"Jeanne Kokx" wrote in message
...
I am a newcomer to orchid growing and live in Minnesota. I have
appreciated
the tips that have been given by other northerners. Most of the
information I get from books assume a more southerly latitude. So I need
some advice. In the winter, when the sun is low, is it safe to grow
orchids
(such as cattleyas) on a windowsill in full sun? I had a few orchids last
winter and followed the light requirements but suspected the orchids
weren't
getting enough rays (like me) so this winter (Dec, Jan, Feb) I didn't
shield
them from the sun. They seem to be doing fine. But up to now I haven't
gotten any of them to bloom. There is one possible exception - I have a
dendrobium (bought from Home Depot, and naturally mislabeled but still a
really nice plant) of the phalaenopsis type that seems to be putting out a
flower spike. That leads into the next question. Should I move this
plant
out of the full sun or leave it there? I don't want to shock the plant by
moving it, but with the sun starting to get higher and the windowsill
getting hotter I am afraid that the flower buds might shrivel and die. If
I
can get this orchid to flower I am sure you all know what a dangerous
thing
that will be.

Before I got smart and moved to California, I lived just east of Duluth.
I had a large, south-facing window only slightly shaded by bare trees. I
ran an ultrasonic humidifier in that corner, but not directly on the plants.
I doubtlessly abused them, but the only ones that wouldn't bloom were the
cymbidiums. Too warm inside; way too cold outside.