Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Orchidarium Changes

A few days ago I added two more fans to my orchidarium.  I was having problems with spotting on the leaves of some Masdevallias, and I have always been a believer in air movement - good air movement solves most problems with leaf drop and spotting if the humidity is high enough.  I added them at the top of the case near the front sliding panels and they already seem to be making a difference.  The case badly needed cleaning and I was able to combine the addition of the fans with a thorough cleaning, something I do two or three times a year.


This makes a total of six fans in the case.  Four three-inch fans provide air movement and two four-inch fans blow down into the water at the bottom of the case and provide both air movement and humidity.  The humidity in the case never goes below about 70 percent and rises to about 90 percent after watering.  With the air movement, the humidity and the cool temperatures the environment seems to be about as good as I can make it for Pleurothallids and New Guinea Dendrobiums.


Someone asked if I would post some pictures of the plants and flowers in the case. That was a tough assignment, since the combination of harsh light, dark and light subjects, and air movement made it difficult to get decent pictures. These were the best I could do and I apologize for the poor quality of the pictures.









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29 comments:

  1. UnknownDecember 14, 2011 at 9:39 PM

    Nice set up. How have you done the wiring for the fans?

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    1. RonFebruary 13, 2012 at 9:25 AM

      They are wired with lamp cord, each one individually and attached to the fans with female spade connectors and the connections covered with waterproof silicone to protect them from moisture.

      Delete
  2. JoshDecember 15, 2011 at 7:31 PM

    The 4th pic, top left. That is a beautiful orchid!

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    1. RonFebruary 13, 2012 at 9:26 AM

      I believe the plant you're talking about is Dend. agathodaemonis, Josh. It's sometimes considered a synonym of Dend. cuthbertsonii.

      Delete
  3. orchideyaDecember 19, 2011 at 5:41 AM

    Unbelievable display! And so many blooms at once - just beautiful.

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    1. RonFebruary 13, 2012 at 9:30 AM

      Thanks for looking and commenting. It's rare that there's nothing in bloom, especially because the New Guinea Dendrobiums keep their flowers for so long.

      Delete
  4. glynnDecember 24, 2011 at 3:52 AM

    I am just in awe of your orchidarium.
    The plant in picture 5 on the right that looks like an insect on a stick,is it a Lepanthes?

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    1. RonFebruary 13, 2012 at 9:32 AM

      Hi, Glynn, and thanks for your visit. The plant you asked about is not a Lepanthes: it's Trisetella gemmata. It's closely related to Masdevallia.

      Delete
  5. AnonymousJanuary 5, 2012 at 8:46 PM

    What a wonderful setup! Everything looks so well-grown and healthy. Keep up the good work. Really enjoy visiting your blog.

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    1. RonFebruary 13, 2012 at 9:33 AM

      Thanks for visiting and commenting - nice to meet a few of those who visit and comments since most do not comment and are anonymous.

      Delete
    2. RonFebruary 13, 2012 at 9:34 AM

      I'm using an 8 bulb T5 fixture (48") but found that the light levels were too high when I first installed it and so now I'm only using one bank of bulbs at a time (4 bulbs). The fixture itself is made by Hydrofarm.

      Delete
  6. epizoochoreJanuary 28, 2012 at 4:29 AM

    Very impressive, I would like to put something together like this. The door in the front appears to slide - is that so? Is the case glass or plexi?

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    1. RonFebruary 13, 2012 at 9:24 AM

      Hi and sorry I missed your comment earlier. The door in the front does slide - took some doing for me, a non-engineer, to figure that all out. The case was originally all double strength plex, but I discovered that temperature changes made the plex flex too much and I had to replace the sides with glass. The doors are still plex, but I had to add a piece of rigid aluminum to the ends to keep them from bowing.

      Delete
  7. AnonymousFebruary 3, 2012 at 7:28 AM

    Nice Setup. Love it and all those orchid .

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    1. RonFebruary 3, 2012 at 9:07 PM

      Thanks for looking and commenting. Appreciate the kind words.

      Delete
  8. epizoochoreFebruary 13, 2012 at 5:24 AM

    Thank you. That's interesting, it didn't occur to me that plexiglass would be susceptible to that kind of bowing. Despite the bowing, the orchids look very happy with the environment inside.

    Thanks again.

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    Replies
    1. RonFebruary 13, 2012 at 9:25 AM

      Yes, the engineering isn't quite up to snuff, but the orchids are happy and that's what really matters to me.

      Delete
  9. RonFebruary 13, 2012 at 9:27 AM

    Thanks for looking and commenting, Roxanne. Now you know where all those orchid pictures come from.

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  10. AnonymousDecember 7, 2012 at 7:57 AM

    Beautiful display of some magnificent orchids. The shots are nice, too =)
    ~Fizgig~

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    Replies
    1. RonDecember 7, 2012 at 10:03 AM

      Thanks, friend, for your comments and for taking the time to look.

      Delete
  11. snowy4052002February 2, 2013 at 3:31 PM

    They are all so beautiful Ron. I am in awe, what a wonderful set up you have for them.

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    1. RonFebruary 2, 2013 at 5:26 PM

      Thanks, Jodi. It's the only way I can grow orchids at home in any number. I started this way about 25 years ago when we lived in Houston and except for a brief hiatus when we were overseas, this has been my set-up.

      Delete
  12. GeoffreyMay 20, 2013 at 8:16 PM

    Those orchids are really beautiful, and your orchidarium is so clean, you must be cleaning the algae off it often.

    May I ask what type of moss you are growing alongside the orchids, their growth looks so vigorous.

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    1. RonMay 20, 2013 at 8:57 PM

      Hi Geoffrey,
      Thanks for looking and commenting. The Orchidarium is not always that clean and is badly in need of a cleaning right now. As to the moss, it appears to be of different kinds but it just grows on the mounts and pots of itself, so much so that sometimes I have to remove some of it.

      Delete
  13. Cactus ApprenticeNovember 22, 2015 at 10:29 AM

    Incredible ! I've discovered today your blog and I am really amazed. It's still alive or you've changed it ? I am an amator when it comes to growing orchids but your blog is very very inspiring. Thanks !

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    1. RonNovember 22, 2015 at 12:45 PM

      I just cleaned the orchidarium and rearranged the plants this past week, so, yes, everything is still alive though I changed the orchidarium itself a few years ago. Mainly it's taller than what you see in these pictures. Thanks for checking out my blog.

      Delete
  14. UnknownFebruary 21, 2016 at 6:56 AM

    Her Ron love your blog. I moved to an apartment I love but is hard to control the conditions here. I love orchids and I have to stop killing them. Can you please provide me with the dimensions of your amazing greenhouse for orchids or if they are for sale please email me with details. Robbyflya330@gmail.com thank you

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    1. RonFebruary 22, 2016 at 12:07 PM

      These are not for sale. The dimensions both of the original case and of the rebuild are in this post: http://orchidsinbloom-ron.blogspot.com/2013/06/rebuilt-orchidarium.html

      Delete
  15. UnknownMay 20, 2021 at 2:57 AM

    What do you use to cool your tank

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