Mike wrote:

Would direct sunlight still be dangerous to the orchid at this time of
the year? The sun is lower and lower in the sky as winter approaches.
So would the sunlight shining directly on the orchid still harm it at
this time, in the winter, and early spring?


Yes, it could be. Practically, it probably wouldn't be unless there
were a drastic change in light levels over a short time. Orchids (most
plants, in fact) adapt to changes in light intensity by changing the
pigment levels in the leaves, like getting a tan. So, the leaves may
turn lighter green, perhaps even red or slightly yellowed, in high
light, and back to deeper green in lower light. Watch the plant, and be
prepared to move it back from the window a few inches if it starts to
get too yellow.

So, if you have a big deciduous tree outside your south window, and
the leaves fall off on a windy day in early november, your plant might
get burnt. While the sun may have been lower in the sky over a period
of time, the leaves were blocking the full intensity of the sun, and
when they are gone so is your plant. Without the tree and the leaves,
the orchid may have adapted to the gradually increasing light levels,
even (perhaps) to tolerating a few hours of direct sunlight.

Anyway, it is the drastic changes that get you. Like when my wife
put several flats of seedlings outside for a few minutes to clean
underneath them. Each and every one burned to a crisp in less than 15
minutes. But I had plants of the same genus living outside at the same
time.

Me, I get sun burned if I look at a picture of the sun, much less
spend any time outdoors...

Rob

--
Rob's Rules: http://www.msu.edu/~halgren
1) There is always room for one more orchid
2) There is always room for two more orchids
2a. See rule 1
3) When one has insufficient credit to purchase
more orchids, obtain more credit
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