ORCHIDARIUM REQUIREMENTS - Orchid Board

CALLY · #1 11-17-2010, 03:06 AM

Hi,

I am building an orchidarium in the holidays an am looking for some finer details.
I live in JHB, South Africa and we have very hot summers and very cold, dry winters and my orchids hate this varying temperature.

My orchids range from a Vanda, Odontoglossums to Phals and have a few questions:

1. Lighting: LED's or Florescents?
I have tracked down some new LED's that have the specific blue and red frequency that is required for photosynthesis and flowering. They deal with the humidity and moisture better than flourescents.

How do you calculate how many lights you will need?
The Orchidarium is 1.2m high by 1m long by 600 wide with a 200mm egg grate shelf half way up.

2. Temperature control:
A ceramic reptile heater caught my attention and can also deal with the humidity. Where would be the best place to place it ?

3. Humidity:
There is a humidity tray under the case and the bottom of the case is an egg grate shelf. But my Vanda needs considerably higher humidity than a humidity tray can provide. So is a normal room humidifier eg Carmen modified going to be enough for the space ?

You can get a reptile fogger, how do you calculate if it will provide enough humidity before buying it?

4. I have one normal computer fan placed in the middle of the back wall. Will this be sufficient?

5. The different requirements of the orchids like odontoglossums like it a bit cooler, but can i grow them all in the same case?

Any suggestions will help.

Thanks

another.one · #2 11-18-2010, 01:56 AM

I am interested in the answers you get! But cannot offer any of my own. However, I will give you a bump so that you have a better chance at getting answers.

CALLY · #3 11-18-2010, 02:08 AM

cool thanks,
whats a bump by the way??

Been checking out the terrarium section and getting some cool ideas, and might change a few ideas that I had.

Will post pics soon I hope of the finished product.

RosieC · #4 11-18-2010, 04:37 AM

A bump is a term used to refer to 'bumping' your post higher in the list of posts by posting on it again. This helps stop your post getting missed.

Some forums don't like 'bump' posts which don't have anything else to add to the thread and moderators get anoyed by them. Here were are happy with it happening sometimes and at times a moderator will even give you a bump to help you try and get answers.

So... here's another one

camille1585 · #5 11-18-2010, 04:54 AM

I don't have much experience with orchidariums/terrariums, but I think that normally a humidifier should not be necessary. In an orchidarium which doesn't have too many leaks, just the presence of the plants and normal watering (along with your humidity tray) should be enough to keep humidity quite high.

As for the lights, I don't know, I have never used LEDs before. Once thing I don't quite understand is that you say that there's an egg crate shelf halfway up? How are the plants below that shelf going to get enough light. Light intensity drops off quite fast as distance increases, so even without a shelf in the way you may have trouble getting enough light down to the bottom.

CALLY · #6 11-18-2010, 07:19 AM

I have a egg grate 20cm wide shelf half way up and was thinking of putting another light under that shelf....

you think that will still cut off too much light?
Also all sides of the tank will be glass so there will still be light coming in from the back.

bodaciousbonsai · #7 11-26-2010, 08:50 PM

this what you want to look for

katierkincaid · #8 11-27-2010, 01:27 AM

To control humidity I would recommend a misting system. You can get one with a warranty from mistking.com or you can build a cheap one on your own. I have this issue with humidity, and I would love nothing more than to buy one from Mist King but I cannot afford it right now, so I am rigging something up to help me with this issue.