Low Humidity Orchids? - Orchid Board

Monkey · #1 10-21-2012, 10:09 PM

Hello, I'm new to this and I was wondering if there were any orchids that do alright with low( <20%) humidity. I have a humifier and water tray setup but any more easy going orchids would be ideal.

Leafmite · #2 10-22-2012, 01:34 AM

Cattleya aclandiae, Brassavola nodosa, Brassavola Little Stars, Sophronitis cernua, and an encyclia do well for me bare root, on mounts and survived our drought (90'F -98'F, with very dry air) this summer without problem. They might be good candidates to try, based on my experience. Oncidium Sharry Baby is virtually indestructible so that might also be a great one to try. Good luck!

Monkey · #3 10-22-2012, 01:44 AM

Thank you, I've got a B. Little Stars so that makes me feel better. The only Oncidium I have is Ollie Palmer, any expectations on that?

Ray · #4 10-22-2012, 08:45 AM

Please note that those orchids are tolerant of the low humidity, not favor it. No epiphytic orchid prefers it that low.

Leafmite · #5 10-22-2012, 10:29 AM

Ray has a good point. Ohio summers are usually very humid and my house has an abundence of large, leafy plants that have soil that must always stay moist, creating very good humidity. These are the orchids that didn't have any trouble in adverse conditions, mounted and bare root. Now they are enjoying suitable conditions once more.
Some ideas that I have used in the past to create higher humidity conditions:
1) humidifier
2) wet towels (my kids have done this naturally, every swim season)
3) keep plants that need high humitity in overly large pots, with fast drying/draining medium so frequent watering is necessary...the evaporation provides humidity (I use this technique on many of my non-orchids that like high humidity).
4) group plants/orchids together
5) place the plants in bowls/aquarium so that the moist air from the gravel is placed closer to the leaves
6) place all of the plants in need of humidity (in their pots) in a plastic basket filled with cheap sphagnum moss to the tops of the pots and keep the moss moist.
7) set plants in large, clear plastic bags (I zip the bag shut for cuttings I am trying to root).
8) if all the orchids are on a table together, use a clear plastic drop cloth to make a mini greenhouse.
Good luck!

tucker85 · #6 10-22-2012, 11:04 AM

Many of my cattleyas seem to tolerate lower humidity pretty well. Laelia anceps and many of the encyclias also seem to be tolerant.

I actually have one specific orchid recommendation. Slc. Hsin Buu Lady 'YT' is a really nice hybrid with Laelia anceps in the background. It's a strong grower and a reliable bloomer and seems to prefer dry conditions.

cbuchman · #7 10-22-2012, 11:07 AM

I would think that those orchids that require a good dry out between watering might be OK. That would include some Catts, Encyclia, etc. Because of the low humidity, you will need to watch closely to establish your watering pattern.

naoki · #8 10-22-2012, 03:48 PM

Monkey, do you consider of using an enclosure? Our precipitation in interior alaska is probably similar to yours (it is practically desert here), so I can't grow orchids "well" without some methods of managing humidity. A grow tent is pretty cheap, and I can get 70-90% humidity. You can easily make one, but a pre-made one is pretty cheap.

Rupicolous Laelia is supposed to be tolerant of low humidity. I started to grow these, and they seem to grow easily, but I think that flowering them could be a challenge (mines are still too small).

Rowangreen · #9 10-22-2012, 04:43 PM

I'm new, and my house is pretty humid, so if someone knows better than me on this, great! But I as part of my job I visit a lot of houses, and a lot of commercial Phal hybrids seem to survive and grow in some pretty parched conditions. My Phal cornu-cervi seems a lot happier since it's been in a medium that gets parched between waterings too. I've heard other people say it likes it dry. Can't say if it likes it dry enough for you!

Monkey · #10 10-22-2012, 05:34 PM

Well, I have my orchids in a humid environment. I was simply asking because I'd like to be able to grow them around the house with little fuss.

My current setup has them above a reservoir of water on a plastic grid, and during the daytime hours there's an evaporative humidifier running as well. It's usually between 50-60% RH