Angraecum: Tolerance of Low Humidity

[mremensnyder]

Hello Orchid Board. I recently purchased a couple small Angraecum species (Ang. filicornu & Ang. pseudofilicornu) and was wondering how tolerant Angraecum species are in general of low daytime humidity. I am in the Orlando area and we are entering the "fall" season when humidity tends to be low during the daytime (today it was in the 25-30% range). Will Angraecum species in general tolerate this, as long as they get watered daily and the humidity for the majority of the day is much higher? What are your experiences? Thanks a bunch.

[SOS]

Joyce says psuedofilicornu grows at 1000m on trees in humid forests.

Filicornu is found near the sea and up 800m.

Both from Madagascar, initially I wouldnt worry about it as cooler temperatures cannot carry humidity as well and Angs will be entering a rest period shortly.

[smweaver]

Originally Posted by SOS

Joyce says psuedofilicornu grows at 1000m on trees in humid forests.

Filicornu is found near the sea and up 800m.

Both from Madagascar, initially I wouldnt worry about it as cooler temperatures cannot carry humidity as well and Angs will be entering a rest period shortly.

Agreed. If your humidity fluctuates during the day your plants will probably be healthier anyway since it will force them to adapt to your conditions. The winter humidity levels here in the Midwest are probably going to be a lot lower, on average, than yours are in Orlando, and my angraecums do just fine. Unless you have species that really like a lot of water, I wouldn't water them every day in an attempt to make up for the lower humidity. Increasing the amount of water in the pots isn't going to help offset low humidity levels, especially since it's the leaves that are the primary beneficiaries of atmospheric humidity (unless the plants are mount, in which case the exposed roots also benefit from the humidity).

[mremensnyder]

Excellent, that is good to know. They are both mounted so at least I won't have to ever worry about overwatering. To keep humidity on the high side even during the day, I am going to get some appropriately shaped, deep, open glass containers, place some water/water retaining material at the bottom, and hang my small species from the inside edge. This should boost the humidity while allowing for plenty of air circulation. As far as temps, I figure if I keep my Angraecoids above 50 F for night-time lows, they will be just fine.

[smweaver]

Sounds like you have a decent plan. One of the best things you can do (and this is just a friendly suggestion) is to research the growing environment that your plants are native to. Are these two angraecum species native to lowland areas (where aiming for a nighttime low of 50 F might be a bit on the low end of what they would appreciate or be able to tolerate) or are they from more mountainous regions (in which case a low of 50 F might be more to their liking)? I think you've got a really good start with what you're doing. Now all you have to do is go through a bit more research--which, in my opinion, is one of the joys of growing orchid species. Good luck!