Hi folks !! I have 2 new Catelaya Orchids that I have hung under the eaves on the South side of the house.They do not get direct light but on the same token direct light is 1 ft out...Would this be enough light here in Florida? Do they require basically the same lighting as Phals??

My house faces North and I have misting units in the rafters..I am thinking who ever owned the house before me must have grown Orchids maybe...

Hi Jeff,
They take much more light than Phals.. But you will want to move them gradually so they don't get burned. My plants get a couple of hours of direct sun and dappled bright light the rest of the day. Morning or late afternoon sun is easier on the plant than mid day... Just like us at the beach!
The leaves of the Catts should be a nice bright/ light green and the Phals darker green ( more light makes the leaves lighter, less.. Darker)


Here' a Phal on the bottom and a Catt on top.

Thank you Lindsey...Do you think it would be acceptable to gradually say an hr or two in the morning move them to full morning sun then back under the eaves..I'm kind of at a disadvantage here with trees I don't really have any large mature trees to hang them under..My property had hardly a plant on it and we just moved in in December...That is quickly changing....

That seems like it would get old fast!
Can you rig up an awning with shade cloth or latticework? A table with slats and set the plants underneath ?
I had my handyman build me a table and the more sensitive plants go on the bottom
The tough kids on top

I can do that !! Here is what i have received last week from Ken...I have 1 leaf that kind of went yellow that I am thinking is from transit stress..I have a pergola with sail cloth over the top maybe i can rig up some hangers under that.

I think that would be better than under the eave of the house..they will also get better airflow around them ( I should think)..and airflow is important to keep fungus problems down. Those are nice looking plants. I wouldn't worry about that yellow leaf..it's the oldest one and its not uncommon to loose one. just cut it off with a clean knife or razor blade just above the psudo bulb and dab some cinnamon on the cut...a Q tip works well for that.

Thank you Lindsey !!

That leaf was already turning yellow, Jeff. Just an old leaf and (esthetically) can be removed. I have plants hanging under eaves, lots of them, and the eaves face east. I have absolutely no problem growing Catt. and even Vanda there. I think there is as much air-flow there as anywhere else in my yard. But it also depends on the depth of the eave. My plants get 3, sometimes 4 hrs. of morning sun (depending on the time of the year), so this might be too much late morning sun for those more sun-sensitive orchids.

Air flow here is never a problem Ken !! I get the coastal breeze and it pretty much never stops..I cut that leaf off this morning and dabbed some cinnamon on the cut with a q- tip...Things are looking good here...I've been weeding the front flower bed today..Been having problems with snails on our passion flower...

Snails/slugs are a pretty much constant problem here. I use a lot of snail-bait to keep them at bay. For some reason IF a snail or slug can get to a Phal.,, they'll chew those leaves up pretty good. I have never seen damage on another family of orchids though. Don't know why.

Air-movement is so nice to have.

I do have the two Phals that I have now in the front (North) hanging under the eaves also ...They get less sun there because I've learned they are more sun sensitive...

What kind of snail baits work?

I use Natria, a product by Bayer and sold at my Lowe's. It seems to be effective and is supposed to be safe used around kids, pets, and wildlife. I simply take their word for that but have seen no one stating that their child/pet had been harmed. The downside is that it may be effective for only a couple of weeks and heavy rain/watering will render it mostly ineffective. That's the only product that I have ever used so I can't compare it with other products on the market. I found that drowning the snails/slugs in a bowl of beer or other attractant was simply a waste of time. That works, but only in a very limited area. With all the plants I have, spread over a thousand square feet or more, I have to use something like the Natria.

Thank you Ken !! I will be heading up to Lowe's tomorrow I have a few items to purchase so I will check it out...Man it's hot today.Lots of water breaks !!! Hello Humidity....

I know the feeling, Jeff. Steamy here too but without that Gulf breeze. My son lives about the same distance from Tampa as you, but south. He is in Sarasota.

Sarasota is a beautiful area with great beaches..Here to the North the beaches are not as nice....We do have a few select spots but that is about it....I really didn't care much I just wanted the heat...I would rather be Hot than Cold...I had my share of the cold stuff in Michigan...In fact Michigan wouldn't let me leave in December without dumping 13 inches the day before we moved...

Understand, Moe. Chicago native that moved to Southern California. Same reason. And would you believe one of the kids actually packed the snow shovel in the truck?

That's funny !! I have 1 snow shovel I could not part with here Ted ...I just couldn't leave it..I used that baby so much I wore the paint off the handle it's a heirloom...I thought about hanging it above the garage door to throw these Southerners off a bit...