Questions about humidity

[TylerK]

Can s/h be an effective replacement for a high humidity environment? Can an orchid requiring a humid atmosphere be effectively/successfully grown in s/h if the ambient humidity is less than would normally be required for a particular orchid? Is humidity equally or more important for the roots than it is for the leaves of a plant?

I'm considering buying an orchid which apparently doesn't do all that well outside of a highly humid environment (phal gigantia), but it's far too large for any humidity case I could set up. Most phals seem to do well in s/h, but this one is known to be somewhat temperamental. I don't want to buy it unless I know it has a good chance at surviving and blooming.

Tyler

[Ray]

In my opinion, semi-hydroponics is not a substitute for decent humidity, and more than is a humidity tray.

The driving forces of nature want to take those water vapor molecules and spread them uniformly throughout the room, your home, your town, the whole world, in fact. Some will argue that you get "localized humidity enhancement" immediately around the pot, but if you have decent air movement (you should), that negates anything like that.

I will switch gears for a moment though - I don't think you really need "high" humidity. Something around 50% is plenty for most orchids, is good for you too, and actually helps your home, furniture, etc. - stuff drying out can crack, be it wood, drywall (nail pops, not cracking so much), or skin.

[TylerK]

Thanks for the response Ray.

What is it about humidity that is important to orchids then? My assumption has always been that a higher ambient humidity slows down the rate of evaporation from the plants. If rainfall is infrequent or if the roots aren't efficient enough at taking up water, humidity helps the plant retain what it has.

Judging by the amount of condensation inside my s/h pots the humidity around the roots must be 100% even if around the leaves it is considerably less (during the summer the air in my home is almost always above 50%, but during the winter it can drop down quite far even with a humidifier running). I'm guessing you would say then that humidity around the leaves is just as important as it is around the roots?

Tyler

[Ray]

That's a very good question, Tyler.

I have always felt that it was humidity around the leaves that was more important, if for no other reason than the surface area, compared to that of the roots.

[Burgos]

hello, i just wanted to say that humidity is very important, and although orchids can do well with 50% it´s better if it´s upper 70% because plants don´t show any negative effects at the beggining, but maybe some years/months after they will start dying. i read something like this in a spanish forum. it´s really good information. i thought like you, bah, 50-% is ok, but...plants do like a process to transmit wwater from the roots to the leaves and if they evaporate a lot of water trhough the leaves this process doesnt do as well as it should and lil´by lil´they become weaker and pests affect them more easily.

also, i guess that plants which grow wiith low humidity levels usually develop smaller bulbs/leaves so they don´t flower. is this because of humidity?
because a friend of mine has got really low humidity levels (40-50%)because of his artificial light setup and his orchids are growing faster and bigger and flowering a lot too.

could anybody explain this please?

thanks!!