Who needs the best light?

[Mehera]

OK, so I have accumulated a bunch of orchids in my first year of growing (about a hundred). I have a lot of window space facing south, and some facing east and west, but it IS starting to fill up, and I want to be using my 'best spots' effectively.

I feel I have a pretty good handle on the needs of the phals and the slippers. I know the catts and encyclias need lots of light. My confusion comes with the oncids; there are so many different kinds, and they are created out of parents with different requirements. If anyone has time, would you take a look at this list and help me with who needs the most light; who should be protected from it maybe. Who can stand the warm temps generated close to my south windows even in the winter (80-90 degrees), and who can't.

Thanks for your help!

Onc. Sharry Baby
Psychopsis Mendenhall ‘Monarch’
Milt. Sandy’s Cove
Colm. Wildcat ‘Chadwick’
Brsdm. Lillian Oka ‘Bonanza’
Dgmra. Winter Wonderland ‘White Fairy’
Burr. Kilauea ‘Volcano Queen’
Brassia Rex Sakata
Onc. Sweet Sugar ‘Emperor’
Onc. Lemon Heart ‘Carmela’
Brsdm. Wild Warrior ‘Chieftain’
Brsdm. Shooting Stars ‘Black Gold’
Onc. Twinkle
Odm. reichenheimii x Wils. Santee Lakes
Odm. reichenheimii
Beallara Peggy Ruth Carpenter ‘Morning Joy’
Alcra. Sunday Best

[smartie2000]

I think all of them...but im not a expert with these. Perhaps not the Milt. Sandy’s Cove

[Piper]

I try and give my Brassias a bit more light, but the Onc alliance generally gets whatever is left over after the Dends and Catts are happy.

McForWhatIt'sWorth

[Hoa Tony Nguyen]

Hi Lynda,

I think that smartie and Julie gave pretty good ideas about what to do already.
The miltonia and miltoniopsis orchids like to have less light than other oncidiums. The oncidiums will take whatever light they can get but they will bloom better if you give them adequate light. You can watch for it by observing the color of the leaves. If leaves start to have yellow tint, then you know that you give them too much light. Dark green is bad but as long as they have a light green color and the leaves don't drop, you are doing dandy!!!

Many of the oncidium intergenerics that you have contain genes from both cold and heat tolerant species so they will be happy regardless of where they are.
The Sharry Baby and the brassias like warmer temperatures although the brassidiums are more cold tolerant. They also will bloom better if you give them strong light. The Psychopsis certainly is more of a warm growing orchid, although it can take a bit coolish temperatures (down to 55 F). Stronger light is also a good thing for this psychopsis!
The reichenheimii is a cool-growing species. So you should be careful during the summer. This species might like a bit less light. The fragrance of this odontoglossum is phenomenal!!! Very strong yet sweet and gorgeous! Have you flowered this one?

Cheers. Hoa.

[Piper]

Doc Spock, I was thinking of you tonight. I found an old Trek episode while I was cheffing up dinner. It was a Sarek episode, and there was lots of logical Spockness, but so illogical if you thought much at all about it!

Leonard Nimoy was lame, compared to YOU!

Live long and prosper!

McTheNeedsOfTheForumOutweighTheNeedsOfTheRest

[Hoa Tony Nguyen]

Doc Spock, I was thinking of you tonight. I found an old Trek episode while I was cheffing up dinner. It was a Sarek episode, and there was lots of logical Spockness, but so illogical if you thought much at all about it!

Leonard Nimoy was lame, compared to YOU!

Live long and prosper!

McTheNeedsOfTheForumOutweighTheNeedsOfTheRest

Thanks mcJulie for thinking of me!

I am still at work at this hour so I have time reading people's posts ... hehehee ... terrible, isn't it?
Generally I like most of the old Star Trek episodes, and the new ones too. I have seen most if not all of them. You have to see that the Vulcans are logical in their Vulcan's context. Once you take them out of it and put their logics in human's context, they don't make sense at all!!! Heheee ... kind of like mathematics, you start out with axioms and build things from there. So if you start out with weird axioms, you can build a whole weird universe!!! Heheeee ...

[Mehera]

Hi Lynda,
The reichenheimii is a cool-growing species. So you should be careful during the summer. This species might like a bit less light. The fragrance of this odontoglossum is phenomenal!!! Very strong yet sweet and gorgeous! Have you flowered this one?

Thanks everyone! Doc Spock, your specific guidance is exactly what I was hoping for, and it will help me rearrange things more effectively. You have pointed out a few mistakes I have been making. Thanks again!

Yes, I have flowered both the Odm. reichenheimii and the hybrid Odm. reichenheimii x Wils. Santee Lakes. The species bloomed first last summer and I was so pleased with its appearance and fragrance. In the fall, the hybrid bloomed and I was surprised how similar they were, yet the flowers were so much larger. They both have a wonderful fragrance.

The first pic shows the species in the center of the group. The second is the hybrid.

[Hoa Tony Nguyen]

Thanks everyone! Doc Spock, your specific guidance is exactly what I was hoping for, and it will help me rearrange things more effectively. You have pointed out a few mistakes I have been making. Thanks again!

Yes, I have flowered both the Odm. reichenheimii and the hybrid Odm. reichenheimii x Wils. Santee Lakes. The species bloomed first last summer and I was so pleased with its appearance and fragrance. In the fall, the hybrid bloomed and I was surprised how similar they were, yet the flowers were so much larger. They both have a wonderful fragrance.

The first pic shows the species in the center of the group. The second is the hybrid.

WOW!!! Your oncidiums are gorgeous!!! And you didn't show them to us???
You are doing very well indeed!!!
Your reichenheimii hybrid is so beautiful and if it is fragrant, all the better. Its fragrance is very different from the Sharry Baby or the Brassias. Enjoy it!!!

Cheers. Hoa.

[smartie2000]

Pretty blooms there. If I had the room and the ability to provide adequate light I would have some of these.

[Hoa Tony Nguyen]

OK, so I have accumulated a bunch of orchids in my first year of growing (about a hundred).

She is getting addicted!!! Over a hundred in a year!!! Teheheee ...

DocSpock!