New orchid positions?

[Mercurianmad]

I just got my new intergenic oncidium hybrid today and my new warm growing boat orchid! Very excited.

I just got the old media off and washed them clean, dunked in some kelpmax and a probiotic. Are these good places to keep them? I’ve attached pictures for reference: one of the phal window and one for the vanda window under the heat lamp. Check them out and let me know if anything stands out please! I appreciate it.

[estación seca]

Boat orchid = cymbidium? It would do fine outdoors if you don't have critters. They need a lot of light. The are very tolerant as to temperature.

The Oncidium will be happy with less heat than your Phals or Vandas need. It likes bright indirect light, generally somewhat more than Phals like.

[Rhonda Svoboda]

Okay..a few things. First is a disclaimer. I am not an orchid expert, so my advice is based on my experience level.
I grow under lights and whats great is that they work and open up a whole new world of orchids that we can grow and cultivate.
To your questions: 1) Are you growing phal's and Oncidiums in the same window? Your phal's need much less light. Either put your Oncidium's closer to your light or your phal's farther away.
Are you growing them outside in summer?Your in California so I imagine you have lots of sun and warm temps- put you orchids outside in summer.
As for your Vanda- they are very specific as to their needs- warm temps and high light- I am not sure grow lights are sufficent for Vanda but I defer to other, more experenced members of this board
Also what kind of light do you get in that window? Your pictures of the window show a curtin- I would draw them back to get more sun

[Mercurianmad]

I get very intense southeastern sub from these windows usually. We don’t experience frost until November, but every day we experience 30 degree temperature drops. Right now that means 88 degree days and 53 degree nights. Rh is 25. We are fenced in from deer but have one of the most diverse bug populations in the western us, so I don’t put anything outside unless I’m ok with it getting eaten. What I’ve done is place a few layers of finely woven cheesecloth in front of the window. Then I draw it back based on what the plants like.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by Mercurianmad

We don’t experience frost until November, but every day we experience 30 degree temperature drops. Right now that means 88 degree days and 53 degree nights.

Perfect weather for Cymbidiums to get ready for the late winter/spring blooming season. They need that temperature swing to start the spiking process. (and also high light levels) So they need to be outside until there is danger of frost. (They can tolerate light frost, but that's a small plant so maybe don't push it)

To see what Cymbidiums CAN tolerate, check out this link Ice from a San Diego-area grower. (Those flowers that were encased in ice were in a show two weeks later, none the worse for wear)

Your other orchids will be fine in that window.

[Mercurianmad]

My thought was to keep the New plants more shaded initially since I just repotted them. And then move them to an area with more sun where the cheese cloth is pulled back. Would you guys agree with this? Or should I just move them into brighter light right away because that’s what their species likes

---------- Post added at 05:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:49 PM ----------

Also Roberta these are warm growing cymbidiums. Are they able to handle that low temperature? Could I just keep it outside for a few weeks and then bring it back in for the year?

[Roberta]

Specifically which Cyms?

Most are fine down to near freezing but the so-called warmth-tolerant ones don't need the chill to set spikes. If these are new plants, your bright window likely will be fine, not blooming size yet. For next year, put them out in the spring once danger of frost is past, and then they can acclimate. They do want a light level much higher than just about anything else that you will grow (right up there with Vandas) Again, to get them through the transition, it's OK to keep them in for now.

[Mercurianmad]

This is a peter fire torch cymbidium.

---------- Post added at 06:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:01 PM ----------

And do the cymbidium, the vandas and the cattalya all like the same light level? Is it direct light or just super bright indirect light? Thank you for your help

---------- Post added at 06:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:03 PM ----------

I only ask cause we get very intense sunlight here year round. For four months out of the year our temps are 100 degrees. I have somewhere semi shaded outside I could put them, or I could just raise the cheesecloth completely.

[Roberta]

I'm guessing the Cym is Peter Fire 'Torch'. One parent is Cym Peter Pan - which is a late-summer bloomer (so doesn't need the cool down to bloom, but is still cold-tolerant), the other parent is a standard type. So likely when it blooms it will be an early-season one, like September/Ocober-ish. It will still be fine with cool nights.

Probably bright indirect light, just because direct light tends to have heat associated with it (you don't wont to toast leaves) Shade outside (so that leaf temps don't get to the "burn" stage) is good... At least for the Cym, the triple-digit F temperatures are no problem. Cyms do benefit from the temperature variation that they get outside. In the warm weather that's good for Vandas too. (But Vandas need to be protected much more from the cold, of course)

[Rhonda Svoboda]

I am just going to address a few points. First, a temperature difference of 30 some degrees is fine- regardless of the plant-as long as you keep their minimum temp in mind and it dosen't frost or freeze. Its actually good because a lot orchids need a temp. differential in order to bloom. I have both cold and warm cycmbidums. 'warm blooming cycm's' just mean that they don't require cold nights in order to bloom.
However, both types require full sun in order to bloom well. What I mean by 'full' is maybe a few hours of morning sun- nothing past 11:00 am.