Humidity - Orchid Board

AmandaR83 · #1 05-07-2013, 06:56 PM

I know many, if not all, orchids come from areas with higher humidity than, say, Southeastern Pennsylvania. Because of this, and the fact that at least one shower is taken a day in our home, would it be an idea to put the orchids we have(two phals) in the bathroom for the humidity those showers create?

butterfly_muse · #2 05-07-2013, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AmandaR83

I know many, if not all, orchids come from areas with higher humidity than, say, Southeastern Pennsylvania. Because of this, and the fact that at least one shower is taken a day in our home, would it be an idea to put the orchids we have(two phals) in the bathroom for the humidity those showers create?

I have seen it suggested, and if your bathroom offers the appropriate light and temperature for your phals, I'd say go for it.

I was actually *JUST* researching humidity for my own collection, haha! I will be moving at the end of this month and was looking into hanging baskets for the phals I will probably put in the bathroom (our windows have narrow sills and will be spread between several rooms). So, I don't see why not.

If you can't, a lot of people get little vaporizers or humidifiers for the plants, and I currently don't have room for one, but I mist my plants several times a day.

King_of_orchid_growing:) · #3 05-07-2013, 10:52 PM

Phals in a bathroom is not unheard of, and I myself currently grow one species in there.

Light and temperature levels do have to be appropriate.

However, I want to point out that not all orchids come from humid environments. When you're talking about one of the largest families of flowering plants spread all throughout the globe, with Antarctica being the only continent in the world where no orchids exist, it might be better to not over-generalize and use all inclusive terms too much, just sayin'.

In terms of Phals, yes, in general, many of them do grow in fairly humid environments. Some grow in habitats that are more humid than others.

If you want an example of a few genera of orchids that do not come from very humid environments, then you might want to check out orchids such as Anacamptis, Caladenia, Cephalanthera, Leptoceras, Disa, Diuris, Satyrium, and Thelymitra, just to name a few.

jeremyinsf · #4 05-07-2013, 11:50 PM

I have about 20 orchids in my bathroom, mostly small Paphs. There is usually at least one Phal in there as well. My plants love it in there...

But from what I've been told, they love it most for the bright frosted window I have (though plants can burn if too close on a hot day) and that at times they do NOT like it if it's cold in the room and then all of a sudden someone takes a very hot, steamy shower where there is a very quick change to the environment. In that sense, the flash of humidity isn't worth it just for that reason alone.

I've also found that in other areas of the house I can get good humidity by placing other large general houseplants around where I want to grow orchids, and this helps quite a bit.

Dendy83 · #5 05-08-2013, 01:24 AM

I'm still new to orchid growing, but I do think that King is right. I live in Colorado where it's very dry and look at me I've got new growth on a failing dendrobium. So it's very possible to have orchids in a dry environment. It's important to learn to recognize when your orchids needs water...either through misting or a nice lukewarm bath.

Jeremy's right too...if your bathroom gets cold and then suddenly gets warm because of a warm shower that kind of fluctuation is something a phal won't tolerate. It might be interesting to get some kind of a digital thermometer that you can leave in the bathroom so you can see the high's and low's of temperature during the day, night, and during a shower.

jeremyinsf · #6 05-08-2013, 01:32 AM

Yes, I have one of those... and it does humidity too! It was $9 on Amazon. "Acu Rite Indoor Humidity Monitor".

RosieC · #7 05-08-2013, 06:57 AM

I keep my mounted orchids in the bathroom during the winter, mainly because of the tiled windowledge where it doesn't matter if they drip after watering, but it also means they get higher humidity.

Discus · #8 05-08-2013, 07:46 AM

My orchids have been subjected to just over a year of ambient humidity here now, and some of them didn't like it. Prior to that, I had humidifiers keeping things in the 60-80% range but they broke (and the walls started growing mould). Most didn't mind, but some of the mounts and the cooler growing ones looked a little more sad that in previous years.

I'm considering getting another humidifier and setting the humidistat to kick in at under 60% rather than under 80%!

NYCorchidman · #9 05-09-2013, 12:04 AM

Amanda, I live in NYC and we probably have about the same humidity in the area. not too bad being close to the ocean.

I grow lots of phal hybrid in a city apartment and the humidity indoor can be even lower.
Humidity was one thing I was very concerned about when first starting to grow orchids.

Well, years later, all I can say is that you have nothing to worry about.

Orchids will grow and flower just fine, although not to its full potential, but pretty darn good as long as you give proper light and water.
My phals, for example, bought in bloom with about 12-15 flowers, still burst out with 10-12 flowers under my care. not that bad at all, isn't it??

Many of these hybrids are bred for easier growing for home growers I read any ways.

Oh, and I don't run anythign extra like humidity.
Also, having plants in bathroom doesn't really help either. The mist from shower quickly evaporate into the air. unless you shower good majority of the day. lol