WIP: Fridge terrarium for cool growers

[Roberta]

Cork is durable and also has a natural look. Lots of types of orchids do well on it. If you want to use wood, pretty much anything with a rough surface that doesn't peel away easily will work - if you can find someone trimming suitable trees, they're likely to be very happy to part with some of those branches. (I have found that bottle brush tree wood works great, but you're not likely to find it where you live. But there are hardwoods in your part of the world that I would not be likely to find so easily)

[theorchidapartment]

Does something like this seem reasonable (in terms of quality and price)?

Cork Pieces - 1 Gallon

[Roberta]

I think that is very reasonable. The size range looks good, you will need some small pieces (I expect you'll get more little ones than big ones) The price is low enough, it is not much of gamble even if some it is too small to use.

[Steve83]

White oak is a scavengeable option for your region.

[theorchidapartment]

Fridgarium has been live for almost a week. I decided to set the controller to intermediate temperatures to accommodate not only the newly purchased orchids but a bunch of other cool-to-intermediate growers I'd been growing in intermediate-to-warm conditions:




Currently running 67°F/20°C days and 8 hour 57°F/14°C nights. I've started putting a piece of styrofoam insulation on the outside of the doors at night while no one is awake to look inside.

The person I bought the fridge from said the only issue they had was moisture, which is a problem if you're selling chocolate but not so for orchids! Humidity has stayed in the mid-80% to mid-90% range without any intervention beyond watering in the morning. I took the drain tray out of the top when I first set up the interior and the cooling unit drips directly into the humidity trays I put in the bottom.

I repotted the Drac. saulii and Masd. veitchiana and remounted Den. cuthbertsonii and Restrepia brachypus along with some small orchids I'd previously mounted on cedar shingles, Pteroceras semiteritifolium and Trias oblonga. (The Restrepia was a real challenge to mount properly!)

Haraella odorata, Dendrochilum gracile, and Den. lichenastrum var prenticei have also moved in from the warm-growing terrarium. No one seems upset about the conditions so far!

[wisdomseeker]

Originally Posted by theorchidapartment

Haraella odorata, Dendrochilum gracile, and Den. lichenastrum var prenticei have also moved in from the warm-growing terrarium. No one seems upset about the conditions so far!

Great idea/concept (well thought out), and very nice job with bringing it into a full flight reality!

I would really be interested in how the above species work out for you in the long term, so please keep us updated in the future if possible.

[theorchidapartment]

Originally Posted by wisdomseeker

Great idea/concept (well thought out), and very nice job with bringing it into a full flight reality!

I would really be interested in how the above species work out for you in the long term, so please keep us updated in the future if possible.

Thank you and will do!

[theorchidapartment]

An update:

I bought Capanemia uliginosa and Pleurothallis leptotifolia from Andy's, bringing the total in the fridgarium to fourteen! I've put almost everyone on cork or in a net pot with sphagnum. In alphabetical order:

Capanemia uliginosa is working on a new growth
Dendrobium cuthbertsonii is recovering from its former decomposing home
Dendrobium lichenastrum is pushing four new growths
Dendrobium lichenastrum var prenticei is fairly status quo
Dendrochilum gracile has multiple new growths with spikes!
Dracula saulii suffered some spike losses when I repotted, but has new leaves
Epidendrum neoporpax seems like it's doing alright
Haraella odorata has four (!!!!) flower spikes and is growing roots like crazy
Masdevallia veitchiana has two spikes and two new growths
Pleurothallis leptotifolia arrived in bud, bloomed (so cute!), and is working on some new growth
Pteroceras semiteritifolium continues to not do much for me
Restrepia brachypus has a new leaf that should open soon
Sophronitis coccinea has a cute new growth
Trias oblonga hasn't done anything different since putting it in here

As mentioned before, daytime temperatures at 67°–70° and a 6 hour night at 57°–60° with 10 hours of daylight.