The plant won't care about the heat index, but the actual temperature could be an issue. If the plant had acclimated to outdoors for a couple months or more, I wouldn't worry, provided it was in shade. If it has only been out for a week or two, I would worry more. I would NOT worry about rain. Rain is an orchid's friend.
-MB

Hey, MB, is more water in an overwatered Phal in sphag a good thing? I'm not quite following you. Thanks, Whitecat8

Nopes, that would potentially not be a good thing. But the poster was asking about rainwater in the crown on an actively growing vandaceous plant in 'damp' sphag. Under that scenario, I would not be worried.
-MB

Fatplant, outside is good for your phal IF it has any roots, and you can give it lots of shade. Be very careful about direct sun on the leaves after 9:30 AM or so (too hot for phals).

I do not bring phals in during rain unless it is the heavy, pelting rain that would shred phal leaves (or hail). As Mr Breeze said, rain is wonderful for them (especially soft, warm rains). Cold rains maybe not so good. Use your judgment about cold rainy periods.

I do go out there after a rain and check the crowns. Some plants drain the crowns well, others don't. The ones that dont, I use the corner of a paper napkin to sop the water out.

Temperatures: we have at least a week to 10 days every summer of temps above 95-100 days and nights around 80. They do fine out there in those temperatures. Growth does not visibly stop. They do need more shade when it's that hot.

I personally think they are better off left in place than in and out.

It takes time to get to know your conditions and develop some confidence in what you are doing. There's a lot of anxiety about decisions while your learnings (or at least there was for me)

Good luck

MB & Mehitabel, I'm having an Orchid Moment here. What am I missing? FP's Phal, which had been overwatered and was in wet sphag, had been outside for 24 hours to dry out. Then it was supposed to start raining. At that time, the sphag was still damp to the touch.

Are you saying that it would be okay for the sphag to get more water from the rain and therefore stay wet longer?

My idea would be to leave the Phal outside and make sure rain didn't hit the sphag until it needed watering again. Also, move it into the shade - if it isn't there already - to get it used to the increased light gradually.

However, I could be over-reacting to last summer, when we had extra hot temps, high humidity, and rain for days. Nothing dried out, not even the plastic pots. :) The plants had no protection from the rain. A lot of them got set back, and I've thought the medium staying soggy for a long stretches did it. As you said, they loved the heat and humidity.

Okay - set me straight here. Where did my baby orchid brain get off-track?

FP, thanks for the good puzzle.

Whitecat8

You're not missing anything, Whitecat. You're right: keeping it dry with overhead protection is the way to go. Also repotting.

I was just trying to answer a generic question: No, I don't bring them in when it rains.

Hmmm. You know, outside rain isn't usually a problem, even if they plant has been overwatered in the past. I think the increased air circulation makes it so that it doesn't seem to be a problem. Mine (including phals, and weak ones at that) are outside in a sheltered place and actually I've had them recover faster outside than in.

I don't bring them in unless we've got hail coming or some other salad shredder event.

So, I had put the Phal. basically on the other side of the window it had been living in for months, only on the ground. The East window had no screen, was less than a foot away, and the light had been "filtered" by the branches of a massive oak tree. The spot outside is also further shaded by another part of the house, only getting direct sun intermitently thoughout the morning hours. It is not so hot today (though very humid), should I take her back outside? Haven't repotted yet, can't remember to buy the stuff. Know I'm asking for trouble. I figured to bring it in if it was going to blow or hail (60 mph winds are blowing). All this in and out is going to be terrible for her I would think.

So, is there an overall solution? Is it too late to acclimate her to the outdoors before I just have to bring her in again? Or just leave her out until October? It won't get below 60 before then.

Can I temperature acclimate the orchid in a different (less climate controlled) part of the house? If yes, will the not East window do any harm?

Ya'll rock.

Every single phal of mine - a whole bunch - is outside, enjoying at times rain every evening (part of rain season here in Florida) That is the time when my phals grow nice and fast...

To avoid crown rot, all my phals are grown under angle. Either in a plastic or wooden basket, or in a clay pot - all in sphag. Spagh not drying up right away does not seem to be a problem but the pots/baskets are open with lots of drainage holes...

Here is one example: does not show the whole plant though. A phal next to it in the picture is mounted on treefern
{{gwi:190613}}

Olya

Leave it out for now, the high humidity is a friend to any suffering phal. Plan to bring it in when nights get below 60-65.

I would suggest you elevate your plant off the ground. First of all, that helps drainage and aeration. Second, some very nasty critters will get into your pots from the ground. Put it on some kind of open thing like a plastic milk crate so air can circulate underneath.

You can't "acclimate" a plant to a place that doesn't provide what it needs for growth. Indoors, put it in your best east, south or even west window. It will need your best light over the winter. North is a death sentence.

When you repot, use a 3/8" souldering iron to make extra holes in your pot.

In the fall most phals appreciate a 15 percent drop from day to night temperatures for a couple of weeks in order to facilitate spiking. As mehitabel says, keep the plant out until the night temps get to 60 degrees.

Spaghnum is fine, but it can stay wet for a long time, especially in plastic pots. Better to be in a basket, plastic or wood, or unglazed clay pots, which breath.
If you are subject to rain every day, mounting them would be a good idea.
Or if you grow in plastic pots, use a well draining mix, preferably non organic, like clay pellets. Again, this is if you have rain every day. Here in Southern California, we don't have that problem. We have no rain!! Even this winer and spring. I grow most of my cattleyas in greenhouses, where I water every other day. Many are in sphagnum. It cuts down on the need to water them all the time. Man, I feel bad for the people in the Midwest. I'm from Chicago and it terrible to see all that rain and flooding.

Do you know what can lead to unfortunate crown rot though? One of my many phals happened to get some sort of apple tree leaf blown into the crown prior to a rain. The leaf proceeded to decompose into the crown, and I nearly lost the plant (there was this disgusting black mess inside the crown, which had begun to turn yellowish itself once I uncovered it beneath the gunk)...luckily it was summer, and the plant recovered.

That's a good tip about keeping debris out of the crown, calvin. I noticed after one storm we had, tiny quarter-inch bits of debris in lots of crowns for some reason. As if there was a magnet there for them (I know, just a convenient holding spot).

OLya!!!
what is the name of that? absolutely lovely orchid :)

peril, the plant is Phalaenopsis bellina - one of my favorite species. Very fragrant :)

Olya