Bill,

I would highly recommend that you do not put your plants around the koi pond
outdoors. If you sit them on the ground you would be subject to slugs and
other critters that could make home in the pots. What they didn't eat
outdoors they would consume when you bring them indoors if you didn't treat
the pots in the fall.

Phals and paphs should never sit on the bare ground outdoors for that
reason.

If you decide to take them outdoors keep them off the ground and in a very
shady area. The June sun will burn their tender leaves in an hour if they
were growing underlights indoors. It takes a couple of weeks for them to
harden off enough to take the full summer sun.

Outdoors you have other things to consider...too much/too little rain, too
hot, hard rain beating up the leaves and the every so surprizing hail storm
that can shread the leaves in a few minutes.

The lady who lived in my house before I bought it took her phals outdoors
the last summer she was here. She did not think about sitting them in the
shade of the beautiful chestnut oak trees that fill the back half of the
property. The phals enjoyed the shade. Then one day the acorns matured and
began to fall. Her plants were destroyed.

Squirrels love to dig in the medium looking for that nut you hid in the
flower pot (at least they think you hid one in there). If Squirrels are in
your neighborhood they can upset the pots and break the leaves.

It's a dangerous would out there in New Jersey for poor defenseless orchids.
You have to think about all the dangers and protect them if you want them to
enjoy the summer outdoors.

Good Growing,
Gene



"William" wrote in message
...
I have 6 Phals and Paph. I have had them inside for a few years under a
wonderlite and they have always done beautifully. I use hydroculture on
all
of them. I recently built a Koi pond outside and I live in NJ. The
sunlight
is sunny shade and would be perfect for them around the rocks of the pond.
My question is if I move them outside would I have a real problem with
bugs,
mites, and all those creepy crawlers getting into the plants? And what
types
of measures should I take before moving them outside? They would all be so
beautiful outside and I think they would love the humidity by the pond
especially now in Jersey since it's been so hot and humid recently.
Another
question is with the hydro am I going to have to run outside all the time
when it rains to bring them in because it will ruin the concentration of
the
nutrient solution? I know it's a few questions in a post but I really
didn't
feel like posting a few times )

Thanks,
Bill in N.J.