# In or Out?



## Heather (Aug 11, 2007)

As my rothschildianum buds are plumping and the spike is growing, I am increasingly concerned about it being outside. 

It rains, and it rains when I am not home, so water does collect in the crown and on nights such as the last, it is getting cooler - 55° range. So far, everything is going smoothly, but I am getting increasingly concerned that I should bring it inside, at least on days when we might have a chance of rain. 

However, it, and all of my outdoor plants seem very happy. Several that I thought were just "compact" are growing like weeds since I switched back to a CHC mix and put them out. I've lost one to crown rot, and it was a duplicate of something I had so it wasn't a big deal to lose it, but I check them in the a.m. and p.m. daily.

Additionally, I have 65-70° indoor temperatures and no sunlight for the plant right now, and I'm trying to conserve money and energy, which is why the plants are outside for the summer. I don't want to set up lights for 2 spiking plants if I don't have to. 

So, I'd like you all to weigh in. What do you think I should do? 

Thanks in advance!


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## Rick (Aug 11, 2007)

Mine in the GH are doing great, and get tons of light and humidity that you may not get indoors. Since yours has momentum outside I'd leave it unless you anticipate a major storm that may blow it around.


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## likespaphs (Aug 11, 2007)

i'm curious as to what the consensus is. i have a peoy outside that's just starting to show a sheath and i dunno whether to leave it out in the bushes where it's been since i got it or to bring it in...


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## Heather (Aug 11, 2007)

That PEOY of yours, Brian, is what prompted me to post this poll. My supardii is the other plant in spike...


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## likespaphs (Aug 11, 2007)

funny... 
but it says roth!


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## goldenrose (Aug 11, 2007)

All I can say is - I have a GH, I had a sangii x roth in spike. I left it in the GH exactly where it was from day one when I got it. In July we had several nights of unusually 50 degree weather & a few days later it's turning yellow, then brown. In talking to Tom Kalina, he said that was rather typical of roths & roth X's. Something changed to trigger the plant to save itself & not put the energy into flowering. 
I have a Hideki Okuyama (malipoense x gardineri) in spike & it's making me nervous!


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## Heather (Aug 11, 2007)

Hrm, that's a lot to say Rose! So how'd you vote? I checked the results and no one as of yet has said I should bring it in...but that's what I thought I should do upon reading your post. Perhaps I mis-interpreted and should not change a thing. 

deep breath....

Did I mention it is 'Rex' x 'Mont Millais' and that I've been waiting 3 years for this? 

So far, I have been using this as an exercise in learning to not be in control of a situation. And to not obsess. Can you tell?


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## goldenrose (Aug 11, 2007)

You're right Heather - I didn't say bring it in, I think that might be too much of a change. We all know what excess rain can mean, so I was a 'best of both worlds, bring it in when it rains!' (or extreme or unusual temperature drops!)


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## gonewild (Aug 11, 2007)

So how safe is the spike and the buds from predators outside? Hope some bird doesn't want to use it to spruce up her nest.

Do you folks that keep your plants outside during the summer actually have them spike and produce flawless flowers while outdoors?


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## Heather (Aug 11, 2007)

Nothing's eaten anything yet! 

This plant spiked after being put outside. Not sure how close it was to spiking before that....


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## SlipperFan (Aug 11, 2007)

What I try to do with mine is have them outside but in a protected area where I can contol the watering. I also have most of them surrounded by shadecloth. When I left on vacation, I even put all my blooming plants outside -- they were protected from the rain and direct sun, but not surrounded by shadecloth. Result: many of the buds and flowers have been chewed on by bugs. 

My advise: leave it outside, but see if you can't create an environment for it that will protect it from bugs and rain.


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## Heather (Aug 11, 2007)

Allright, which one of you bozos voted that I was a dumbass?  

I moved the stand today and will be watching tomorrow, I'm losing sun on a daily basis where it was so my days are numbered anyways...still, the temps, airflow, and humidity are better than what I can provide it indoors so... I'm leaning towards leaving it out and bringing it in if there is a serious threat of rain.


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## Rick (Aug 11, 2007)

gonewild said:


> So how safe is the spike and the buds from predators outside? Hope some bird doesn't want to use it to spruce up her nest.
> 
> Do you folks that keep your plants outside during the summer actually have them spike and produce flawless flowers while outdoors?



I have problems with slugs, snails, grass hoppers, and sometimes wrens in the GH! If I put plants outside, I'd probably loose them all to the slugs.


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## rdlsreno (Aug 11, 2007)

SlipperFan said:


> What I try to do with mine is have them outside but in a protected area where I can contol the watering. I also have most of them surrounded by shadecloth. When I left on vacation, I even put all my blooming plants outside -- they were protected from the rain and direct sun, but not surrounded by shadecloth. Result: many of the buds and flowers have been chewed on by bugs.
> 
> My advise: leave it outside, but see if you can't create an environment for it that will protect it from bugs and rain.



I agree!!!

Ramon


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## Eric Muehlbauer (Aug 11, 2007)

A bloom on a roth? I can't even get a roth to grow. A bloom on a roth cross? Well, years ago I got a St. Swithin to bloom. Then it died. Regardless, though, when an outdoor paph spikes I NEVER move it indoors, unless its fall and its getting too cold. I have blasted too many paph buds by bringing them indoors. Rain is not a problem for paphs outdoors. Heat is....Most paphs that initiate spikes in July blast. But if you can get a bud past the earliest stages, it will do well....unless its moved indoors. Too many times the change has been fatal. And moving it in when the bud first appears also blasts it. Fortunately, slugs and snails don't damage my paphs...that's what pleurothallids are for. I did once have a squirrel decapitate a philipinense...that was about 15 years ago, and the phil was a new single growth division. It has since grown into a nice multigrowth plant that never, ever blooms......Take care, Eric


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## Roy (Aug 12, 2007)

Eric, thanks, I have another grower with a Roth' growing problem. I have a seedling roth' about 25+ cm L/S. The center leaf grows at about 3 cm a year.
I may be pass worrying about orchids by the time it gets to flowering size.
Roth' hybrids are not a problem.


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## Sangii (Aug 12, 2007)

I'd be really affraid that something would eat/break the spike.... must maybe it's because I have tons of spikes that were eaten by snails this year....


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## Heather (Aug 12, 2007)

So far (knock on wood) slugs have been sighted but not a problem. They don't seem to be interested in climbing my shelving unit. It's three tier but I am only using the top two shelves due to the fact that the lowest one is closer to the slugs. 

Thanks for the advice. I won't mess with it unless we are seriously threatened with rain. I will take a photo today and give you all an update of the stage the spike is at. I can just see a stem now, and the bud is fat. Cannot tell how many flowers I will have yet...


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## Rick (Aug 12, 2007)

Heather said:


> So far (knock on wood) slugs have been sighted but not a problem. They don't seem to be interested in climbing my shelving unit. It's three tier but I am only using the top two shelves due to the fact that the lowest one is closer to the slugs.
> 
> Thanks for the advice. I won't mess with it unless we are seriously threatened with rain. I will take a photo today and give you all an update of the stage the spike is at. I can just see a stem now, and the bud is fat. Cannot tell how many flowers I will have yet...



My wife recently got some anti slug copper tape that is supposed to keep slugs from climbing. I haven't used it yet because my plants are so crowded I couldn't put the tape on every pot or along th bottom wall of the GH and still keep them from repelling down from the ceiling on slime ropes. Generally I bait and that's pretty effective.


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## CLMoss (Aug 12, 2007)

I just purchased a Paph. Magic Lantern & Paph. Norito Hasegawa, in bud from Glen (Piping Rock). Both are kept indoors, southern window, with a small fan, and are doing beautifully. I did not want to take the chance of too much water collecting in the buds.

Also, after a long heat-wave here in the northeast, we had a lot of rain and then it got really cold. I became concern, not knowing how low the temperature would drop, and I did bring a number of phrags back into the house for the evening. The next morning I did find out that the temp did drop to 58 degrees. That may have been fine for the phrags; however, I did not want to take the chance. All the orchids (except for the Paph. ML & NH)are back outside. Growing orchids outside is a bit more tricky then in a greenhouse, because you have less control over the environment. 

Regarding slugs...we had a problem here with slugs until a family of opossums move into the area. I have not seen one slug since, but I keep a watchful eye. 

I would leave the orchid outside (protected) and watch the weather for rain and drop in temp.

Claudia


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## Heather (Aug 12, 2007)

CLMoss said:


> I became concerned, not knowing how low the temperature would drop...Growing orchids outside is a bit more tricky then in a greenhouse, because you have less control over the environment.



Exactly why I am starting to get more concerned, but we're back up in the 80s today. 

Here's a photo of the plants I took today - yes, I am aware of the issues - but so far so good and it's only until September, probably. Thankfully, I no longer have 150 plants, so moving them or changing the position of the shelf is easy. 

The roth and the supardii are both on the top left.


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## CLMoss (Aug 12, 2007)

I would protect them from full sun. Also, make sure that the bottom plants are protected from water dripping from the other top shelf plants.

Claudia
PS~ The orchids are beautiful!


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## Heather (Aug 12, 2007)

Yes, those are the "issues" I was talking about. They've been like this all summer, and I watch them closely, the sun is apparently not intense enough to burn them and they are only in it for about an hour and a half.

I have a plastic cover I try to throw over them if rain is imminent in the evening, but often I am not home. Still, they've been fine like this so far.


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## Eric Muehlbauer (Aug 12, 2007)

Leave'em alone! Eric


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## NYEric (Aug 13, 2007)

I know little to nothing about rothschildianum, will the temperatture drop w/out rain create such a big problem? If it rains bring them in at night so they dont rot, seems simple. Also Roy, for slugs we used broken egg shells in our garden, it adds calcium and the slugs dont crawl over the sharp edges .


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## NYEric (Aug 13, 2007)

BTW, Am I the only one resisting the in-and-out reference jokes?


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## goldenrose (Aug 13, 2007)

NYEric said:


> Also Roy, for slugs we used broken egg shells in our garden, it adds calcium and the slugs dont crawl over the sharp edges .


 
....when they crawl over the eggshells, they're history!

They need the cooler temps to initiate spikes, one would think when they are in spike, the temp drops shouldn't bother them. Who actually knows if that's the cause of blast? In my case with the sangii x roth, I don't remember if we had rain in association with the temp drops, but in their natural habitat there's alot of rain & humidity for most of the year. One author - I believe it was Catherine Cash, felt humidity is a factor of being successful with roths.oh my what are we to do? We just keep trying!


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## bwester (Aug 13, 2007)

why dont you just move it back to s/h


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## NYEric (Aug 13, 2007)

Lol!


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## gonewild (Aug 13, 2007)

I say move it in because something is going to bite it.
(and because everyone else says leave it out)
oke:
If you don't move it in and something happens to the spike I will say "I told you so". And if you don't move it in and the flowers are perfect I will say "You got lucky". If you move it in and something happens to the spike I will say "You waited to long".
oke:
Best bet is to sell it now and reap the profits. 
:drool:
But if you worry about it something bad will surely happen.


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## Mrs. Paph (Aug 13, 2007)

Haha, I may have to agree with that last post...


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## benilaca (Aug 13, 2007)

*bud*

If it rain cover it. Move inside = 50 > 75% chance that it'll abort younger developing buds. Only those developed more than 75% will open. Plant knows when it being move. Normally will tollerates it; but when in spike, many abort young buds. It doesn't make sense to many, but it's my pass exp. with roths. & its decendants.


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## SlipperFan (Aug 13, 2007)

Welcome to Slippertalk, benilaca!


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## dave b (Aug 13, 2007)

Uhh..i thought this 'in or out' poll referred to belly buttons.


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