Is it wise to do this. I know to leave it in a shady area. I carry my Christmas cactus out every summer.
I also have an enclosed porch with N, E, W exposure. Can they withstand the heat in the summer? I usually leave the windows open for a breeze but it can still climb into the 80's.
Thanks, Linda
Leaving AV outside in the summer...
I know some have done it with great successes. My concern would be bugs in the great outdoors
You can do it if you like. But like Nanna mentiond I'd be concerned with the bugs.
In my home what goes outside to live never come back in the house . Some people spray and treat everything but mites and other bugs you can't see.
I don't even like it when my hubby opens the screen as bugs can come right threw them.
We do enjoy growing a few in the ground .
But other than this ( and they never come back in )
I don't think I would do it .
I had success with a gloxinia..but i paid no attention to it...and being sohot in florida..it had to be HIDING in the shade...i intend to buy a few cheapies and put them outside..but they will not come back in the house...when one figures that av's for 1.94 are cheaper than a lot of annuals...why not give it a try...BUT...may i suggest you save a few leaves before putting them outside.
I bought some on the bargain rack at busy bee for .50 Bob :)
which I intend to experiment with :)
I have many of my collection on my screen enclosure *shrug*
My theory is...You can get bugs inside as well as outside.
So far I have had no major problems with those outside :) But everyone needs to make their own decision on these sorts of things :")
The woorst thing is you can not see the mites, and mealies, ahpids , spider mites and more. You bring them into your home one thing to think about you can destroy your whole collection but if you trade or share you can also destroy someone elses collection.
You can only do so much isolation.
So it's a big personal choice but make sure you let people you know you trade with, so they can have the choice as they may not want their plants outside and if they trade with you it's the same as them putting their plants outside. Same with isolation.
In our home what goes outside stays. I don't want to lose expensive collection . And I don't want to fight with harsh dangerous chemicals that are harzard to my health and family.
chris wow that's a bargain...good for u...hope they do well...i would think the temp difference would be more of a detriment than the bugs....sometimes anyway...lorry your cyclamen should do very well out there
Somebody... I'm thinking perhaps mysticwill?... Somebody who didn't live in a tropical zone like FL, anyway... planted an AV out in their garden last summer and it did fine... There was a thread on the AV forum...
I had a friend who several years ago was having problems with her Avs, so just stuck them in the outside flower beds in the shade, and they thrived. At the end of the season, she potted them up and had no trouble with pests, but had been treating the whole bed all along for that. Maybe she just got lucky??!!
We like to grow some ( hubby does) in the ground outside garden beds. But they stay living outside.
He has one I had in a little solo cup a baby Elise I did not like how it was growing I use to ride ot and thrwo them off , dump them. And Hubby would plant them in the garden. It grew like 20-24 inches across, always blooming, got no special attention, got rained and hosed on , hurricanes hot and cold weather. I t was prefectly shapped . We had it for two year before we moved. It was the largest AV we owned ! Should have dug it up. Well'll be planting more in the ground outside soon ! Maybe this weekend :))
But if it goes outside it never comes in. You get a good case of Mite, thrips, mealies can destroy your whole inside collecton. I have seen it happen to many people. I had a plant I paid $53.00 for. A Chimera . On it's own watering saucer and window . five/six months before I noticed an outbreak of mealies. The plant grew like a weed always bloomed, so healthy looking. And I have 30x power loup and examine my plants crazy. Well I took all roots off soil pot went into the trash tied outside gone. I took 99 perscent of it's foliage off. Spraped it several time with Marithon ( SP)
It was in bath room for a month. It's been treated several times soaking every inch of foliage and into new soil weekly. It's alive but nothing like it use to be. I checked and overly treated every leaf and plant in my collection. It could have been worst. I've had friends had to throw away all their plants.
People have had plants for a year before notcing mealies or mites and the plant was healthy no symptoms.
Isolate is what I can say is important.
Most people I know won't even take their show plants home Or if they do they are heavly treated.
A plant with mites, Thrips, Mealies, a virus with no cure all you can do is throw out does not have to have syptoms it can be healthy the most beautiful blooming plant you ever have seen.
Just like Stranger you teach your kids, Stranger don't look like monsters .