Diane,

If you are willing to invest a few dollars the closet shelves at Home Depot
(and other home improvement stores) work well as ventilated orchid shelves.
I've used them as table tops.

For about 10 bucks you can get a 12 foot long shelf. Sit it up on bricks
and you have an area where most slugs won't care to venture.

Good Growing,
Gene




"Diane Mancino" wrote in message
et...
up they go Gene, at least in a chair tonight. I've already decided that
they
need to obe on something that can be moved to a protected area. Also the
family feline cats sometimes like a fresh green nibble. The dends are
still
inside, I think I'll set up a bricks and boards plant shelf that can be
taken down in a flash.


"Gene Schurg" wrote in message
rthlink.net...
Diane,

I think you want the plants above the ground. Otherwise, you'll have
all
the creapy crawlys making home in the bottom of the cymbidium pots.

I haven't had problems with squirels bothering anything that is hung up
in
a
tree. I only hang my Vandas outdoors so maybe they see there's nothing
there.

Good Growing,
Gene


"Diane Mancino" wrote in message
et...
great! squirrels! I have a ton of them and just hung my orchids out.
My
cymbidiums are on the patio surface- elevate them too?

Diane


"Gene Schurg" wrote in message
rthlink.net...
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.