Indoor setup for Vandaceous and high light plants

[Mr.Fakename]

Thank you Camille, that's great to know.
I plan on visiting Utrecht next month, that would be awesome if they were to hold an event

Regarding rents, that's unfortunately very true...


Orchidtinkerer - If you ever find the article about that water cooled greenhouse, by all means please share it! I'm having a hard time imagining how it worked.

It indeed gets complicated with all those different heat sources, wattage etc.
I was thinking of putting a heating cable into the drainage layer of a terrarium and see how it goes.
Thankfully they're not crazy expensive so it's worth a try.


DC - They're in pots, big chunks of bark and charcoal, a few Sphagnum fibres.
I pierced holes in the pots, threaded fishing wire, and hung them to the curtain rod using fishing hooks. Ugly but effective!

Seeing all the beautiful plants y'all have in S/H, I'm heavily considering making the switch though.

The mortar tub idea is brilliant, I'll have to look into that

[jcec1]

I grow all my Vandas indoors, all in a south facing window, which is shaded by a large tree. They all bloom successfully without any supplemental lighting.

This is at 56 degrees North in a cool cloudy climate, about 1200 hours annual sunshine. You will have about 30% more sunshine than I have here.

[Mr.Fakename]

That's reassuring, your plants look super healthy. Thanks for doing the maths!

[Fran20]

[QUOTE=camille1585;935458]

The good news is, if you have south or south-west facing windows you can easily grow Vandaceous orchids indoors. Many people in the Netherlands and even the UK can successfully grow Vandas (often in vase culture).

I am interested in trying to grow Vandas in my southwestern window .Can you elaborate more about growing Vandas in vase culture or perhaps provide a link where I could find out more information?

[DirtyCoconuts]

Originally Posted by Mr.Fakename

Thank you Camille, that's great to know.
I plan on visiting Utrecht next month, that would be awesome if they were to hold an event

Regarding rents, that's unfortunately very true...


Orchidtinkerer - If you ever find the article about that water cooled greenhouse, by all means please share it! I'm having a hard time imagining how it worked.

It indeed gets complicated with all those different heat sources, wattage etc.
I was thinking of putting a heating cable into the drainage layer of a terrarium and see how it goes.
Thankfully they're not crazy expensive so it's worth a try.


DC - They're in pots, big chunks of bark and charcoal, a few Sphagnum fibres.
I pierced holes in the pots, threaded fishing wire, and hung them to the curtain rod using fishing hooks. Ugly but effective!

Seeing all the beautiful plants y'all have in S/H, I'm heavily considering making the switch though.

The mortar tub idea is brilliant, I'll have to look into that

if they are hanging already this will be easier as you only need to make a bar with supports as opposed to a shelf wherever you put them.

what i would do is make a rough plan in my head (or sketch) of the grow space option but expect to start off in the window scenario bc it is MUCH less work. if they are not thriving or you don't like the look of those conditions then make a plastic tent with a nice LED and a big tub and VIOLA, instant tropics in a tent!

if you do make a frame out of PVC, only glue one side of each connector so it will still be stable but it can also be dis-assembled.

[Mr.Fakename]

I appreciate your ideas and enthusiasm, but for now it's complicated to plan a final design!

For now I'm hoping to fit a selection of orchids into my terrarium (hoping that Phal gigantea will make itself small) and find a decent way of keeping the Vanda happy in their new conditions.
(There won't be enough space for everything so if someone wants a division before I get rid of stuff, feel free to ask.)

A tub/PVC frame as a mini indoor greenhouse will definitely be worth it when they get bigger, great suggestion DC

[DirtyCoconuts]

Good luck!

[Mr.Fakename]

Amazon just delivered the Sansi C21GL-DE26 Full Spectrum I ordered.
(C21GL-DE26 Full Spectrum Residential grow light| Sansi)

Gotta finish the electrical work, put a false bottom and tweak the placement; but so far it looks promising for a really affordable price!

I'll have to follow up on that light in a a bit more than a month, let's see how the Vanda like it in the meantime.

[DirtyCoconuts]

That looks like a sweet little spot to be!!

[Rhonda Svoboda]

I love your LED setup!! That picture is so cool. Its amazing that you had the talent to make that setup. I've never attemped to grow vanda's because they intimitate me. I've always thought one needed a greenhouse. I've love to learn me about the vanda's you specialize in.
How long have you been growing them? Are they really difficult?