1st time growing outside

[Cinderella]

I finally got up the nerve to put a few orchids outside. It took me all summer! Any advice about how to grow outside? I plan to put them in full shade, elevated off the ground, for 10-14 days first and then move into dappled morning sun.

[Heather]

And what about grasshoppers? I just caught one on my Maxi. on the front porch. I was thinking about putting a few also out on my back porch, which is 15 feet off the ground, but these guys jump and fly! Any thoughts on how to avoid them?
I've spent the afternoon cleaning up the deck and ditching a good number of my rather spent looking spring plants, so now all I have out there to attract bugs is one lantana (for the hummingbirds...)

[Cinderella]

Yes we do get HUGE grasshoppers here. I don't imagine they harm the orchids though? I hope none of my other plants on the deck attract bugs: magnolia
impatiens
sad looking verbena

I guess they do deal with bugs when they live in trees.

[Heather]

Yes, that's true in the wild I am sure they get worked over. I'm still trying to get over my fear of leaving them out. I've hung my Barbara LeAnn out front as a test, and will see how I feel tomorrow! I'm also hanging some other hooks, so I can hang more in the front porch area (high away from cats and children) and a few on the sunny back deck. But I am scared! I know they'll sure like the nice warm humid weather we've been having!

[uncasteeb]

If your worried about critters(as i was) , make then a tent out of greenhouse shading.I use 50% shading & a few of the plants get 10.30am to 4.30 pm sun(this is the green nylon netting).

No critter problems since May when they first went out , even keeps the tree rats of them.

[OrchidTraci]

Yes, that's true in the wild I am sure they get worked over. I'm still trying to get over my fear of leaving them out. I've hung my Barbara LeAnn out front as a test, and will see how I feel tomorrow! I'm also hanging some other hooks, so I can hang more in the front porch area (high away from cats and children) and a few on the sunny back deck. But I am scared! I know they'll sure like the nice warm humid weather we've been having!

You will feel better after the first over night outside You will have a harder time with it than they will, trust me!

[Heather]

You will feel better after the first over night outside You will have a harder time with it than they will, trust me!

True, I know you guys are all right! - but it ain't going to be tonight! Charley's a-comin' and they're all coming in - 20-45 MPH winds and 2-4" rain - I'm right in the middle of the track. Sigh....not bad, but bad enough to bring 'em in!

[OrchidTraci]

True, I know you guys are all right! - but it ain't going to be tonight! Charley's a-comin' and they're all coming in - 20-45 MPH winds and 2-4" rain - I'm right in the middle of the track. Sigh....not bad, but bad enough to bring 'em in!

You aren't in Charley path are you??

[Heather]

Yeah, it seems I'm in the after path! Should make third landfall on Long Island tonight and then head up through S. NE. Much diminished, but right along Rt. 2 - which is directly where I am! I'm sure it won't be crazy like in FL, but bad enough, it sounds, to bring in the kids. One of the reasons today was *the* day to deal w/ the mess on the back porch. I had a lot of stuff out there - old humidity trays w/ rocks, potting soil, dead herbs, etc. Now it is all clear and nothing to blow around. All the orchids are indoors for the night. Whew - hopefully I'll just collect lots of nice rainwater!

[LJA]

Do as uncasteeb said and put netting over them if you have grasshoppers everywhere. Those guys will decimate your plants in no time flat. Dusting with Sevin on a regular basis will keep the hoppers away too if you don't have any netting.