Favorite Orchid Foliage

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

Those are very nice Kruger.

If you don’t mind. What is that mesh you have as the table top in the back ground? It looks like a perfect shelf/surface to use in my lath house.

Another possible shelf material - "egg crate" light diffuser (1/4 inch holes), comes in 4 ft x 2ft. sheets at Home Depot. Also can be easily "cut" into smaller sizes by breaking along a line with long-nosed pliers.

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by Roberta

Another possible shelf material - "egg crate" light diffuser (1/4 inch holes), comes in 4 ft x 2ft. sheets at Home Depot. Also can be easily "cut" into smaller sizes by breaking along a line with long-nosed pliers.

Nice one Roberta. That's along the exact same lines as what I use.

I use plastic drainage grates. The ones I buy are square, but there are different sizes. I just bought square ones as they fit into my particular plastic pot dishes nicely. They do have round shaped ones too.

The mini cells of the grate don't touch the bottom of the dish (due to their design), so water doesn't get trapped in any particular mini cell ---- which would otherwise happen if the bottom edges of any particular cell laid flush (flat) with the dish surface.

Drainage grate

Example

I only just use these as they're readily available in my region. Anything that does a similar job to these grates or crates will do.

I use a watering-wand (with spray nozzle) for watering, and my media is scoria - so the water doesn't gush out the bottom of the pots. Usually trickles out a little bit. So the dishes don't fill right up with water. The water is usually all evaporated by the next morning in my region.

Another example of these drainage grates in action :

Click here

[Roberta]

Here's what I did in my condo days, when the spare bedroom was my "greenhouse".. I put those sheets of egg-crate on top of storage bins that I got at "big box" store. http://orchidcentral.org/GrowingAreas/indoor.jpg
That provided lots of capacity for runoff water (which of course eventually evaporated, raising humidity a bit)

[DirtyCoconuts]

Kruger, Roberta and south park, thank you guys for the info

I have never seen those large plastic sheets at my Home Depot but I am going to investigate further as that look very promising!

I also like the hardware cloth idea and I can get that in a lot of size configurations (hole size) for aesthetics....my wife has to like it or nothing else matters lol

[Dollythehun]

I also like the hardware cloth idea and I can get that in a lot of size configurations (hole size) for aesthetics....my wife has to like it or nothing else matters lol[/QUOTE]

As well it should be...

[DirtyCoconuts]

/\

no doubt..
all things in balance and start with a happy home. it radiates out from there

[Clawhammer]

Sorry to add to the off topic diversion into drainage but I just picked up 3 of these Botanicare Rack Trays ($50 ea at a local hydro store) and they are great. I drilled drainage and plan to automate semi hydro watering when traveling by flooding the trays above the S/H drainage holes. In the meantime, watering manually just got a lot easier and less messy.

Robot Check

[Roberta]

We did go off-topic, but usefully so, I think... ideas sometimes don't neatly stack on one another. To put us back on the original track... Anoectochilus chapaensis not only has beautiful leaves, but the flowers are more attractive than those of many of the jewel orchid group.

[SouthPark]

Jewel orchid leaves are indeed very nice.

My favourite leaf and plant type is maybe ---- the catt-type. The combination of bulb and leaves of catt-type plants always got my attention - ever since the first time I saw catt-type orchids.

But then - just leaves of plants - any plant - are incredibly interesting!

[DirtyCoconuts]

I agree. Plants in general are amazing and fascinating and the more you can get in up close and be a part of it, the more magical it is.