Totally new struggling with first orchidarium

[Caroline55]

Hi,
I am totally new and love orchids half of my life. I have bought different types of orchids and made my own orchidarium for the first time. I have placed all types of orchids in the same tank.
I bought a reptile tank 47x25x30 inches in size. Since it was a tank for reptile, there is a ventilation holes on the top of the tank about 5 inches wide and length is same the length of the tank. There is also another ventilation hole lower front of the tank approx. 3 inches wide. I have covered 3/4 of the vent hole on the top of the tank and leave some place for air circulation but I closed the holes in the lower front of the tank to maintain the humidity.
I got a single florescent tube (37 inch long) together with the tank and another 20 inches long yellow color light. I am not sure if it is enough. I have the light on the whole day and turn off in the night. I am not sure if the light is enough.
I have one computer fan upright hanging in the middle of the tank; running 24 hrs.
I have mist maker and use it every other day to get 100% humidity. Otherwise, the humidity is about 70-80%
The temperature during the day time is about 77F and 74F in the night. I don't have heat regulator so, I put ice cube in the tank during the night. If the temperature during the day is too low, I can get hold of a small heater in the tank.
I have about 3 inches hight water in the tank (the plants are not touching the water). I have the tank around 1 year already. The plants looks fine but no spikes.
I feed them once a month (I used to dip them in the bucket). I am doing it right?
I don't have any water fountain.
I use spray bottle to mist them every morning (Just once a day). Please help me!

[Ross]

Welcome!

Normally, the main reason to place orchids in a container like yours is to increase the humidity. From what I can tell in the photos, those species don't really need high humidity. The levels you cite are fine, but not really necessary. It sounds like your setup should be fine just the way it is. Lack of blooming is often due to not enough light (bright enough) or lack of rest for those needing a rest period (not all orchids need a rest.)

[Caroline55]

Hi Ross,

Thanks for your reply. I am really desperate with my orchids. I used to buy very expensive orchids with spikes and they normally don't survive. I live in south part of Sweden. The outdoor weather is not that great. So, I have them inside the apartment for quite long time. A year ago, I bought a tank and started reading little bit in the internet but different website mention different things and I don't know what to do anymore. I will try to get more lights for the tank. There is not much bright light in Sweden, no light in winter at all. I have one dendrobium, the new shoots always come out and they always dry out. What might be the problem? I will post with the picture tomorrow.

regards,
Caroline

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

The problem may be about plant selection as well as an insufficient understanding of the growing conditions that are acceptable to them.

Just because a plant is spiking or has flowers doesn't guarantee that it is healthy. A better indicator of orchid health in my opinion is how the root system is and how the plant itself looks. I'll admit, I used to be enamored with the beauty of the flowers themselves rather than with the plant, when selecting for orchids. I quickly learned to resist the natural urge to be attracted to the beauty of the flowers and turn to look at the more mundane looking plant, leaves, and roots during the selection process. Sight is not the only criteria one should base plant selection on. Touch is too. Feel for the firmness of the leaves of the orchid. How much damage did the plant sustain before you bought it. The less damage on the plant, the less stress it was put under.

Now about culture...

A word about humidity...it is entirely possible to go overboard with humidity for certain groups of orchids so be careful. For the most part, it is not necessary to maintain your orchids under 90% - 100% humidity. It is entirely fine for many to be grown in 60% - 70% humidity. Only orchids within the genus Lepanthes, Lepanthopsis, and Telipogon (a group of Pleurothallids that are difficult to grow) require constant high humidity in the 70% - 100% range to do well. Certain species of Dichaeas will do poorly under low humidity as well.

Here's something very few people fail to realize about their orchids when they buy them from the store. The only reason why you're able to see some of the orchids you see for sale year round that are in bloom year round is because the commercial growers have induced them to bloom artificially because they figured out what triggers the orchid's bloom cycle. However, certain orchids will always be in bloom if it is grown correctly without any need to artificially induce them to do so (eg Pleurothallis, Acronia, Scaphosepalum).

Although for the hobbyist it is much better for people to practice good growing habits than to resort to taxing the plant out by artificially forcing the plant to keep blooming. One way to make sure the plant blooms during their repsective seasons, is to provide adequate light. To make sure they get enough light, the color of the leaves should usually be light green (there are exceptions to this).

Maybe this will help out to some degree.

[Caroline55]

Hi, thanks for the post. I understand what you mean. Most of the time I expect the orchids to bloom (to do their job) becasue I do my job ;-)
There is one orchid that blooms every year and other orchids have not bloomed for many years. The leaves looks good; so must the roots. I have not been spening much time for it too. May be it just take time to learn.

regards,
Caroline

[dravenxavier]

I'm going to suggest that your lighting needs to be upgraded a bit. A single normal fluorescent tube, especially in a tank as tall as yours, probably isn't going to get the job done. That being said, I don't know what ambient light in the room is reaching it, either. I'd suggest looking into a couple PC Fluorescents, or T-5's. Or, since it's been mentioned that your particular plants probably don't require terrarium culture, you can always try them on a windowsill. But to be honest, your species aren't ones I've had experience with.

[Lene Th.]

Hi, and welcome, Caroline!

Im from Norway, so i suspect our growing conditions are pretty simulare.
I have several chids; Phals, Oncidiums, Cambrias, Dends, Phaps, Cymb. and a Vanda.

The only ones that needs extra humidity here, is the Vanda and some mounted Phals. I grow those in my terrarium, and they seems happy to share it with my slider

The winters here are dark, and the chids needs all the light they can get during winter-time.
Mine (exept the mounted ones and the Vanda) are all placed in the windowsill during winter, the window facing south. Placed together to encrease humidity, as well as trying to get enough space...
My windows are large, so the chids gets light/some sun from early morning to the evening when the sun sets.
I remove some of the less light-needy chids away from the window during spring-time, when the sun is getting stronger, to prevent any burning.

I grow most of mine in S/H, and they seems to love this, the phals are spiking several times every year, even when i cut the spike all off after blooming.
I also fertilize with every watering, but only weakly.

My Dend. is also in S/H, and this one gets to stay in the window even during spring/ early summer, together with my Cymb. Cambrias and Oncidiums. I remove them outside when the temps alow this.

By now, my Dend has five new bulbes, but two of them seems to loose some leafs... Why i dont really know?
But it is also spiking at the time, and the other bulbes looks fine.

I hope this can be of any help, concidering we are growing in very simulare conditions, weather-like that is!.