Orchids: Building a collection beyond the basics?, 1 by dyzzypyxxy

dyzzypyxxy wrote:
Jan, I've got my brassavolas out there with the Catts, getting a little bit of early morning sun filtered through screening inside my pool cage. As the sun gets stronger, I'm moving them closer in to the house to make sure they don't get burned. They'll be spending the summer under the big oak tree where they will get peeks of sun in the morning and shade in the afternoons. Except of course when they bloom they will be invited in to sit on the patio tables.

Sunburn on an orchid is a sad looking thing! Big black blotches that atrophy and invite disease. Yes, my B. Nodosa does have some reddish spotting on the leaves now. (see pic)

That being said, we're talking Florida sun here. Very bright and intense. Most likely your best summer sun up there in Michigan is about equal to springtime sun down here. You get much longer days in summer, but the sun is not as high overhead. We also have the luxury of no air pollution whatsoever. Bless the prevailing winds off the Gulf!