My Ghost Orchid Project
 

Edit 4/11/2019
Of course, 2 weeks into this process, I stumble upon UoF's research paper on their propagation and cultural techniques. If you're serious about trying to grow this orchid, you owe it to yourself to read their research paper.

You can find a copy of it HERE.

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I'm finally taking the plunge and going all in on this 3rd and probably final attempt. I'd actually attempted this twice before and both times ended in failure but for different reasons.

Attempt #1 never made it out of the flask, as mold took the entire collection before I could finish building v1 of the ghost orchid enclosure.

Attempt #2 - I managed to keep them alive for about 5 months, when the habitat was over run by spider mites that hitch hiked in on a taeniophyllum obtusum and killed everything in the tank. (though to be fair, in trying to kill the mites, I miiiiight have done a few things I shouldn't have that probably didn't help the seedlings either)

Attempt #3 - I took a loooooong break to read up as much as I possibly could specifically on the ghost orchid, and the science behind orchids in general and have made quite a few equipment investments that addressed some glaring issues in my current routine. I drew up some designs and have about 10-12 individual sub systems that I need to build in order to make this work the way I think it needs to work.

So with that said, I'm building a semi automated enclosure for a newly acquired collection of flasked ghost orchid seedlings obtained from SpringWater Orchids in Florida (they're on ebay if you're interested).

Here's what I have worked out so far:

For humidity and heat, I picked up an Inkbird humidity and heat controller . I'll be plugging in a small humidifier that I will hook up to a distribution bulkhead inside the tank. This will help me keep the internal humidity at or nearly 85% perpetually.

I also purchased a 110v 500w PTC heating element that I'll be encasing in a small block of concrete to create something like a mini mass heater for those cold winter months when the orchid room goes down to 65. This should be a little more efficient than just using those ceramic heating elements that you see in reptile habitats.

For air handling, I'll have internal fans circulating air but I also have a plan to install a UV sterilizer either inside the tank, or inline with the air system. I haven't worked out the specifics for that yet, but that should help with keeping pathogens inside the tank to a minimum. Mold is going to be an issue, and while I'm happy to shoot everything with Physan, I'd just as soon avoid it.

For watering, I'm building a custom setup based on a 125psi water pump and misting nozzles (basically a mist king but for only $25 worth of parts).

For lights, I haven't settled on the exact configuration yet, but I'll end up somewhere in the 30W-50W range utilizing full spectrum COBs. The 50W module I have now puts out about 6,000 FC at 24" at 40v, but it also hits about 200F in 18 seconds, so that's not exactly safe to use right now. I'm waiting on a variable led power supply/driver along with some aluminum heatsinks that I'll tinker with to see what I can do to get the right output at a reasonable height. If these turn out to be too powerful, I can fabricate a lower power setup using either a collection of 3W-5W cobs or just 3 10W cobs. So this part's TBA.

For building the tank - this whole project is just for 1 plant :D so I'm not overdoing the size of the tank. I'm starting with a 20 gallon tank, and if I build the environmental systems right, I can lift and shift the components to a larger tank if we ever get to that.

For mounting - I'm not doing anything fancy, no coir foam backgrounds or anything like that...this is a purpose built tank for 1 goal in mind. I will be using some hickory bark that I acquired a few years back, but I have enough seedlings that I'll be able to experiment with a few different mounting options.

For feeding, I'll be using a custom mix of different recipes I've found, but the plan is to try MSU for a while, and maybe this special mix that contains nutrient supplements...but for right now I'm going to try to keep it to 150ppm per feeding and then gauge how the seedlings respond.

The last big thing I'm doing with the tank, and this is just more for the cool factor, is that I'm going to be injecting CO2 directly into the tank. I think the aim for now will be to maintain internal co2 levels of around 2,000-3,000ppm. I want to do everything I can to supercharge the growing environment at least while they're getting established. At least from the journals I've read, that should increase their growth rate by 20-30%. Worst comes to worst, I ditch the CO2 and build a kegerator instead, so win-win...

Anyway - the equipment is still arriving in dribs and drabs. The seedlings arrived today, so the pressure's on to get something in place and soon.

My project for today was to install a smaller RO system inside the grow room that's going to be hooked up to a 5 gallon pail with a float valve. I also hacked a 5v portable shower head to act as a powered watering can, so that should be fun.

I'll be taking pictures along the way, I just wanted to get my thoughts down now while they were still fresh in my head. Oh and if it wasn't clear before, I'm not sure if any of this is even going to work, and while I'm sure there are a lot of gaps in my knowledge, I'm equally sure that you fine folks will help me fill in the missing details as we go through this adventure together :)

More to come soon.

"Flask" of Ghost Orchid seedlings from springwater orchids.
http://www.orchidboard.com/community...1&d=1553438381

quick shot of one of our phals in bloom currently
http://www.orchidboard.com/community...1&d=1553438381

One thing you may be doing wrong is the air movement.

Dendophylax lindenii grows where it is hot, humid, and dead still. I have not tried to grow one of those, but the other leafless orchids I have grown did well in the same environment.

I may not know much, but I can say that Ray is correct. I have walked the Fakahatchee Strand, and when you get out to where the ghost orchids would be growing, there is no air movement. Humid and stagnant. It is beautiful but miserable (for a human).

First off - so very honored to have you chiming in on the thread. I've read every article on your website and your insights have fixed a lot of mistakes I've made over the years, so thank you for your contributions to the community.

The air flow I mentioned - and I may not explain this well, isn't the same type of airflow that you might see inside a grow room with a box fan blowing over the orchids. It's more of an air exchanger that I'll be running through some sort of a purification system, similar to the way a convection system would work. So it won't be blowing over the orchids per se, but there will be some air movement. My sense is, anything I can do to kill pathogens in the chamber is a good thing, and I'm willing to risk a little air movement to make that happen.

My earlier failures included some 100% stagnant conditions and in every case, I couldn't keep the mold at bay without some form of air handling.

And as I mentioned earlier, I'm not sure if this is 100% necessary at this stage, but I want to give it a shot just to see if it addresses the mold issues I've experienced in the past.

I just got the RO system installed and the buckets are filling up nicely. I'll probably start working on the tank later tonight along with the humidification system...nothing too crazy, just some pvc pipe with holes drilled in the tubing. Paired with the Humidistat, that will give me my perpetual 85% humidity.

Pictured in the attachment is a 50GPD AquaticLife Ro Buddy with the Ion cartridge. That's hooked into a 5 gallon Home Depot bucket with the optional float valve kit also available from AquaticLife. That's all hooked into a T valve spliced in line to the toilet water pipe (sink pipe was all kinds of pain to splice so I opted for the easier installation since I suck at plumbing.

The last thing in that photo is a lithium powered water shower head. That will allow me to pump water directly from the RO reservoir while I'm watering my orchids. I'll be able to mix up batches of fertilized reservoirs and water the orchids in place in their trays. That should save me quite some time from the madness of moving orchids to the sink and back.

I have soaked groupings of orchids deep tubs before, I but I recently lost a couple of oncidiums and miltoniopsis to fusarium, so I'm a little gunshy about having them take shared soaks hence the madness with the battery powered shower head :)

More to come soon.

I'm jealous that you've had that opportunity...some day I may have the resources to take that walk myself. Thanks for the note about the air quality.

A lot of this is going to be an experiment so I'll have plenty of time to test different tank configurations. I actually still have the original v1 tank, so what I may do is separate a few of the babies off in to that one and monitor its progress under stagnant air conditions.

Lexan top is cut. Humidifier dispersion tube is installed. Corrugated bilge pump tubing picked from home depot and is used to connect the humidifier to the tank. It only took 30’seconds to bring it up to 80% humidity so we’re looking at a pretty efficient duty cycle.

The humidistat is due in Tuesday so that will be the next big check in point. In the meantime I have to clean and sterilize the tank then start working on my LED lights.

Since we live in SoFlo, we go to Fakahatchee a couple of times a year. It really is beautiful. I've not seen the ghost orchid out there, but my hubby has. The group his was with was on a tour with the park biologist, and they were really protective of the location and gps and stuff, so he has not been able to take me out it.

There are lots if other awesome orchids and stuff out there though. I highly recommend it if you can swing it.

Try some Concentric Ag Garden Solution - the beneficial microbes are excellent at pathogen control, and will give you better ex-flask survival rate besides.

Didn't know this was even a thing - I'll definitely give it a shot. What's the typical dosing interval, once a month, as needed, every watering?

3 tablespoons/gallon, once a month. I just add it to my normal water/fertilizer solution. A periodic spritz from a hand-held sprayer with double that concentration if you see a developing issue. (I recently cured a Phal. parishii of a beginning infection that way.)

Inkbird Humidistat arrived early and I worked on getting the sensors and equipment plugged in. Everything worked on the first shot. Only took a few seconds for the tank to hit 90% and it stayed there for about 6 hours.
https://www.orchidboard.com/communit...1&d=1553560676

Shot of the top where the corrugated hose mates into the PVC distribution channel. I also installed some grommets to feed the temperature and humidity sensor leads through. Oh and yes I know that the protective sheet is still on the lexan panel. I don't have all the holes mapped out and have changed my mind a few times, so once I have the last hole drilled and everything installed, I'll pull the wrap off then ;D
https://www.orchidboard.com/communit...1&d=1553560676

This shot is the v1 tank that I built that has an arduino nano controller plugged into a breadboard and a collection of mosfets. This board controlled, heat, light, a little cup sized humidifier, and 2 10cm computer fans. I bloomed my Taineophyllum Obtussum in that tank before the spider mites killed everything in it. I couldn't proceed further with that build because my water was so hard, it fouled up the ultrasonic transducer in the humidifier and rather than buy a new one and repopulate the tank, I took a break. Now that I have an RO filter, I might revisit that build.
https://www.orchidboard.com/communit...1&d=1553560676

This last photo is the 130PSI pump I bought from banggood for $11 hooked into 3/8 tubing, a series of reducers and a 1/4 pushfit connector that hooks into a misting manifold I slapped together from some rainbird irrigation kits I had left over from the summer. I was afraid I'd blow up the manifold at 130psi, so I attached the whole assembly to a variable voltage regulator so I could test lower voltages before going full power. Everything held at 12v, but this WAY overpowered for a tank. I may repurpose this for a larger misting area, but it's too big for the tank as it is. Before I install it though, I need to pick up a 1/4" diamond hole saw so I can grind a drain hole into the base of the tank, so that part's on hold until I make my 10th trip this week to Home Depot tomorrow :D
https://www.orchidboard.com/communit...1&d=1553560676

I did hit one stumbling block that I'm not sure how I'm going to address in the near term. The temps in the orchid room can drop to about 65/70 degrees, and for optimal growth, I want to maintain a temperature of about 85 degrees. The PTC heating element I bought is not really the right tool for heating this tank, and I'm going back and forth between adding in some sort of an air handling bypass that I can hook the UV sterilizer inline to in addition to some sort of resistive heating element paired with a fan (preferably one that I won't be concerned will burn down my house).

I ordered a 100W COB full spectrum light from Amazon that I'll use for the time being until I can fabricate a less "blurple" hue. I get that plants primarily use the red and blue spectrums, but I don't want to stare at a blurple plant for the next 5 years.

So made a lot of progress today. If I can figure a way to heat the tank's interior safely this week, I may attempt to deflask the ghost orchids and get them mounted on the hickory bark slabs I'd bought for the occasion :D

More to come soon!

Tank Heating: Either a seedling heat mat, inside the tank under the medium, or a reptile heating pad that's glued to the outside of the bottom of the tank.

I don't know if you've caught these posts before, but there are old posts about a former member here who went on excursions to the Fakahatchee and have regularly found Ghosts. You should be able to find them using the search engine.

Here's an example of one of the older posts:

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...t=Ghost+Orchid

I would also add to mind the wet and "dry" seasons. They seem to be more sensitive to being overwatered during the "dry" season. By "dry" I mean they don't get watered as often, but they still get watered. It's not truly dry. Versus wet is when they get watered more regularly.

They also don't like it perpetually wet. Humid is one thing, but if they are staying too wet for way too long, they will die from rot. This goes for all the "leafless" orchids. They must dry out completely between waterings. They must also dry out in less than 1 day. The way they retain their moisture and don't get dehydrated is because of the high humidity.

BTW, if you've never been to FL at all, just know that even at a place like the Miami Airport, just going outside for the first time and even during the winter months, you'll be surprised by how warm and very humid it is down there. I still remember to this day what it was like to walk out of the Miami Airport having come from Los Angeles during late winter/early spring. It felt like I walked into an oven set to preheat that was just turned on. You can also feel the humidity - it is noticeable for someone coming from a place as relatively less humid like Los Angeles.

I tried a reptile heating pad and in a 62 degree basement, the pad was only capable of raising the internal ambient temperature by 2 degrees. I think the way they work is they create a heated substrate area, but I need something that can raise the ambient temperature inside a tank that big and quickly.

I think the seedling mats work the same way, they warm the substrate but not necessarily the ambient temperatures. The orchids will be suspended so I'll need something to heat the air inside the tank.

I'm leaning towards a ceramic heater sealed by some water and heat proof rtv silicone.

---------- Post added at 10:11 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:09 AM ----------

Thanks for this info - this matches my experience. Your comment was timely because just last night I was trying to work in a drying cycle into the overall environmental parameters.

Couple of quick updates.

I cracked the bottom of the tank while attempting to drill the hole for the drain pipe. My fault completely, just over estimated how much force I needed to push through.

That part of the process was done with a 1/2" Milwaukee diamond tipped hole saw. You use a 1/2" spade bit to drill a hole in a piece of wood that will serve as your drilling jig. Place the jig on top of the work piece, drop water on the area you want to drill and more importantly brace a spoiler board below too. I skipped the spoiler board and unfortunately chipped the edges when I popped through also cracking some of the glass. I'm going to smear the area with some 5 minute epoxy then just cover the floor with a false bottom so I'm not staring at the cracks for the next 5 years.

I also went out to the pet store and picked up a 100W ceramic heater. Then a quick trip to Lowes to pick up a DIY bulb base made out of porcelain or some other ceramic. I wasn't sure how hot the element would get and I didn't want to risk a plastic housing melting, so I opted to go for the more robust base.

The photos show the element heating up. It takes about 5 minutes to get to 425F. After 10 minutes, the internal temperature of the tank rose about 8 degrees so this is already performing better than the seedling and reptile heating mats.

I also picked up some fireproof silicone sealant. The plan will be to encase the bulb base and a portion of the bulb so that no water can get into the fixture. Because the heating element is topping out at 425F, I'm going to have to encase it in some sort of rocket mass heater style thermal mass. I'm thinking a tin coffee can with some sand in it should do the trick. I just can't risk the misting system dropping water on a 425F surface, but it should be reasonably safe if the heating element is at least protected. The original idea was to make a rock out of cement, and I still might, but then that means the unit won't be serviceable, so for now going to stick to sand while I work out the rest of the variables.

Quick edit - dropped the temperature set point to 80F. It took the heater less than 20 minutes to get to that internal temperature, so going to call this part a success. Next thing to do will be to encase the base in a water and fireproof silicone sleeve. The ambient temps in the basement hover around 55-58F and the tank starts to struggle around 78F so might need to add some insulation too.

One little production note/observation. I ran the humidifier to show my daughter and the temps in the tank dropped 10 degrees in just 30 seconds...crazy. Granted it was pulling cold air from the basement and injecting it into the heated tank. So far the inkbird controller's doing a great job, but I'm starting to see some limitations that I hadn't thought about earlier...

In other words, I figured out how to heat up the tank, but I don't have a quick solution for cooling it without adding another piece of equipment so that'll be a challenge for another day but for now it's going on the list.

Good idea on the heater. I used two 13W heat mats in my 3' x 6' x 3' "grow box" and it was VERY warm. However, we must consider that three sized and the top were foil-faced foam, so it was well-insulated.

Next time you drill glass, drill through water, as that not only cools the cut, but it chemically "shields" the glass structure to relieve stresses better.

Sorry - yeah I forgot to mention I was using water too (youtube to the rescue again). It was working beautifully until I got to the other side. I just put a little TOO much heave ho into what should have been a very delicate grinding exercise :( Was just a little too excited to see this all coming together...

Once I finalize the equipment installation, I'll move it from the basement to the grow room where it's a little warmer then start setting up for the big show. When I get to the deflasking part, I'm sure I'll have questions.

By the way, I checked in on the flask today and I started to notice some of the bigger specimens yellowing at the root tip :( I think the stress of getting shipped in the cold then being in a coldish room took a little toll on them :(

Whatever the case, as soon as the grow light gets here tomorrow I'm going to get them deflasked, washed, sterilized and mounted into the tank.

Why sterilized?

They are totally sterile now. The application of such chemicals do not impart future protection, but do add stress!

Ah ok...will skip that step...You're right about the stress, I was just mentioning that from experience where I waited too long to deflask the seedlings and what I thought was a sterile flask was anything but.

Again - if you're going to do the Garden Solution probiotic thing, it'll take care of all of that concern.

Yep it’s on the way. Thanks for the tip.

Ray - So you recommend this in general, and not just for deflasking? Is it just for mold? I have a Den. anceps that is failing. I wouldn't say it's because of mold, but I don't want to lose it

Thank you,
Carolyn

---------- Post added at 12:37 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:34 AM ----------

Your underground cave is the coolest environment that I've seen in a long time :-0

Carolyn - when I was first introduced to the product, I was highly skeptical and really didn't see any great benefits in its use, but it IS a probiotic after all, and it's hard to discern an improved "lack of issues".

Here's an excerpt that I think explains what the "critters" in the stuff do:

Beneficial bacteria primarily protect plants by competing with pathogenic bacteria, and exuding antibiotics into the rhizosphere that kill pathogens and prevent them from harming the plant. Additionally, as the bacteria grow and multiply, they secrete amino acids and plant growth stimulating hormones.

Beneficial fungi also compete with others and secrete antibiotics, but have the additional benefit of parasitizing them, as well. They generally do that through a mechanism of cell wall degradation, which not only kills the pathogens, but converts them into nutrients that can be taken up by the plant. Besides those, the colonization of the roots by the microorganisms offers additional, significant benefits.

As the fungi grow, they extend hyphae throughout the root zone and potting medium, and mycorrhizae directly into the plants' root cells. To fungi, hyphae are analogous to roots on a plant, and become an extensive network capable of absorbing water and nutrients. The mycorrhizae are the pathway that the fungi use to pump nutrients into the plant in exchange for sugars. As plants' roots can only absorb nutrients that are very close to them, the hyphae network plays the significant role of "extending the reach" of the roots, enabling uptake from a larger area of the host tree’s surface. The fungal hyphae absorb water and nutrients, transfers them to the fungi, who in turn, transfer them via their mycorrhizae directly into plants' root cells. Fungal hyphae are apparently particularly good at absorbing and transferring phosphorus, copper, manganese, and zinc, helping complete the plants’ nutrient needs. Additionally, fungal hyphae can absorb and trap excessive levels of dissolved solids, precluding them from stressing the plants.

So many updates it's hard to know where to begin...I'll try to get photos but here's where we're at:

1) my PAR meter arrived, and it answered definitively how my lights are performing. Paired with my light meter, I can optimize the height and position of the lamps to suit whatever growing conditions I'm trying to mimic.

2) Spent a back breaking hour of sifting, shoveling and consequently washing 10lbs of pea gravel. It doesn't sound like a lot of work but lol wow, the lengths we go to to save a buck. The pea gravel will serve as a false bottom and water reservoir that can provide evaporative cooling with a properly aimed fan in the summer if needed.

3) The ceramic heating element is sealed, I'm just waiting for the solvent in the silicone to gas off. Last thing I'd want is to infect the chamber with silicone that wasn't completely finished gassing off. I'm going on 48 hours and it still hasn't fully cured.

4) I went to Home depot and picked up the Plastolite egg crate panel that I'll use to create the false bottom and wall hang points. I also picked up this galvanized steel pipe hood that I'm going to use encase the heating element in so the mist from the misting system doesn't come in direct contact with the heating element (450F ceramic element + cold water, bad combo)

5) I have to 3d print some connectors for the humidifier so that should be a fun evening

6) My CO2 tank arrived today. I'm going to head to the local beer making shop tomorrow and get it filled up. I have smart switches I'm going to use to plug the 110v solenoid into so I can automate the CO2 injection. Aim will be inject CO2 during the evening respiration period and will be shooting for about 3000pm. I have 2 sets of CO2 sensors I'll be using one of which will eventually be automated and will control the solenoid via a smart switch.

7) On an impulse, and feeling extremely good about where the tank is going, I decided I'd invest into 2 more Taeniophyllum Obtussums which arrived today and to my utter surprise, these little guys were actually about 10 plants secured to oak panels...absolutely stunning specimens - and can't wait to get them into the tank

8) I also picked up a flask of 25 Paph Henryanums, so the plan will be to grow those out and then trade them away for stuff I want later.

9) bought 2 more phrags to replace the ones we killed earlier last year along with some fine orchiata mix...so that should be fun :)

10) I acquired another phal violacea to replace the one I poisoned into its current state (but is slowly recovering) - I finally saw growth from the root tips after nothing for months when I was killing it slowly with bad guesstimates of concentrations for all kinds of things.

11) My 2 bucket RO system - I don't know how I ever managed without this thing. This little $90 setup has already filled all our home humidifiers twice, and I've pre mixed up about 4 gallons of MSU style fertilizer at about 165PPM. It takes about 4 hours to fill up from empty, so I keep a second bucket filled to buffer consumption and it's been working beautifully.

Not mentioned earlier, but I've been seeing evidence of calcium deficiencies in a few of my orchids, so I've introduce dolomotic lime to the mixes and have slightly increased the cal magic doses...it'll take a few weeks to see if they respond well to the change so stay tuned there.

I can't tell you how liberating it is to see all that precision paying off as ALL the plants have started responding to these culture modifications. I have at least 6 orchids sprouting new roots, several showing green tips and active growth after months of slow decline.

12) The Concentric Ag solution is on order and was supposed to arrive today but I was so excited to water the orchids that I jumped ahead and did just that...so this application will have to wait until next week...thank you so much for posting the above explanation, I remember reading something almost identical to that a long while ago and although I'm no scientist, it sounds perfectly logical the way they explain it. Especially the part about how the good bacteria crowds out the bad bacteria, absolutely brilliant.

More to come soon!!!!

---------- Post added at 06:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:59 PM ----------

lol - I almost missed this...yes it's charming in a sort of "it's the put the lotion on its skin" sort of way...First thing I did when we moved into this historic district house was to install like a dozen lights in that literal man cave.

I've been good about capturing video of the process, but it's the editing part that's competing with the build time, so going to finish out the build then post out the videos when things settle down.

While there are variations in the optimal CO2 enrichment needs of plants, I think your target of 3000 ppm is toxic. I believe (an older recollection) that something in the neighborhood of 1000-1500 ppm is far more appropriate.

Tell us more about your evidence of calcium deficiencies and the fertilizing regimen. MSU fertilizers have calcium in them, so you may be misinterpreting the symptoms - a VERY easy thing to do.

Thanks for the note - I revisited the journals just to double check and not only did I get the levels wrong, I got the timing wrong. Supposed to inject during the day not at night. I'll adjust accordingly.

I'm posting photos of the sick orchids. We keep the orchids in a couple of places, but the grow room is the only one I have any control over temps or humidity. I keep a humidifier running all day and shut it off at night, but for the time the grow lights are on (15 hours daily), it keeps the room at 55-60% humidity. I also have an oscillating fan moving air in the room. That fan took care of a lot of the mold issues I used to see.

For media I use a coarse, medium and fine fir bark depending on the orchid, with varying levels of charcoal, perlite and sphagnum moss. This is because the other growing area is horrifically dry, like 20% humidity + forced air + next to baseboard radiators. My wife is adamant that putting plants next to radiators in a dry environment is a good idea, my experience says otherwise.

The sick orchids you see mostly came orchids my wife purchased and put in that grow area which is in an east facing room sun room with limited south facing window coverage. Usually when they flower, I move them from the grow room to the sun room so we can enjoy the flowers. As an aside, I knew there were problems with that location, but she has her collection and her own routines and I have mine. Let's just say that 8 months later, they all ended up in the grow room due to various issues contributing to their decline and are slowly being nursed back to health.

So my theory is:
* temperature swings between day and night were drastic, we're talking high 50's to low 70's on cold days...that shocked more than one bud into blasting on several occassions

* not enough humidity paired with media that dried out too fast and spent too much time in between waterings

* conversely good humidity plus media that retained water for too long and caused root rot (I saw a little evidence of this in the oncidiums but they're recovering now that I adjust the mix so it's a little less retentive since it has access to good humidity

Long story short - I failed to create optimal conditions for the roots, roots started to die back or cease functioning, plant suffers because it can't take up nutrients, roots start to rot causing further decline, etc...etc...it probably didn't help that that quarter strength solution was actually 4x more concentrated than it needed to be but that was my fault for over complicating things. I fixed that problem with my TDS meter, and coupled with the RO water supply, the plants are doing much better but still not great.

As an aside, since I'm in the northeast, I just opted to keep the entire collection under artificial lighting, and they're all under a collection of shop leds from Home Depot that put out decent levels of light at about 6-8 inches.

Anyway - here's the album with the orchids in question:

Imgur: The magic of the Internet

I see nothing there that even hints of a calcium deficiency, or any nutrient, formthat matter.

What I see is dehydration, whether that be from a lack of watering, a lack of decent root system, or arid conditions - or a combination thereof - I cannot say.

As far as root rot is concerned, "water", per se , is not the problem; lack of air is. If the voids in your potting medium are too small, water is held in them by surface tension, suffocating the roots. The trick is to find a potting medium that holds moisture long enough to match your preferred watering frequency and growing conditions, while remaining open and airy.

You won't need the heater. The temps in south Florida in winter range from intermediate to cool to cold. I keep my ghost orchids outside in central Florida except when the temps get below 45 F. Your cooler grow room temps in winter would be beneficial, along with reduced winter watering to simulate the dry season of South Florida.

Also, I must contradict those who say air circulation is a problem. Sometimes the air in the swamps is mostly still. Other times, such as when storms are moving in, there is a lot of air movement. Our home is on a hill with a good amount of constant wind. This has not been a problem for my ghosts.

One major key to success is correct mounting. Imagine laying your mount flat on a table. The plants should be mounted with their new roots "down" toward the mount and older roots "up" into the air. This way, as new roots emerge from the growing center of the plant, they will find the mount surface quickly and attach. Attached roots are much easier to keep happy and growing compared to aerial roots.

---Prem

Hey thanks for popping in. Anyone who's interested in Ghost Orchids would have come across your name and your vast contributions to the knowledge base for this guy. Very honored to see you posting here :)

On the temps - I have to ask, do you think there's any value in in providing consistently optimal conditions for growth at least early on? My sense is, if I could supercharge the early part of its growth cycle by providing it with optimal temps, optimal humidity, a pathogen resistant environment, and elevated levels of CO2, I could at least get it to the point where it's robust enough to shrug off the odd stress or two.

Or do you think there's some genetic programming there that makes it expect to see seasonal fluctuations, not quite like how a deciduous plants over winter but maybe something like that? I don't know.

On the air flow, what I built is a circulator that takes the hot air from the top of the tank and blows it to the bottom of the tank, never on the orchids, just sort of around them. I have it sketched out, I just need to 3D print the housing

As for the mounting tip, I'm pretty sure I learned that exact tip (growing tips towards the media) from you :D...I'll make it a point to identify the crown on the video when I get to deflasking and mounting everything.

Everything's pretty much ready to go. I have the plastolite egg crate bottoms and backs cut and ready to slide in. My pea gravel's washed and dried. I siliconed in some drain management things into the base of the tank, so just waiting for that to finish curing. The Concentric Ag got delayed, so it's now due in on Monday at which point I might have the opportunity to start pulling these guys out.

On a side note - the pair of taeniophyllum obtusum I just acquired are throwing out 4 spikes. My daughter's infatuated with tiny things and she couldn't believe the tiny nub on those leafless orchids will eventually turn into an ogre face shaped smiley face :D

Just a quick update - Ghost Orchid's deflasked and resting comfortably on a bed of sphagnum moss. I want to see how it acclimates to the tank before I do anything permanent like mount it to its slab. I pulled out probably 20 or so seedlings, so now we wait to see what survives.

Quick production note here:
* What I should of done in this order but did not do, was soak the contents of the flask into 1 gallon of RO water just to loosen and remove the agar as much possible. This is what killed my first attempt since as much as the agar is a food source for the orchid, it's also a great food source for mold.

* I had to run it through a couple of washes gently agitating the root masses until they separated.

* last step was 3 tbsp of the Concentric AG solution mixed into a 1 gallon of RO water to let them soak. Once that was done, I transferred everything to a small bed of sphagnum moss. I want to see how they react to the tank before I go to the trouble of mounting them on the hickory bark I bought for them. I also don't have enough bark because I wasn't expecting this many seedlings from that little cup :)

...and now we wait :)

I just deflasked some Sallei x Lindenii today’s actually. I like your set up and ideas. I live in Florida three hours from the strand so my conditions are similar. I added a cloud digger to my greenhouse just to keep the humidity up if I need it. Interested to see how yours do.

My secret weapon that will all but ensure my success. I’m adding miniature manatees and alligators to the tank to fool it into thinking it’s home!

Fyi Blurple lights are being replaced with 2ft double row T8 5000k leds. Don’t care if it’s not photosynthetically optimal. Can’t stare at those blurple lights for the next 5 years.

I’m going to wait a few weeks to get better macro shots of the seedlings. For right now my focus is making sure they acclimate to their new home.

I’m also swapping out my mechanical timers with smart wifi plugs. I don’t know why i didn’t do this sooner. I can control the entire room from my phone. Only limitation is that the timer can’t do seconds only minutes. The misting system is so powerful it only take 10 seconds to drench the tank.

Someone posted earlier about using a Smart Things Smarthub and Smart sensors to do something similar. I don’t know what the pricepoint is for a sensor, switch and hub collection but that’s something i may investigate in the future.

Here's a reference photo of the collection...I'll check in again in about a week's time and see where we're at. I realize it's too early to say anything - but I was happy to see green tips on some of the roots :D

Attachment 137743

Attachment 137739

Yeah I can't provide the right conditions they need up here in the Northeast so I had to cobble together this collection of parts. I have to say though, what a difference 5 years makes. Half the stuff I recently bought wasn't even available at the pricepoint it is now in order to be accessible to the average user.

The humidistat is working perfectly. The PVC tube has a few issues - namely - the holes get clogged with water drops, and don't clear because the tank is so humid all the time. To be honest the tube isn't really necessary but it looks so cool when the mist falls in strings so I'm going to keep it :)

That misting solution I put together was killer though. The pumps are like $11 on banggood, and the vinyl tubing is like $8 for 10ft. Then just add in your own irrigation nozzles (drips or misters for instance) and a smart switch (maybe a water proof one if they make them), and you have a DIY mistking for like $50.

The tank has one more added benefit that's unique to my situation. It's awesome for sick orchids that I'm nursing back to health. I'm already seeing an improvement in that Violacea I nearly killed.

One other random update - The Paph Henryanum seedlings arrived today - whopping 25 of them I'm going to need to compot in anticipation for the long wait ;)

Threw the plate under the microscope to start inspecting for fungus and sure enough I found some.
https://i.imgur.com/TU47rNw.jpg

Here's a close up of the fruiting spores
https://i.imgur.com/5vCLctG.jpg

But there are also signs of life!
https://i.imgur.com/j4eqIYE.jpg

weird mass I'm not sure what to make of...just going to keep an eye on this. I also pruned that dead root before it could fruit.
https://i.imgur.com/SRb8UTC.jpg

More root tip growth
https://i.imgur.com/jgMprxP.jpg

Just the tips
https://i.imgur.com/I8KD1aR.jpg

My favorite little protocorm out of the collection. I'll be watching that little guy carefully. That would be amazing if that little cluster grew into an adult.
https://i.imgur.com/tJtk8Vg.jpg

Vibrant little cluster of growth
https://i.imgur.com/O0V2MDn.jpg

More growth.
https://i.imgur.com/DtnhHaZ.jpg

More nodes
https://i.imgur.com/jdqETXc.jpg

I recently added a little blower fan inside the tank which I have turn on 4 times a day for an hour, just to circulate the air inside the tank. So far everything is working as it should...I just have to closely monitor for molds and other nasties.

I also picked up these lights to replace the blurple one I bought.

4 Pack LED T8 Tube Light, Double Row Integrated Single Fixture, 2FT, 2000lm, 5000K Clear Cove, 20W, Utility Shop Light, Ceiling and Under Cabinet Light, Corded Electric with Built-in ON/Off Switch - - Amazon.com

These guys are 2 rows of LED, chainable, and pretty affordable. The PAR readings aren't as good as the shop lights that I run at 4000k (these run at 5000k) (at the same height they pump out 90PPFD vs 120PPFD), but they put out plenty of foot candles. To match the PPFD of my shop 4000k shop lights, I need to run 2 of these side by side which pushes out about 600-800 foot candles at around 8 inches which I think is just about ideal for my setup. For reference, I had a few of my orchids under a new dimmable grow light pumping out 1-2k FC at 24 inches, and they almost immediately started showing adverse reactions so I've dialed back the power for that light and am looking to stay in the 500-700 range.

Photos from Day 3 - more fungus hunting, but also lots of signs of active growth.

Ghost Orchid Tank Day 3 - Fungus Hunting - Album on Imgur

You're not taking advantage of your products!

Please be aware that those hyphae might be from the beneficial fungi, so eradicating it could be counter-productive.

Put that soaking Garden Solution in a spray bottle and spritz the plants a couple times a day, and they'll be great.

I don't know how to determine that unless I possibly shift the ones that do sprout those to a separate tank and see what happens. What I can tell you is that everything in the tank was soaked in that solution, and the only thing showing signs of any kind of fungal growth are the dead or decaying roots of the clusters.

In the cluster I treated, the fungus was growing adjacent to the primary protocorm of a fairly robust cluster. What happened last time I saw this was that eventually the entire protocorm was engulfed and died as the decay spread. So whether it's beneficial or not, in that case I opted to go the safe route and treat the decayed area. At this stage, I'm definitely leaning towards being a little more risk averse.