My new window setup

[James O]

Just picked up my new glass shelf. I ordered a 6mm toughened glass shelf to double up my kitchen window space. This window gets 3-4hrs full winter sun so is great for overwintering.



The plants are most of the new haul I picked up recently as discussed here Hello, Intro & My Orchids


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[Dollythehun]

Very creative! My greenhouse window is similar. From a female perspective...could you paint that wood white or tile it? It kind of detracts from those fabulously healthy plants! Quite a nice haul and nice picture, too. Great job!!! Thanks for sharing.

[James O]

Oops yeah it is all bit of an eyesore!

I'm going to paint the supports white and get a mirror cut so the bottom plants sit on that. Should give a little more light and be a little homely.

[charlesf6]

Very nice. Good job!

[James O]

Here's the bedroom window. From left to right - Bulbophyllum Elizabeth Ann Bucklebury, Coelogyne Cristata, Coelogyne graminifolia and Bulbophyllum Lobii. I picked up the green shallow pots at our local recycling centre. They have slatted bases so I guess they must be for orchids? I've lined the base with fine plastic mesh, then hydrolica and finally a roughly 50/50 mix of bark and sphagnum with some other bits thrown in. This is very temporary as I'll be hanging them in the lounge window once I've gotten the hooks and made the hangers from stiff wire.


Here's a question. How much space should I give my plants on the kitchen shelves?

[estación seca]

Your plants look very healthy, too.

[James O]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Your plants look very healthy, too.

Thank you

I don't really have a routine I just go by eye. They get watered with water from my dehumidifier. I use a weak fertiliser every time. I also use SB Plant invigorator as a foliar feed now and then (usually when Mealybug rears its head as it gets rid of the as well) S B Plant Invigorator

Trying to getused to the Coelogyne & Bulbophyllum growing in 50% sphagnum. Not used such a water retentive medium before

[rbarata]

Your setup is really eye catching, at least I like it but maybe there's a risk of it being overcrowded, even worse if the plants grow much more than this.
So many plants in a small area might be a playground for fungal problems, unless you provide some ventilaton.

[Dollythehun]

I just make sure no one is touching and that the air circulation is good. It is so cold here that I have two fans running to keep the glass clear of frost, although the window enclosure stays close to 70 f. Humidity is not an issue because it is right over my kitchen sink.

[James O]

It's a bit tight. I think I'll mix the plants up a bit by size - big then small, big then......etc

This is really just a wintering position for the plants as its the only window with winter sun. The window faces due East. For the rest of the year the most of the plants will move to the square bay window in the lounge which faces North but gets all day sun (of some description because this is England)

I'm waiting on two of these fans, one for each shelf ( Cooler Master: MegaFlow 200 Red LED Silent Fan ). I use them in my allotment greenhouse. The spin at only 700rpm yet move 110cfm at just 19dbA. I use a variable output plug in transformer and drop the voltage down to the minimum the fan will start at. Then a timer will run them for 15min every hour. I get around 21°c (70°f) in the day and 15°c (60°f) absolute minimum at night.

How does that sound?