home care in low humidity conditions

[DDS2007]

hi all ,

i have a Phal and a Miltonia, i just bought them 3 days ago actually ! i have been wondering how to provide them with sufficient humidity since i live in an area of 10-30% humid. i have currently placed them on pebbles tray but some have told me that these trays do nothing to raise the humidity. i have also been told that misting my orchids won't do the trick .

do u have any ideas or tricks u would like to share?

thank u so much for replying

[Maddy]

Pebble trays raise the humidity around the plants by about 10% - which can help, but sometimes not enough. I had a lot of problems during a severe cold spell about six weeks ago - the humidity in the house was dropping off to about 10-15%. The humidity trays raised it to about 30% around the plants. I was concerned initially about mold or other nasties growing in the trays, but they've been drying out so quickly that it hasn't been a problem.

Do you have other houseplants? Grouping them together will help. As a last resort you could try putting a thin plastic bag over a particularly stressed plant, but it's not a permanent solution.

I've also read in plant care books that you can put a plant in a cachepot and fill the cachepot with damp sphagnum moss to help raise the humidity around the plant, but I've never tried it.

[turkeytaker]

You can buy 'portable greenhouse' covers for stands and that sort of thing.

Really, for the plants you're growing, I wouldn't really worry about low humidity. Your flowers may not last as long; but, for the most part, orchids do fine in low humidity (excepting genera like pleuros and that sort of thing), as long as they're watered correctly.

(My grow area has an average humidity of about 13%, and that's probably because there are so many packed together and constant watering. My pleuros stand in a pan of water most of the time and bloom regularly in the crappy humidity, but the flowers lasted a lot longer when I had them in a tank.)

[kmarch]

Grouping plants near one another definitely helps, even if some of theother plants are non-orchids. I see, quite often, potted orchids set inside a larger pot with sphagnum filling the space between the two pots. Keeping the Sphagnum damp raises the humidity in the immediate vicinity around the plant. While i have not tried this myself for my wndowsill plants, i am told it is measurably more effective than a humidity tray provided you keep the spagnum damp.

Anyone out there with a humidity meter that can confirm this?

[Lucinda Brown]

Just go to Walmart and purchase an inexpensive humidifier,they have them year round in the pharmacy area,around $20. & up. I had that problem in the beginning in our sunroom,where I was growing my first ones, placed a humidifier close by them and a thermometer that also had a humidity gauge on it,around $4.97 at Home Depot,the gauge showed me just how the humidifier was helping and the plants response,also. I now have about 3 humidifiers out there because my collection has grown, 3 different plant stands w/ 3 humidifiers,1 close to each stand. I also use pebble trays under them,but I'm not always diligent about keeping enough water in their trays. I think the humidifiers really help.

[PhalPal]

I live in an area of very low humidity similiar to your own. It actually gets drier the hotter it gets, sometimes to the single digits. However, when it gets that hot and dry the house air conditioner is on giving me indoor humidity at around 35%. My plants seem to have adjusted to the low humidity and my flowers stay on for months. (I grow Phals inside and Cyms outside) If I need to later I will add a humidifier but right now it doesn't seem worth the hassle. With only 2 plants, I would consider a plastic saucer with plain water in it placed under each plant. Don't let the roots come in contact with the water, or enable them to wick up the water or you will have a whole other issue!

[cutterpup]

Here is one thing I have done that has also raised the humidity in the at the plant level. I bought some clay orchid pots, the kind with lots of slits on the sides, and filled them with sphagnum moss. I soaked them in a bucket of water for about an hour and placed them with the orchids. I group four orchids around one "humidity pot" . I water these pots as needed to keep the sphagnum wet. You can see the moisture on the outside of the pots. This also allows me to have nicely soaked sphagnum at a moments notice if I need it. The only drawback is that they take up space that could be devoted to more orchids. The whole set up is on grids above pebble trays.
I have found that the humidity about two feet above my growing table is 40%,the humidity at the level of the plants is closer to 50%. Now if I can only find a way to get it to 60% without using plastic drapes or a humidifier I'd be happy.
Judy

[DDS2007]

hi judy!

it's a wonderful idea , too ! but the problem is that my pebbles tray can accomidate my orchids only , no enough room ! i will geta bigger one and try your idea. sounds brilliant

Farah

[PhalPal]

Judy - What a great idea! Have you ever tried using 3 or 4 smaller (say 2" clay pots) using your 'moss in a pot' technique? That way the pots could actually fit under the brims of the larger pots and in theory not take up any extra space? If tapered pots are used and the bottom is slimmer then the top it leaves a little space between pots. Do you think smaller pots will have the same additive effect? I will get around to experimenting when I can get out and find some small clay pots and let everyone know. It sound must easier and neater then pebble trays!

DDS2007 - there is a good section on huimidity that answers a lot of questions. Check it out!
Indoor orchid care in desert (Phoenix, AZ)

[cutterpup]

Hi..my set-up actually incorporates both techniques. I have four pebble trays which cover my growing table. (easier to lift then one or two big ones) On each tray I have baker's cooling racks held up by small pieces of wood so the racks are about half an inch above the pebbles. The plants are on these racks....that way the bottoms of the pots are never touching the wet pebbles.
All my moss pots are four inchs...I have been looking and looking but haven't found any smaller size clay pots around here. All my small ones that I already own have orchids in them.
Above one of the trays I have a wire rack (closet organizer, comes in various sizes with legs already on them) On this rack I have my smaller plants that need to be closer to the lights and below them are the shade lovers. The upper plants are spaced enough to let "dappled" light through. I also have my one mounted orchid hanging from the upper rack. There are four flourscent bulbs (four footers) above the whole thing and a CFL clamped at one end for the mini catts.
The whole set up is in the basement and I've been able to keep the humidity around 50% at plant level and 40% two feet above the table. Still trying to reach 60% without plastic drapes or a humidifier. Oh and constant, gentle arir circulation from above.
Hope this helps.
Judy

[GiovannaD]

Halfway around the globe.. I do the exact same thing!!
I use a small glass soup plate (ap. 6'' wide), put some pebbles in, fill the plate with water then cover it with moss which absorbs the water and then releases it. That way it gets watered and the orchids get their humidity. I place the pots around it and the rh meter usually 55%-75%! The lowest I've ever seen is 45. That's a big increase considering that the rest of the house has 30-35%.

[Lucinda Brown]

Thanks everybody,sounds like a great idea for when I bring my blooming orchids into the living room to show them off.I like this moss and saucer thing

[PhalPal]

cutterpup - Try looking in a craft store for the smaller pots; they will have sizes down to 1". Walmart might stock a few in their craft/sewing section also.

[Sharyn]

DDS2007: Try a look at the link below. Lots of ideas for humidity trays.
http://www.orchidgeeks.com/forum/gen...humidity+trays

[cutterpup]

Phalpal..thanks for the craft store idea. I was able to get 2" and 3" clay pots alsong with tall 2' ones that wil be great for clustering smaller plants around.
Judy