Glass orbs for pleurothallids?

[mremensnyder]

I just recently relocated to Pennsylvania from Florida. I have not really had the resources to pursue orchids while here so far but I just cannot stay away any longer so I ordered a few mini Lepanthes from Ecuagenera. I do not have a terrarium, though I plan to put one together over the next 6-12 months.

I have read of some growers having success with growing pleuros in glass orbs. Do you think Lepanthes calodictyon, Lepanthes telipogoniflora and Lepanthes tsubotae would be able to survive under normal house conditions with indirect sunlight in a glass orb? I am sure I would have to check several times daily and be really observant for signs of stress, but that I can do.

Btw, I have a 15 year history growing Lepnthes for at least 10 of the past 15 years, so what I really need is a terrarium built with pleuros and other minis in mind.

[Ray]

I have seen many such plants grown in open-sided orbs like these.

[mremensnyder]

That's exactly what I had in mind Ray. I have read of others growing Lepanthes telipogoniflora specifically in these glass orbs. My main concern is humidity flucuations. As such, I might get flat bottomed orbs and set the orbs in a larger container of some sort that will provide a double humidity boost.

I am really eager to get my terrarium built, but money constraints mean it will be a while. When I do start assembling my terrarium, the first question will be, which type of glass box/enclosure to start with? An exo terra, a regular aquarium, a tall circular glass tube or a wine fridge so I can grow stuff like telipogon (again). I know for humidity/moisture I will be getting a Walgreens cool mist humidifier hooked to a timer as this worked perfectly before, with a plastic tube into the terrarium. Lighting is what I really want to figure out and get right this time as in the 2003-2006 timeframe, all I used was the fluorescent tube that came with the top of a regular 10 gallon fish tank. My results were poor.

From 2008-2012, I used an $80 ultra high output compact 6500K fluorescent that looked just like a regular compact fluorescent, but much larger. This kept many more Lepanthes alive and actually resulted in blooms. This terrarium had a flat acrylic top with hinged doors on either side and the acrylic top had a clear acrylic cube mounted to the middle of the top so the bulb could actually sit several inches into the terrarium space and get light closer to where it needed to be. I had a small fan blow against the bulb when it was on to dissipate heat and this external fan alone kept the terrarium like 8F cooler than when it was off and the bulb was on.

I experimented with various thermoelectric devices to cool the terrarium down but I just couldn't get it right.

When I grew my telipogons, I just used a mini fridge with an aquarium light mounted vertically in the door. I put the fridge on a timer that kept it on for an hour and off for hour to keep the temperature cool but not too cold. I connected another plastic hose to the cool mist humidifier and piped it into the fridge and it worked pretty well but I gave up on the telipogons when they died back and went dormant.

Basically, this time, I want to get even better functionality for intermediate to cool growing pleuros and other wet growers, all with a more aesthetically pleasing setup.

[mremensnyder]

A few of my new orchids have arrived and have been placed in their new home, a 12" tall glass orb with live sphagnum at the bottom and a panel of Java moss for now. I plan on building a small frame of hardware cloth to line the interior dimensions of the space, so I can hang orchid mounts and take atvantage of the full space inside. Also, I ordered another orb of the same dimensions so I can split my orchids into two groups, depending on the growing conditions needed. For example, each terrarium could offer different temperature ranges or light levels.

The plants I have pictured:

- Lepanthes telipogoniflora (3 plants)
- Lepanthes tsubotae
- Lepanthes calodictyon
-Schoenorchis scolopendria
-Java moss
-Live sphagnum

I have the following on the way:

-Bulbophyllum moniliforme
-Lankesterella ceracifolia
-Taiwan moss

[estación seca]

You probably know this, but there's an entire Orchid Board forum devoted to terrariums. People go into great detail about what they did and what equipment they used.

[mremensnyder]

Originally Posted by estación seca

You probably know this, but there's an entire Orchid Board forum devoted to terrariums. People go into great detail about what they did and what equipment they used.

I think I'm in the correct sub-forum. Did I miss something?

[mremensnyder]

Here is another one I just received in the mail today, Lankesterella ceracifolia. This little gem looks more like a little succulent than an orchid, with the rosette of leaves and the waxy texture to the leaves. I just had to have it.

[Subrosa]

A belated welcome to the Commonwealth! PA is a pretty big state, where are you located?

[mremensnyder]

Thank you! I am located in Wyomissing, PA (for the time being). It is beautiful here.

I just received the last of the orchids I will be getting for the time being, a nice healthy clump of Taeniophyllum obtusum. These glass orbs dry out a little more quickly than I anticipated so I plan to check on all the plants twice per day, since with these types of orchids there is not much margin for error. I have to keep the plants humid but not wet because if I just soak the inside of the orbs twice per day everything will stay humid but the orchids will rot. Now I just need to build the hardware cloth structure to fit in the orbs so I can hang the plants along the height of the inside.

[mremensnyder]

Taeniophyllum obtusom and Lankesterella ceracifolia.