Outdoor growers: which pests nibble your orchids?

11 years ago

Wondering if it might be possible to keep my orchids outdoors for the summer. We have lots of wildlife that eat other parts of my garden, so I'm curious if they'd do the same to my orchids. Specifically I have chipmunks, squirrels, raccoons, birds, bunnies, cats (neighbors, not my own), turkeys and woodchucks/groundhogs.

What has been your experience?

Featured Answer

jane__ny

11 years ago

I had various grow areas outside. One was on a deck, 2 stories up. Hot, full SW sun all day. I grew my high light plants there, gradually acclimating them to the hot sun. It was a wood deck and I devised a method which worked. Didn't look great but did the job. All the plants went on the floor of the deck. I used old window screens above them, laying them along the deck rail. It provided good sun screen and let rain through. I tried to find pictures but must be on an older computer.

I had an area which was very shaded and only got morning sun. All my low light plants went there. I had cheap plastic shelving from Home Depot which I separated into individual benches. All plants were raised off the ground.

Bugs and animals were always around. We had large property and lots of critters plus my own dogs. Everything always survived but I will admit the wildlife would sometimes knock over pots, pull plants out of pots, etc. You just get used to it and deal with it. I did have large dogs which helped out during the day, but night was another story.

Before bringing the plants in for winter, everyone got a dunk drowning any slugs or ants that might be in the mix. This took weeks as I did it gradually and had a system before plants came back in the house. Once they got their dunk, they were moved to the deck and all sprayed with insecticidal soap and left for a few days. Gradually they were moved indoors in Sept/Oct.

Never had a problem. Never used toxic chemicals. It was time consuming and sometimes night temps would drop suddenly and I'd have to grab the warm plants and bring them into the garage over-nite.

The benefits of the plants growing outside, made all the work worthwhile. You will get the best growth and flowers on your plants by putting them outdoors. The fresh air, night temps, humidity, breezes, etc can not be duplicated indoors. You will see much healthier plants with double the growth. Plus, many indoor insects disappear outdoors.

They should all be outside now. You can always find creative ways to acclimate them by using patio umbrellas, screens, etc.

Jane

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

James _J
11 years ago
Squirrels are a problem for me. They love dendrobium buds, they also like to chew p bulbs. I think maybe they are going for the stored water. Slugs and snails are another pest. The loose bark makes a nice home for them.
jane__ny
11 years ago
I grew in NY for 20 years. All my plants went outside in summer. I found Squirrels would knock over pots but didn't really eat anything. Sometimes they would pull plants out of pots but didn't seem to eat anything. Slugs were a problem so I used Sluggo to sprinkle around them. I tried copper wire around the legs of benches which seemed to work also. We had tons of deer and rabbits but they never bothered my orchids.

They loved my vegetable garden, but left the orchids alone. One other point, the value of putting the plants outside for 4 months paid off in blooming.

Orchids need to go outside over the summer if possible.

Jane
Related Professionals
Lexington Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · St. Louis Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Los Angeles Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Las Vegas Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Cheyenne Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Miami Landscape Contractors · Tampa Landscape Contractors · Lawton Landscape Contractors · Gary Landscape Contractors · Duluth Landscape Contractors · Syracuse Landscape Contractors · Tacoma Landscape Contractors · Washington General Contractors · Lufkin General Contractors · Dubuque General Contractors
1987dakota
11 years ago
Jane - When you were in NY - where did you place your orchids outside? Did you find many bugs when you brought them in? if so, what kind and how did you get rid of them?

I have held off putting mine outside, due to a fear of getting bugs, aphids, spider mites etc. They do well staying in - but, I guess I could try to put a couple out - but, I just don't want to deal with bugs. Could I leave mine in the pots and hang them under my roof - it does get a fair amount of light.
suzabanana (6b Boston/N. Shore)
Original Author
11 years ago
I'm less concerned about bugs than I am with woodland creatures. We have sooooo many chipmunks that I've stopped thinking they are cute and just think of them as thieves.

The safest place I have also gets way too much sun and the only ways I can think of shading them would also shield them from rainwater which seems counter-productive. It's a terrace off our bedroom which is 40 feet up in the air, but gets hot direct sun from 10am-3/4pm.

The other option is on the ground floor on the deck on a large, wooden deck box we don't use. It's shaded from the hottest part of the day, but I've seen plenty of squirrels, chipmunks and birds on it. Hmmmm. Decisions, decisions. Any suggestions are welcome!
suzabanana (6b Boston/N. Shore)
Original Author
11 years ago
Well, I put out everything that wasn't in bloom except my Miltonia, Coelogyne and a newly repotted Dendrobium. They survived the first night. We'll see how it goes...