Small solar fan?

[Fishmom]

I'm looking for a small solar fan, one which will allow me to put the solar collector on the windowsill or in the window so that there will be moving air when the sun is out. It seems like this would be good for my orchids and not add to my power bill. Does anyone know of such a product, or will I have to wire it up myself?

[jay]

I think air movement is good all the time. I keep a fan on 24/7. It doesn't really seem to hurt my energy bill as the fan helps circulate the air in the room as well.

[PhalPal]

I have a small tower fan that blows on my indoor orchids 24/7 also. I attended my local orchid club meeting recently and a big grower from Florida was our speaker. He stressed that this is a must; lots of plant processes occur at night without light present and air circulation increases this activity. I didn't notice a change in my electric bill. It doesn't take a big fan, just something to keep the air from becoming stale.

[jay]

Plants need CO2 around their leaves. They will use that CO2 in minutes and need more. If there is not a constant fresh air supply then they will not grow as fast or as strong.

Thanks for the info about the night. I was under the assumption that they went to sleep at night. I didn't think that they were active at night, but I keep my fan on anyway.

[Brooke]

Plants gather their energy during the day from the light and process it during the dark hours. I figure orchids are plants and do the same thing.

Brooke

[berkeleysgr8]

It is my assumption that a small fan would not require much electricity. I doubt you'll see any noticeable increase in your power bill even with a fan on 24/7.

[articuno75]

I have an oscillating fan blowing on my orchids 24/7. Yeah it may seem extreme, but they don't mind one bit.