. Several that I thought were just "compact" are growing like weeds since I switched back to a CHC mix and put them out. I've lost one to crown rot, and it was a duplicate of something I had so it wasn't a big deal to lose it, but I check them in the a.m. and p.m. daily.

Additionally, I have 65-70° indoor temperatures and no sunlight for the plant right now, and I'm trying to conserve money and energy, which is why the plants are outside for the summer. I don't want to set up lights for 2 spiking plants if I don't have to.

So, I'd like you all to weigh in. What do you think I should do?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Rick]

Mine in the GH are doing great, and get tons of light and humidity that you may not get indoors. Since yours has momentum outside I'd leave it unless you anticipate a major storm that may blow it around.

 

[likespaphs]

i'm curious as to what the consensus is. i have a peoy outside that's just starting to show a sheath and i dunno whether to leave it out in the bushes where it's been since i got it or to bring it in...

 

[Heather]

That PEOY of yours, Brian, is what prompted me to post this poll. My supardii is the other plant in spike...

 

[likespaphs]

funny...
but it says roth!

 

[goldenrose]

All I can say is - I have a GH, I had a sangii x roth in spike. I left it in the GH exactly where it was from day one when I got it. In July we had several nights of unusually 50 degree weather & a few days later it's turning yellow, then brown. In talking to Tom Kalina, he said that was rather typical of roths & roth X's. Something changed to trigger the plant to save itself & not put the energy into flowering.
I have a Hideki Okuyama (malipoense x gardineri) in spike & it's making me nervous!

 

[Heather]

Hrm, that's a lot to say Rose! So how'd you vote? I checked the results and no one as of yet has said I should bring it in...but that's what I thought I should do upon reading your post. Perhaps I mis-interpreted and should not change a thing.

deep breath....

Did I mention it is 'Rex' x 'Mont Millais' and that I've been waiting 3 years for this?

So far, I have been using this as an exercise in learning to not be in control of a situation. And to not obsess. Can you tell?

 

[goldenrose]

You're right Heather - I didn't say bring it in, I think that might be too much of a change. We all know what excess rain can mean, so I was a 'best of both worlds, bring it in when it rains!' (or extreme or unusual temperature drops!)

 

[gonewild]

So how safe is the spike and the buds from predators outside? Hope some bird doesn't want to use it to spruce up her nest.

Do you folks that keep your plants outside during the summer actually have them spike and produce flawless flowers while outdoors?

 

[Heather]

Nothing's eaten anything yet!

This plant spiked after being put outside. Not sure how close it was to spiking before that....

 

[SlipperFan]

What I try to do with mine is have them outside but in a protected area where I can contol the watering. I also have most of them surrounded by shadecloth. When I left on vacation, I even put all my blooming plants outside -- they were protected from the rain and direct sun, but not surrounded by shadecloth. Result: many of the buds and flowers have been chewed on by bugs.

My advise: leave it outside, but see if you can't create an environment for it that will protect it from bugs and rain.

 

[Heather]

Allright, which one of you bozos voted that I was a dumbass?

I moved the stand today and will be watching tomorrow, I'm losing sun on a daily basis where it was so my days are numbered anyways...still, the temps, airflow, and humidity are better than what I can provide it indoors so... I'm leaning towards leaving it out and bringing it in if there is a serious threat of rain.

 

[Rick]

So how safe is the spike and the buds from predators outside? Hope some bird doesn't want to use it to spruce up her nest.

Do you folks that keep your plants outside during the summer actually have them spike and produce flawless flowers while outdoors?

I have problems with slugs, snails, grass hoppers, and sometimes wrens in the GH! If I put plants outside, I'd probably loose them all to the slugs.

 

[rdlsreno]

What I try to do with mine is have them outside but in a protected area where I can contol the watering. I also have most of them surrounded by shadecloth. When I left on vacation, I even put all my blooming plants outside -- they were protected from the rain and direct sun, but not surrounded by shadecloth. Result: many of the buds and flowers have been chewed on by bugs.

My advise: leave it outside, but see if you can't create an environment for it that will protect it from bugs and rain.

I agree!!!

Ramon

 

[Eric Muehlbauer]

A bloom on a roth? I can't even get a roth to grow. A bloom on a roth cross? Well, years ago I got a St. Swithin to bloom. Then it died. Regardless, though, when an outdoor paph spikes I NEVER move it indoors, unless its fall and its getting too cold. I have blasted too many paph buds by bringing them indoors. Rain is not a problem for paphs outdoors. Heat is....Most paphs that initiate spikes in July blast. But if you can get a bud past the earliest stages, it will do well....unless its moved indoors. Too many times the change has been fatal. And moving it in when the bud first appears also blasts it. Fortunately, slugs and snails don't damage my paphs...that's what pleurothallids are for. I did once have a squirrel decapitate a philipinense...that was about 15 years ago, and the phil was a new single growth division. It has since grown into a nice multigrowth plant that never, ever blooms......Take care, Eric

 

[Roy]

Eric, thanks, I have another grower with a Roth' growing problem. I have a seedling roth' about 25+ cm L/S. The center leaf grows at about 3 cm a year.
I may be pass worrying about orchids by the time it gets to flowering size.
Roth' hybrids are not a problem.

 

[Sangii]

I'd be really affraid that something would eat/break the spike.... must maybe it's because I have tons of spikes that were eaten by snails this year....

 

[Heather]

So far (knock on wood) slugs have been sighted but not a problem. They don't seem to be interested in climbing my shelving unit. It's three tier but I am only using the top two shelves due to the fact that the lowest one is closer to the slugs.

Thanks for the advice. I won't mess with it unless we are seriously threatened with rain. I will take a photo today and give you all an update of the stage the spike is at. I can just see a stem now, and the bud is fat. Cannot tell how many flowers I will have yet...

 

[Rick]

So far (knock on wood) slugs have been sighted but not a problem. They don't seem to be interested in climbing my shelving unit. It's three tier but I am only using the top two shelves due to the fact that the lowest one is closer to the slugs.

Thanks for the advice. I won't mess with it unless we are seriously threatened with rain. I will take a photo today and give you all an update of the stage the spike is at. I can just see a stem now, and the bud is fat. Cannot tell how many flowers I will have yet...

My wife recently got some anti slug copper tape that is supposed to keep slugs from climbing. I haven't used it yet because my plants are so crowded I couldn't put the tape on every pot or along th bottom wall of the GH and still keep them from repelling down from the ceiling on slime ropes. Generally I bait and that's pretty effective.

 

[CLMoss]

I just purchased a Paph. Magic Lantern & Paph. Norito Hasegawa, in bud from Glen (Piping Rock). Both are kept indoors, southern window, with a small fan, and are doing beautifully. I did not want to take the chance of too much water collecting in the buds.

Also, after a long heat-wave here in the northeast, we had a lot of rain and then it got really cold. I became concern, not knowing how low the temperature would drop, and I did bring a number of phrags back into the house for the evening. The next morning I did find out that the temp did drop to 58 degrees. That may have been fine for the phrags; however, I did not want to take the chance. All the orchids (except for the Paph. ML & NH)are back outside. Growing orchids outside is a bit more tricky then in a greenhouse, because you have less control over the environment.

Regarding slugs...we had a problem here with slugs until a family of opossums move into the area. I have not seen one slug since, but I keep a watchful eye.

I would leave the orchid outside (protected) and watch the weather for rain and drop in temp.

Claudia