QUESTIONS FOR SETTING UP OCHIDARIUM??

[CALLY]

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

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Perhaps scrolling down the OB and posting in the terrarium growing forum would get you more answers.

I don't recommend growing Vandas in an orchidarium, btw.

[CALLY]

ahah...

thanks, new to the site so didn't see the terrarium section.

[CALLY]

Phillip,
May I ask why you can't grow Vanda's in an orchidarium?

I thought they needed high light and high humidity and i'm finding it difficult to control the climate outside of a growing/tank/orchidarium...

Thanks

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I don't recommend growing Vandas in an orchidarium or wardian case for several reasons.

1. Most Vandas get incredibly large over time. Even a moderately young and medium sized Vanda is too big for a small or medium sized orchidarium or Wardian case. They'd need something in the order of a greenhouse eventually.

2. Problems with air circulation. Which was addressed to some degree in your other thread in the terrarium growing forum.

3. Lighting. While artificial lighting can be very accommodating, it's expensive.

Either the initial cost of the lighting system is costly or the electricity bills can be costly. Perhaps in some instances depending on the situation, both may be the case.

[CALLY]

Thanks Philip, good to know...

Hopefully we'll be moving to our very own house in a few months and I can set up a green house for my Van.
but I think I will put it in the orchidarium just for the winter because it gets cold here even in the house...measured 5 deg C last winter...

so not an ideal situation but a very short term one hopefully..

Thanks