Boscos Orchidarium

[bosco]

Hello All,

First time poster, thought I'd introduce myself with an orchidarium I've constructed. I live in a metropolitan area with little access to power tools or a workshop so this sets some severe design constraints. Basically what I've built is a giant acrylic box, pretty minimal. However it provides all the necessary requirement for good orchid growth, light, humidity, air movement. The orchidarium is composed of 1/4" thick acrylic sheets, 2' x 2' x 4' tall. The inside is wired with several computer fans and a sonic-mister. The box is illuminated with a 120W Compact fluorescent bulb and I get good temperature swings of 10-15 F with an average temp of 70F.

As you may be able to determine from the pics, I love pleuros and their small size suits my ever increasing hunger for more orchids. I do have a few bulbos, some paphs, a dendrobium nobile, an oncidium twinkle, a sobraila, a couple of lepanthes, platysteles and a zygopetalum to wrap up my collection. Due to its size, I do have a acropera galeata that I'm looking to give away, but I'll post that in the proper section.

[cb977]

WOW! Great setup!!!
The folks here are gonna go nuts!

[gmdiaz]

Wow, Bosco! What an exciting set up! Very ingenious!

WHAT is growing in those glass mini containers?

And LOOK at all those mini's hanging up in there!

[minicatt]

Hmmm, nice set up!
What did you use to "glue" together?
I see a little lepanthes calodictyon in a bubble planter....
Peter.

[bosco]

Thanks for the replies!!

In the two glass bulbs I have a lepanthes calodictyon, a teliposoniflora which is like 5mm high, and a lepanthes elegantula.

I'm really drawn towards miniatures, they're just awesome!!

[gmdiaz]

OMG! I flippin love those glass bubbles! lol

Now adding the lepanthes calodictyon AND the teliposoniflora to my absolutely-can't-live-without them. ..wishlist.

Bosco, I love your miniature collection.

P.S. Welcome to Orchid Board!

[Tindomul]

I've only seen those glass containers at the Great New York Orchid Society Orchid show at Rockefellar Center.
I loved them, and its so cool that orchids won't rot in there.

[gmdiaz]

Originally Posted by Tindomul1of9

I've only seen those glass containers at the Great New York Orchid Society Orchid show at Rockefellar Center.
I loved them, and its so cool that orchids won't rot in there.

Do you remember what those glass globes that you saw at the show were called?

What I am thinking is that these little glass globes create micro climates inside our larger micro climates. lol

So, for instance, they could be used in an intermediate tank to bump up the globe's interior growing space to a few degrees warmer for those plants that are a little too chilly.

Or you could use one to keep a particular orchid in the just right lighted space but one that's too wet. . .the little globe could keep the orchid drier than nearby ones mounted in the big tank.

And I know that some orchids, like seedling ghost orchids and other leafless types, like to be in high humidity but do not do well to have too much wind blowing on them, drying out their roots. Placing the orchid in one of these globes would solve that and still allow the plants to get fresh air.

Of course a jelly jar would do the same thing. . .but the globes are prettier. lolol

[Tindomul]

Thanks for the info Gwen. No I don't recall the name of those globes. I only remember they had the tiniest Pleuro's in there.

[bosco]

Hi

The glass globes come from a Columbian orchid distributor

Untitled Document

They go for ~$15 I think and yes they were represented at the GNYOS show. It can be difficult to care for micro plants, these glass globes allow for greater care, more specialized environment, etc.....