Please help me make an awesome setup!

[mkoss]

I have about 8 orchids and I'm unable to make them thrive during the winter. I would love some input from the pro's! I'm in NE Wisconsin and have a room that I believe was built for orchids. It's in the NE corner of the house. It has a heat vent, but that room gets freezing in the winter. I'd like to convert and old entry/living room planter into an awesome set up. There's an outlet in the ceiling and I'm willing to invest some money into this project. I have an electrician friend who can do whatever I need. I really like the purple LEDS. I am certain they will need light. I have very few windows to use in the rest of the house and they are professionally tinted, so I think they filter the light coming in. I cannot put anything in the planter because of my little ones. I was imagining I could build a few shelves or even hang the plants on the vertical slats. Could a few of you kindly give me a few suggestions?

[estación seca]

This probably is a much more involved project than you're imagining.

I escaped Wisconsin.
I have lived in Milwaukee. Your climate is even worse. Northeastern Wisconsin means close to huge bodies of very cold water and lots of wind. I have grown cactus and succulents through the winter in the basement under artificial lights in St Louis, which has much warmer winters than yours.

I suspect doing the entire orchid room right would not cost a lot more than building an enclosure by the front door and doing it right. Consider getting estimates for both projects, and think about it.

Both the orchid room and the front entry planter would need complete artificial lighting, a separate heat source and backup heat source, fans for air circulation, and humidification. Do you have a water supply near either location? You will quickly become tired of carrying water.

To redo the orchid room you would need to put foam insulation slabs over all the walls and ceiling. If you have a basement, you would need to put insulation between the joists below the room. Then you would need to put something over the insulation slabs inside the room, so it looks good.

Next you would need to replace the windows with the highest R value windows you could find. Another option would be to seal the windows in the winter with foam insulation slabs that just fit inside the window frames.

You would need a new electrical circuit just for the orchid room, to supply the heating system, lights and humidifier.

You would also need a backup heating system for when your electricity goes out during ice storms. This might be a kerosene heater, vented to the outside. The vent would need to be closed tightly when not in use.

Your basement would be a better place than the upstairs room. It isn't as cold in the winter. You will have to provide artificial light and heat anyway. It would be easier to build something in the basement.

The entry planter will work. Your are talking about building a large Wardian case with supplemental lights, heating and humidity.

You will need to have your electrician install a separate electrical circuit for just the planter. A single outlet, on an existing circuit that probably has other sockets, will almost certainly not be enough for lights, a heater and a humidifier. You will need multiple lights, one or two heavy-duty timers, a heater, a backup heater and a humidifier. A single outlet on an existing electrical circuit breaker will almost certainly not accommodate all this demand. In my 55 year old house, I can only put 6 double-tube 4' flourescent shop lights on any one circuit, or one portable space heater.

Build a cabinet above the planter for all the electrical equipment, light enclosures, heater and humidifier. Water flows downhill. This stuff could even go into the attic or the crawl space above the ceiling. This would probably make electrical install easier, as well. It has to be easily accessible for maintenance.

How are you going to water your plants? You will quickly tire of removing them and taking them to the kitchen sink or bathtub. You can water inside the case. Build a waterproof floor and contiguous walls. No matter how careful you think you are, there will definitely be lots of water on the floor, and often. Even if you never spill a drop, water will condense when the temperature inside drops, and flow downwards. You don't want to rot through to the flooring and supports.

Have a floor drain to the outside of the planter, so you can drain any accumulated water without having to scoop it out with a bucket or cup. Build the floor well above the room floor. You don't want to be bending way over anyway, and you need the drain high enough to get a bucket under it to drain water off the floor.

I would enclose the planter with high-R value vinyl outdoor windows and frames. This would probably mean double or triple pane windows. They come in standard sizes. You can probably assemble something that looks decent with pre-built windows, much cheaper than custom-built. Vinyl will resist decay in the high-humidity orchid area. Make the entry area as large as possible so it is as easy as possible to reach in as you, ummm, age and become less spry. I would think a front panel of two vertical windows that slide sideways would provide the best access. You will have to clean the windows inside and out, so you have to be able to get inside easily to all windows.

Decide whether you want multiple shelves or a large open area. If multiple shelves, you would need lighting under each shelf. If one large area, you will have trouble getting artificial light to the floor adequate to grow a lot of plants. I know people with indoor enclosures who have very bright lights not only from above, but also from both sides of the enclosure.

I would go with the most recent technology: very bright outdoor LED lights. They will handle high humidity, and getting sprayed with water accidentally.

A small space heater will probably be adequate for such a small space. You need to have a backup plan for when electricity fails for extended periods in the winter.

A water reservoir inside, plus all the plants, will maintain high humidity if the case is well-sealed. Additionally, it will serve as a heat reservoir, keeping the temperature more steady.

That's all that comes to mind right now. I personally would rather have an orchid room or an orchid basement.