Please critique my setup!

[Sommeil]

Hello all!

After a long sabbatical of growing orchids due to a big move, I decided to purchase a huge haul of orchids to replenish my collection. Now here I am with a cluster of various orchids at a single southeast-facing window and I'm super excited. I am fairly confident I have done enough research and have enough experience to at least keep my orchids alive, but I want to ask everybody here what I should change to make them thrive.



I put the sun-loving orchids (catasetum & vanda) right next to the window. I have the medium light-lovers (baellara & oncidium) 1 row behind, and finally my phal. in the back. I do have another little table I could utilize, but just haven't gotten around to it.



I use MSU fertilizer, Better-gro bloom booster, and Kelpmax.
Humidity ranges from 61-57%
Temp ranges from 79-73F (day & night respectively)

One area of concern are my vandas. I understand that they need tons of sun in order to bloom again. Even though they are right in front of a southeast-facing window, I fear that they might not have enough sun. The reason I say this is because the lip of the roof tends to block a lot of the mid-morning and afternoon sun.
Should I invest in a supplemental growth light?
I was thinking about using THESE lights if I had to.



What else would you experts change about my setup?

Please and Thank you!

[Swimmingorchids]

hi sommeil,
I like your setup. Means other people can enjoy your indoor garden too by the looks of it.
Tbh there isn't that much you can change without either making it look more like a lab or like an indoor disco.

The plants might benefit but since everyone on the street can see your setup I wouldn't make it stand out excessively.
Most of your plants should do fine as is - the only one I am a bit dubious about is the vanda but I haven't got much experience with vandas and don't know how hot your window gets.

As to the light you are getting - that gets a big fat no from me. That is decade old technology and completely outdated rubbish. The blurple lights work but you want something that is as good as sunlight, not just something "that just works" - not to mention the light they emit is horrible to look at.

If you are going to go for a supplemental growing light you want to get yourself a full spectrum white led grow light. Either cob or quantum board. Both pretty expensive and probably overkill for your situation which is why it is good that IKEA sell a pretty cheap (not quite as good) good alternative. Their vaxer grow light bulbs plug in to a regular light socket and come in 7 and 10 watts. Since your light was 60 watts, you could get 6 ikea lamps. But you will need 6 light fixtures to go with that which probably costs half as much as the bulbs ontop. They are good though and can be placed as close or as far away from different plants as desired which is a bonus and they emit a nice white light.

I mentioned not turning your space into a lab but the vanda might benefit from getting a little enclosure of its own. It likes high temps and high humidity so some kind of sideway placed aqaurium or see through display cabinet to keep heat and humidity in.

Ps: I only mention 6 ikea lights because that wuld be the equivalent of the light you were looking at but 6 is probably overkill for your setup - 3 would do imo and you can always get more later on

[Sommeil]

Originally Posted by Swimmingorchids

hi sommeil,
I like your setup. Means other people can enjoy your indoor garden too by the looks of it.
Tbh there isn't that much you can change without either making it look more like a lab or like an indoor disco.

The plants might benefit but since everyone on the street can see your setup I wouldn't make it stand out excessively.
Most of your plants should do fine as is - the only one I am a bit dubious about is the vanda but I haven't got much experience with vandas and don't know how hot your window gets.

As to the light you are getting - that gets a big fat no from me. That is decade old technology and completely outdated rubbish. The blurple lights work but you want something that is as good as sunlight, not just something "that just works" - not to mention the light they emit is horrible to look at.

If you are going to go for a supplemental growing light you want to get yourself a full spectrum white led grow light. Either cob or quantum board. Both pretty expensive and probably overkill for your situation which is why it is good that IKEA sell a pretty cheap (not quite as good) good alternative. Their vaxer grow light bulbs plug in to a regular light socket and come in 7 and 10 watts. Since your light was 60 watts, you could get 6 ikea lamps. But you will need 6 light fixtures to go with that which probably costs half as much as the bulbs ontop. They are good though and can be placed as close or as far away from different plants as desired which is a bonus and they emit a nice white light.

I mentioned not turning your space into a lab but the vanda might benefit from getting a little enclosure of its own. It likes high temps and high humidity so some kind of sideway placed aqaurium or see through display cabinet to keep heat and humidity in.

Ps: I only mention 6 ikea lights because that wuld be the equivalent of the light you were looking at but 6 is probably overkill for your setup - 3 would do imo and you can always get more later on

Thank you for the response! I'm glad you like the setup!
I like your idea about the IKEA lights. I'll look into them and maybe a standing lamp with multiple flexible fixtures.

Your idea of a vanda enclosure seems valid, but might prove to be difficult in my situation. I was hoping humidity wouldn't be an issue, but you're probably right.

Another idea I had for the vandas was to buy a mini greenhouse and put it on the porch (which is also facing southeast). And I can bring them in whenever they initiate a spike or during winter. But if I can get them to bloom without it,

[WaterWitchin]

Originally Posted by Sommeil

...
Another idea I had for the vandas was to buy a mini greenhouse and put it on the porch (which is also facing southeast). And I can bring them in whenever they initiate a spike or during winter. But if I can get them to bloom without it,

If you live in Athens, Georgia, why not just put the vanda on the porch under a shade cloth? Greenhouse isn't needed unless you want to extend its outdoor season. Plenty of humidity in your neck of the woods. Temps for strap leaves 60-70f nights, 95f+/- days, can drop below 55-60f for short periods of time. Were it me, after it blooms I'd get it outside.

[Sommeil]

Originally Posted by WaterWitchin

If you live in Athens, Georgia, why not just put the vanda on the porch under a shade cloth? Greenhouse isn't needed unless you want to extend its outdoor season. Plenty of humidity in your neck of the woods. Temps for strap leaves 60-70f nights, 95f+/- days, can drop below 55-60f for short periods of time. Were it me, after it blooms I'd get it outside.

You may have a point. I'll put one of my vandas out there behind a leggy potted hydrangea and see how she likes it.



*Sorry, idk why my pics are auto-rotating

[WaterWitchin]

Be careful putting it outside with sun on it after being inside! Especially if it's getting direct sunlight in hottest part of day. It needs to slowly accommodate itself to brighter light. Can't tell if it's too much from pictures, plus sun at different times of day.

[Sommeil]

Originally Posted by WaterWitchin

Be careful putting it outside with sun on it after being inside! Especially if it's getting direct sunlight in hottest part of day. It needs to slowly accommodate itself to brighter light. Can't tell if it's too much from pictures, plus sun at different times of day.

Thanks for the heads up. How would you recommend I acclimate the vanda?

[Swimmingorchids]

looks good. To acclimatise it to outside protect it with some fine netting or thin cloth. Something that will provide just a bit of shade but still let light through. After a week you can give it more sunshine and keep an eye out for reddening/purpling leaves and/or sunburn patches.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by Sommeil

Thanks for the heads up. How would you recommend I acclimate the vanda?

Thats simply a matter of transitioning it to brighter and brighter conditions over several days, rather than moving it all at once.

As far as supplemental LEDs are concerned, Cree 18 watt floodlights from Home Depot are an inexpensive way to go. The "warmer" ones tend to have more red and far red, and while they may not have the complete "full spectrum", they have enough in the PAR wavelengths for the plants.

I have found that by putting them in individual "clamp on" lamp holders, it's easy to get the exact quantity and distance from the plants to customize the lighting.

[Sommeil]

Well this whole week in GA has been cloudy with some sun and I have a shade cloth over my porch, so hopefully that will do. I'll keep an eye on them to make sure they're not burning up.