C. Berlin wrote:
I have a small collection with a lot of phals, and a few dendrobiums, paphs,
cymbidiums, masdevalias, oncidiums, lc, and a brassia, odontoglossum,
angraecum, and a vanda.
They spend all winter on shelves in front of patio door windows, and all
summer on my back porch.
My question is when is a good point to move them outside? I live in
Pittsburgh, PA, and nights here are now mostly in the 50's, occasionally in
the high 40's. I know of course that different species have different
requirements here. I've put the masdevalias out already but none of the
rest yet. What I've read would seem to suggest that the cymbidiums could
also probably go out now, maybe I should wait another week or two on the
phals, and hold back the vanda and agraecum awhile later. I will appreciate
any suggestions from the amazing collective experience that you all bring to
this newsgroup.
Thanks,
Chuck Berlin


I'm probably very close to your weather here at roughly the same
lattitude, three hours west of you in Columbus, OH. Until I built the GH
last year, I spent a good 12 years taking the plants out of the
growrooms for the 'summer' and back in in the fall. At first I was able
to take them out in mid-March, though I did have to cover them a few
times at night when the temps dipped below 50, and occasionally left
them out through cold spells with some minor heat (indoor house temp air
blown in) if I thought they would have another month out before temps
dipped for good. There are pics and info on my page at: (click on the
'see detailed pics'link)

http://www.orchidcourt.com/outside.html

They stayed out til November with the same few nights covered. The last
couple years, they haven't been able to go out til mid-May and had to
come back in by early- to mid-Sept, using the same temperature
guidelines I had always used, 50 degrees. I consider any month with
frost to be winter, so we now have nine months of winter and three of
summer, thanks to global COOLING. Unfortunately no spring or fall here,
which are my favorite seasons.

So, to sum up, I think anything can go out and stay out as long as
nights aren't below 50. Paphs, especially parvis, would like to be out
til it's 40 or so, as would disas, masdevallias, laelias (all kinds,
including brazilian and rupicolous) odonts, etc. An occasional dip into
the 40s isn't going to hurt catts either. BUT phals, vandas, etc, and
psychopsis, catasetinae, bulbos, and brassias do NOT want to ever go
below 50. And I say 50 for plants that have been outdoored through the
growing season. They are more temp hardy than say a vanda grown in Key
West, never below 70 in its life would be to be suddenly subjected to 50
degrees.

Best solution, increasing the time outside possibly by a month or two at
each end, is to put them out in such a way they can be covered and
enclosed to the ground on the occasional below-50 night. I did this with
a couple thousand plants, so with less it may be a bit easier.

Cyms, on the other hand, I hear from those who grow them (I have only
one) should be left out til they experience temps in the upper 30's to
set spike.

Hope this helps.

Tennis