Misting for Fertilizing?

[Ocelaris]

Does anyone use misting as a sole method of fertilizing mounted orchids? Like would a nutrient solution bath clog the misters?

Where/how do you drain your misting systems? Or just let it evaporate I suppose. But for example I am thinking of setting up a misting or mini sprinkler system and some vandas/ascocendas and I want to water them once or twice daily for like 5 minutes with a nutrient solution and have it drain back into some sort of pan. This is a Wardian case...

I was going to use a false bottom with that cubed fluorescent light fixture grating, on top of a drain pan like this:



I know the picture is small, but then it would just drain back into the bucket with the pump, and have all sorts of misting micro tubing coming up around the plants... without making too much of a mess on the glass, I was hoping to be able to sprinkle/mist the plants... feasible? Ideas?

	Mistking Looking for a misting system? Look no further. Automated misting systems from MistKing are used by multitude of plant enthusiasts and are perfect for Orchids. Systems feature run dry pumps, ZipDrip valve, adjustable black nozzles, per second control! Automatically mist one growing shelf or a greenhouse full of Orchids. See MistKing testimonials

[Ocelaris]

A little poorly made M$ Paint picture of what I'm thinking about. The dark blue lines are the micro sprayer lines... and the light blue is the spray lines, and fertilizer draining back to the bucket...



Here is something like I'm thinking for them



The Drip Store: Adjustable Plant Mister With Wired Micro-Tubing For Hanging Plants

I could tie these around the Vanda cubed hanging lines...

[Ross]

My only fear with this proposal is the mist head nozzles. They will certainly clog over time meaning replacement. Why not just use RO water and hand spray fertilizer every so often? That's sort of what I do every other day. If you need to be away for extended periods, the RO water will keep them going and missing the fertilizer will do no harm. The sprayed fertilizer will also spot the inside of the tank walls making for a real mess.

There was a thread where I asked the same question here - Fertilizing terrarium orchids

[Ocelaris]

That's exactly my question, when in doubt, search!

So do you run RO through your mist nozzles now? Just wondering how you pumped it if you do... I have the same desire as you, going 1-3 weeks without intervention, not that I need to, but if I have the daily waterings for the vandas out of the way, I can focus on maintenance and other things.

[Ross]

I use one of the MistKing systems. It was a bit pricey, but worth every penny. Here's a few photos:



In the above (left to right) Interval timer (set to mist for 5 seconds every 5 hours) and drain for reservoir / view of orchidarium from the front (misters are visible at top) / oblique view showing the t5 light bank at top, the misters are at front of tank near top, the reservoir at bottom drains to a 5 gallon pail, although at the frequency I use, there has been no runoff. There is a 12 volt dc fan running 24/7 inside tank on the left side and a thru-wall 12 volt dc fan that's on a timer and runs for three hours at night to dry off excess water (rot/mold deterent).

Yes I run pure RO water thru misting system, then hand fertilize with a spray bottle, taking care to keep it off the clear acrylic faces. If some gets there, I use an acrylic cleaner/polish and lint-free cloths to clean it immediately before the solids precip out on the acrylic.

	Mistking Looking for a misting system? Look no further. Automated misting systems from MistKing are used by multitude of plant enthusiasts and are perfect for Orchids. Systems feature run dry pumps, ZipDrip valve, adjustable black nozzles, per second control! Automatically mist one growing shelf or a greenhouse full of Orchids. See MistKing testimonials

[AaronM]

Here is a little suggestion for those of you using a misting system in a terrarium. Treat the glass with rain-x or wash them down with some Cascade laundry detergent dissolved in water. Either one should reduce the spotting on the glass to nearly nothing. The rain-x would also help keep the glass from fogging up so you can see into the terrarium more easily. The Cascade may work better on acrylic.
The rain-x is my idea but I learned about the Cascade trick from a professional house cleaner whose uses it on exterior windows in homes. She said that windows treated this way only needed to be cleaned once a year. Keep in mind that I live in Orlando where it rains around 100 days a year or so. Hope these tricks help you out.

AaronM

	Mistking Looking for a misting system? Look no further. Automated misting systems from MistKing are used by multitude of plant enthusiasts and are perfect for Orchids. Systems feature run dry pumps, ZipDrip valve, adjustable black nozzles, per second control! Automatically mist one growing shelf or a greenhouse full of Orchids. See MistKing testimonials

[Ocelaris]

That's a great idea, especially the cascade, since it's an all acrylic tank. I'm going to do that this weekend for sure! Thanks!

[AaronM]

Glad I could finally do something to help you out.
Just apply the cascade water and then rinse. The water should sheet right off.

AaronM

[Ocelaris]

Do you think it has to be "cascade" brand? Or would any dish soap work? I think we have cascade lemon scent in the powder form, but just not sure if they're all created equal? If you don't know specificall, that's ok, the idea is just as valuable, I wouldn't expect to be able to get that type of specific knowledge on such an esoteric topic such as keeping acrylic streak free!

[AaronM]

The cleaning lady specifically said Cascade. She preferred the original but I'm sure the lemon scent would work. There is something in Cascade that is best for "sheeting action".
Good Luck.

AaronM