Shade Cloth % South Florida
 

Has anyone figured out the shade cloth percent to use in South Florida for my sun loving Vandas?

how long during the day will they be getting sun?

are they sun acclimated already?

I have found that they can do very well in full all day sun if you give them a winter to adjust to the sun.

If you are concerned i would start with the least shading, something around 15-30% so that they can get the most of the beneficial light

G'day mate, might I suggest 50% shade cloth? In the Darwin, Northern Territory nurseries they grow literally thousands of vandas and use 50% shade cloth and Darwin is sub equatorial...Well it was when I visited...
Cheers, Bobj.

I have seen semi-terete Vandas grown in full sun in southern FL.

For strap leafed Vandas, if you water/sprinkle them enough, I believe you can grow them in full sun too - provided that you harden them carefully.

In NJ, I usually bring them out on Memorial Day, covering the rack with lattice panels on all 4 sides and on the top. After 10 days, I take the lattice off, so they are hanging in full sun for the rest of the season (till end of Sept). BUT, I rig a sprinkler with a timer, so they get a cool-down at 10 AM and again at 1 PM.

FWIW.......when I was setting up my shade house I asked Bob Fuchs for his opinion on this. I think I recall he has mostly 50% on his houses in Homestead but what he said to me that I found interesting was that his observation was that the light down here in the Keys is remarkably brighter than on the mainland as it is multiplied by its reflection off of the surrounding waters. Based on that he recommended I do 60% for high light plants such as vanda's and 80% for lower light plants. That's what I did and seems to be working well after 5 years.
So I would say if being in "South Florida" means greater Miami area, I'd say you'd want to 50% unless you are right on the coast in which case you might want to up the density a tad.

i also believe that the keys, from Tavernier west, are more like zone 11/12 PR and the Virgin Islands.

the sun and heat are higher and the wind is a big factor

the sun obviously higher the closer you are to the equator but I'm not sure I agree about the "heat" part. I personally feel as though it's hardly ever as hot here as it is in Miami area. Probably due to the trade winds.
What is absolutely true is that because of being surrounded by water that is hardly ever below 75 degrees F, the diurnal temp differential is much less than it is in SOFL and that makes it tricky for some orchid species to set bud down here.

i was being inarticulate- i was referring to the sun's heat as in intensity rather than the feeling of heat on one's skin....i agree with you about the wind and that keeping it much more comfortable

I have experimented with everything here in Fort Myers.

100% lives and flowers but the leaves on a strap leaf look rather poorly Terete and semi-terete take full sun well.

I have many in 70% shade because it is not commercially justifiable to have special growing area for Vanda and they flower well but it takes an extra year for them to adapt to the lower light (screen cages around pools with screen for a roof is 65% shade)

50% is the excepted amount for a totally Vanda house.

Dang so vandas need about 8000 FC of light?

If you're in Key West, you'd be maxing out at ~10,000 FC in the summer, and a min of ~6800 in the winter. So if you wanted to be safe, you'd want a 20-30 % shade cloth in the summer months.

If you're in Boca Raton, you'd be maxing out at ~10,000 FC in the summer, and a min of ~6500 in the winter. So if you wanted to be safe, you'd want a 20-30 % shade cloth in the summer months.

Natural Sunlight Intensity >> First Rays LLC