I just moved from Wisconsin to the Phoenix area. My orchids survived the 30 hour trip in the trunk of my car so I was looking for a good spot in my new house. I noticed that my courtyard gets morning sun then is almost shaded after a few hours so I thought that might work. I put my orchids (15 plants) out and within a couple of hours the leaves turned, white,yellow or black. I am assuming that this is sun scaled. Does anyone know if they will come back or are they gone.
Gardening in the Southwest is going to be a challenge.
I was at Lowes the other day and saw a sign that said ,
"full sun does not mean full sun in the Phoenix area"
Live and learn.
Thanks,
Dee
Sun scaled?
So sorry about your orchids. That is painful. You don't say what orchids you are growing. Some species orchids can take lots of sun. Most of the ones sold at big box stores are meant for tempered windowsill light. Some of the damage may have occurred while traveling in your trunk.
To answer your question, some might survive but they will require work and look ratty for years. If you have a place to hide them, and are inclined towards a science experiment, you might want to attempt a salvage. Good luck.
I agree. Just think about riding for 30 hours in a trunk. I have been told that the trunk can easily be 30-40 F hotter than the outside, shaded temperature. If your plants only got a few hours of early morning sun, regardless where you are, I don't think that caused the problem. The important words are "early morning sun". Even my shade-loving orchids can handle sun from 7:00 AM until 9:00 AM, here in Mississippi. Sunburned leaves will show very specific patterns of damage. But as MaypopLaurel said, knowing the orchid varieties will help determine the amount of sun the plants can handle.
Ken