Winter time - balancing heat and humidity?

[orchidwitch]

Hey y'all! I've been wondering about something now that we're finally showing signs of fall in the south. I live in an old home in Atlanta, GA without central heating, so during the colder months, we bring out space heaters to warm the house. In the past, I've just conventionally checked the moisture of my plants (orchid or other) by touching them and adjusting based on how moist they like their soil to be. I tend to cut my watering down a bit, because you know, it's winter, and that seems to be the consensus for most house plants.

My biggest worry is that my orchid collection has grown this year to include more species and varieties, and I'm a bit worried about my big, unruly vandas. I soak them in their baskets 1-2 times a week, time permitting, and mist them the rest of the week. They've been thriving all spring and summer, but this is my first year with vandas, so I'd like to make sure they're happy and healthy this winter. Do y'all think the heaters will cause an issue for my orchids? It rains nearly constantly here in the winter, so it tends to stay really humid outside (65-80%), but I'm not sure if that translates to the humidity in the house. Should I buy a humidifier to put more moisture in the air? And if so, what kind would you recommend? Thanks!

[thefish1337]

buy a small indoor hygrometer/temperature sensor from amazon and place it in your growing space. you will be able to get a reasonably accurate idea of your humidity to assess the conditions your orchids experience. you can then buy a humidifier (if necessary) and put it on to help keep your humidity up on those cold clear days that tend to cause indoor humidity to fall sharply.

[Roberta]

[QUOTE=orchidwitch;903654In the past, I've just conventionally checked the moisture of my plants (orchid or other) by touching them and adjusting based on how moist they like their soil to be.[/QUOTE]

I hope this is just a terminology issue... epiphytic orchids (which is what you're likely to be growing) don't want to grow in soil. Bark, or (loosely packed) sphagnum gives them the air, as well as moisture that they need. (They want "moist air", not "wet".)

[orchidwitch]

Originally Posted by thefish1337

buy a small indoor hygrometer/temperature sensor from amazon and place it in your growing space. you will be able to get a reasonably accurate idea of your humidity to assess the conditions your orchids experience. you can then buy a humidifier (if necessary) and put it on to help keep your humidity up on those cold clear days that tend to cause indoor humidity to fall sharply.

Thanks! I've purchased two on amazon for each area of my house where I have the most plants. Do you recommend a certain type of humidifier that works best for orchids?

---------- Post added at 02:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:03 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Roberta

I hope this is just a terminology issue... epiphytic orchids (which is what you're likely to be growing) don't want to grow in soil. Bark, or (loosely packed) sphagnum gives them the air, as well as moisture that they need. (They want "moist air", not "wet".)

Right! I keep more than just orchids, so many of my begonias, succulents, phylos, and palms, etc, have soil. I should rephrase as "touch the potted media..." I use my tactile senses to intuit if things need water, haha.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by orchidwitch

Thanks! I've purchased two on amazon for each area of my house where I have the most plants. Do you recommend a certain type of humidifier that works best for orchids?

First, find out whether you have a problem... 5% RH would be a problem, 30%-40% they can put up with (just water more often). Also, check the humidity right in the plant area - where plants are close together, humidity is probably higher than in the room as a whole, which is another strategy for keeping them happy.