Raising local humidity

[Orchidementia]

Well, I got a hygrometer and the local humidity where my indoor orchids live is good (52%) but could probably be a bit better. I'd like to avoid trays and bowls of water due to their unsightliness and limited space. I'm considering a small indoor water fountain to place in this area. Since I'm aiming for an increase in humidity in the 10% range - 55% to 60% - could this work? The orchids seem happy enough with what they have, but I wouldn't mind making them a bit happier...

[kmarch]

If I'm picturing what you have in mind somethign like one of those Homedics decorative Zen fountains, they won't make much difference. Probably better to invest in a small humidifies, evaporative or other. Then you'd also be able to control the humidity level better.

[mayres]

I have all of my plants of trays of rocks - it doesn't take up any more room than without - I've found it raises the humidity around my plants about the 10% you are looking for. Unless you are just talking about a couple of plants right alongside of your fountain I don't know that they will benefit much (?) - the room as a whole is going to swallow up the majority of your water feature before it gets to the plants - the benefit of the trays is that the water is evaporating and passing by the plants leaves as it raises to mix with the rest of air in the room - the room as a whole will not be that much improved - but the area immediately above the rocks will be up to 10% higher.

[Orchidementia]

Actually, something a bit bigger than that but yes more or less a tabletop fountain. The humidity needs to go up only in a space about a yard long by a yard and half high. Not worth the noise and ugliness of a humidifier!

[Orchidementia]

Originally Posted by mayres

Unless you are just talking about a couple of plants right alongside of your fountain I don't know that they will benefit much

Pretty much. I have the room to install a small fountain, which would also be interesting to look at, but dealing with 20 saucers of rocks is probably not going to happen! The plants are in the living room and are highly visible! Though I could move the bamboo over to the orchid table; that'd be standing water with rocks, only not fugly.

[kmarch]

Go for the fountain then. It probably won't have much of an affect but sounds like you'd pretty much made up your mind against trays and humidifiers already anyway.

[Orchidementia]

I did get this absurd idea from measuring the effect the fountain outside in the courtyard had on the ambient humidity; of course that's a much larger fountain than I'd consider for my living room; then again, the space I wish to affect with slightly higher humidity is quite a bit smaller than the courtyard

Then again, I could always move some of the bamboo over to the orchid table.

[kid a]

I have a very small humidifier. I think it would depend on the brand, size, and type, but if I have min on low it automatically shuts off at around 60% If I have it on high it shuts off around 70% - 80%. It doesn't have a digital setting thing or anything, I think it's just a cheap one that my uncle gave to my grandma a few years ago and then I kidnapped it! It has hot mist but I keep it in the middle of the room away from the plants.

Have you seen those ultrasonic fog fountain things with light and stuff? I've seen them for $30 in a few stores and in magazines. That might help the fog just fills up in the little bow thing and flows over the edge of the bowl and the fountain is in the middle of it.

[audra]

The trays with the rocks aren't necessarily ugly. I'm new at this, but I live in a very dry climate and read about the rock tray thing. It sounded icky to me at first too, but I found a very nice large saucer (the kind that would go under a big glazed terracotta pot) at Home Depot. It's glazed inside so it holds water well and I filled it with natural river pebbles. I think it actually adds to the display and will make a nice conversation piece.

[Nancy]

When I first started growing orchids I kept them in the dining room. They were close to an aquarium that housed my red eared slider turtle. We kept no lid on the tank and the water was filtered on a regular basis, which kept it stirred up. It provided good humidity for the orchids. An open fish tank may do the same thing and would be lovely to look at.

[bkim]

When you increase humidity, you also want to increase the air circulation. Never let orchids sit in stagnant humid air. And because you need to increase air circulation, the local humidity you want around your orchids doesn't stay around for very long. To get a consistent 10% increase in humidity, aim to increase it in the entire room your plants sit in.

If your room is small, a good sized fountain is probably enough. Room humidifiers are also great. Other than that, the only option is an orchidarium/wardian/vivarium.

[Orchidementia]

Well ... I moved some of my bamboo over to the orchid table, which is now a nice console with a crapload of plants on it. My humidity is now 57% or more, and that's with a fan blowing on the plants (from across the room). Haven't found a fountain that doesn't p!$$ me off yet, and the bamboo is rocks+water with a purpose that also looks all right!

[missann]

I use a cool mist humidifier that I bought just for my plants. I keep it in the greenhouse with a fan and it is really quiet. No noise. Also it is a really pretty blue color. I think it looks ok in the greenhouse, but if I wanted, I could just put it behind my gardenia and that would cover it up. Also, you could go to pier one and get some kind of nice looking natural fiber or bamboo place mat or something to cover it up with.