Still, stale or low air flow orchids

[DirtyCoconuts]

Akhenaten’s amazing thread inspired me to want to learn more about cloche or jar appropriate orchids.

I know that he has a fan in his for circulation but the bubble is closed so the air is certainly not fresh

What orchids are inclined to succeed in such still and stagnant conditions?

[Mr.Fakename]

Don't quote me on this, but if memory serves me well I've read somewhere that Dendrophylax appreciate stagnant air.

Deciduous Phal also grow nicely with the high RH context of a terrarium.

Earlier this year I used a Phal venosa as a test subject for jar-growing (it's still alive and well), and the use of plant probiotics kept rot and diseases at bay.
In closed conditions, I'd 200% use beneficial microorganisms to keep nasty things under control.


Edit: sentences work better when not forgetting words

[Ray]

I agree on the dendrophylax, but I think the original question isn't dead-on.

Plants don't "prefer" a breeze. The idea behind air movement is to prevent stagnation. In a small volume with an opening, evaporation alone, provides some movement of air - vapor escaping and fresh air replacing it - preventing stagnation. It's only in larger volumes that are closed or have internal obstructions (an overcrowded greenhouse, for example) that forced flow is truly necessary.

[SouthPark]

True. It will be all about 'the system'. If conditions in the system allow undesirable situations to occur or exist - such as a long-term build up of water on certain parts of the plant, followed by cells dying due to cells not getting enough oxygen in that region, or due to certain organisms forming and then thriving in that region ------ then considerations about temperature and air-flow could help bring those situations under control, or even avoid those conditions from occurring.

Obviously, germinated orchid seeds in sterile flasks don't have the fungus and bacteria etc in the flask - assuming successful flasking and assuming maintained sterile conditions.

But for orchids grown outside of the flask - such as in our regular growing areas at home ------ it becomes a consideration.

A consideration of ----- if temperature and humidity and water on the plant (stem, leaves, roots, media and all) ----- then the question - of .... can adequate air-flow be beneficial towards keeping certain unwanted situations under control or avoided? Yes ------ it certainly can. Depends on environment conditions.

Eg. air-movement can help with water movement in the media and along the roots etc. And there are other benefits. Again ----- depends on conditions (humidity, temperature, what nutrients and elements the plant is provided with, and what's in the environment etc).

[estación seca]

If your lid isn't super tight, there will be enough air circulation. A threaded jar lid is tight. A glass lid on a storage container is tight. A typical aquarium top is not tight. A glass dish resting on top of a vase is not tight.

Edit: I have a Dendrophyllax sallei x lidenii seedling from Hausermann. They call it Polyrrhiza. It is mounted on a piece of cedar. It's growing happily in a very large hurricane jar with a glass dish on top, along with a couple of Pleurothallis. The plant they sent me was considerably larger on arrival than the listing photo on their Web site, and I think they sent me two plants mounted right next to each other because they couldn't be separated.

[DirtyCoconuts]

Very good info. I am speaking of a cloche or sealed container.
This is just an informative/ research mission

---------- Post added at 08:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:25 PM ----------

For reference

Project Phoenix

Post 436

[harpspiel]

Orchids I have attempted in a small, sealed jar (with no fan) that have not done well:

Lepanthopsis astrophora
Lepanthes telipogoniflora
Phalaenopsis hainanensis
Bulbophyllum nipondhii
Dendrobium limpidum


I haven’t found any orchids that do well. The telipogoniflora held up the best, but I don’t feel like it was happy. Bucephalandras and Peperomia guttulata have done well in that same environment, for what it’s worth.

I suspect the orchids would have done a little better with a fan, but they would also need to have fresh air introduced occasionally. With my “jar” (it’s a tiny glass lamp base) I try to air it out once a week.

[DirtyCoconuts]

That is super helpful!

I am going to use an 11” pie cloche in a 14” pie pan. I plan to have a fan inside (as AK did) go circulation but the pan will have water in it so no air will go in or out unless I lift the top...

I am going to look at the plants you mentioned. This doesn’t HAVE to be orchids lol

[harpspiel]

Are you going to use Spyra/Hygrolon? My lamp setup has little pvc branches covered in Spyra. If you are, I think that Peperomia emarginella (realized it’s emarginella, not guttulata) and various buces would be really happy right down near the water and orchids would be happier a little higher up, where it’s not quite so wet. I think a bunch of orchids would be happy in that environment as long as there’s a fan and occasional air exchange. I do also have Physan on hand to treat occasional mold outbreaks.

---------- Post added at 12:13 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:09 AM ----------

Oh and look into filmy ferns. They need constant, high moisture and pretty low light. I have an Asplenium holophlebium that I’m trying to save after letting it dry out for a few minutes while processing it for my Paludarium.

---------- Post added at 01:31 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:13 AM ----------

Last edit! I have a Restrepia dodsonii that just keeps putting out keikis and never blooms, and I have thrown those keikis into every stuffy and moldy corner of my Paludarium, and they are tough. They grew right in my waterfall for a while. I don’t know if you could find a Restrepia small enough for your setup, dodsonii is about 6” tall.

[DirtyCoconuts]

Thanks so much!