| Yeah, keeping things cool was my biggest priority, not actually living in a Masdevallia-friendly area, and all. There is an opening cut in the plastic, just behind the humidifier (which is, for all intents and purposes, a small evaporative cooler), so it intaking conditioned air (I like my house cool) and humidifying it, then the fan creates quite a breeze in there. So far it's been between 62 and 77 (once), with humidity between 60 and 80%. I imagine humidity will become less and less of an issue, as I fill it with plants. You know how they create their microclimate.
My first caSE was actually built into an alcove with a north-facing window and a window unit a/c blowing directly into the lower part of the case. I flowered Masdevallia ignea and racemosa regularly in Houston, TX.... I was really quite proud of those two, but I actually had quite a variety of pleuros and other sundry coolies (Soph. coccinea, etc. few Odontoglossums). I tell you, the old-timers at the Houston Orchid sociey were all surprised to see blooming M. veitchiana and the like on the show table, each month.
It wasn't so fun, however, when we had rolling brownouts, one summer, and I had to spend a day spraying the plants with icewater to keep them cool until the power came back. Fancy me, dripping in sweat, middle of july, spraying the cool gorwing orchids with chilled water...
Addiction? What?
-Cj
Last edited by Orchidflowerchild; 08-31-2007 at 01:30 AM.
Reason: TYPOS
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