Fan for phals

[Emerald27]

Hey everyone.

I have 4 phals, and was using the skewer method to determine when they were needing watering. The skewers started to develop little bits of fuzziness, what looked like mold.

In a different thread I asked about this problem, and it was suggested that my plants weren't getting enough air circulation during the winter months. I bought a mini desk fan and a timer, but I'm unsure of how frequently I should set the timer to turn on the fan, and how long to keep it on for each time.

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

[Kailyn]

i let mine go pretty much 24/7 it blows over my entire grow space.

[naoki]

If you are trying to control how quickly media dry, you probably need to experiment by yourself. If you have a few plants, it is not time consuming to water them. So it is easier to run it 24h and make it dry quicker (the cost is more frequent watering). I run the fans 24h a day, and adjust the drying time by the strength of the wind (and number of fans).

The other function of air movement is to help gas exchange of the plants. For this purpose, night air movement (and air humidity) is more important for CAM plants like Phals than during the day time.

[james mickelso]

24/7 here. Your plants will like you for it.

[NYCorchidman]

You only have 4 plants. You don't need a fan.
I have over 100 plants and the only time I use a fan is during the hottest summer to keep the temperature down as much as I can.

People do not realize air is always moving around and they don't need "strong wind" going around to better the plant growths.

Places like large commercial greenhouse definitely need excellent air circulation system because they have so many plants jammed in and water and mist are poured on to plants often on a daily basis. and there is a risk of disease outbreak, temperature control,,,for these reasons, they must run machine that will circulate the growing area.

The mold will grow because the skewer stays stuck inside the mix where it is dark and moist.
Any more air movement will not affect it and while it might be unsightly, it is not pathogenic type apparently it is growing on dead piece of wood. It is just doing its job, decomposing dead material.

[james mickelso]

I have found that my orchids really did grow better when I hung a large fan up in my small (10x10) GH about 10 years ago. In our homes there is little real air circulation and lots of stratification. In BC it is usually cool (cold) and humid. Low light and with the still air in the room the orchids need something to help transpire the moisture we give them. My 2 cents.

[MattWoelfsen]

Originally Posted by james mickelso

I have found that my orchids really did grow better when I hung a large fan up in my small (10x10) GH about 10 years ago. In our homes there is little real air circulation and lots of stratification. In BC it is usually cool (cold) and humid. Low light and with the still air in the room the orchids need something to help transpire the moisture we give them. My 2 cents.

I agree, James. Fans have kept my plants healthy, properly ventilated and heated. I grow orchids in my house. Side benefit of these fans? I'm comfortable too!

[Kailyn]

I only have a few orchids but all my plants seem happier this year then they did last before I had a fan. Side benefit is it discourages bugs (way less of a fungus gnat problem this year my theory is they don't like the "wind")