Can you create your own humidity tray?

[Christina]

Hi there... I was just wondering if it was possible to create your own humidity tray or if it is best to just buy one from the store?

Has anyone ever made their own? Any suggestions?
Also, does anyone have some pics of their humidity tray so that I can get a better idea.

The tray will be for my phals.

[janet_a]

sure. mine are pyrex baking dishes (on sale at kmart) with wire "linen closet" shelves (4 bucks at home depot) laid over them. plants are on the racks, and i keep the dishes full of water in the winter, with a shot of bleach to keep the algae from growing.

you can use any kind of dish and anything you want to keep the plants up out of the water. in the past i've used plastic plumbing parts and little boxes made out of quarter inch hardware cloth.

spend a half hour in your local hardware store and see what inspires you.

[Christina]

Thanks alot!! Some great ideas you have going on there. About how much bleach do you put in the water? Like a teaspoon or tablespoon? And how often do you place bleach in your tray?? Sorry so many questions

[kid a]

The one I used to use was made from pieces of a large bunny rabbit cage I had. The bottom was a huge and very deep plastic rectangle. I would fill it up and then lay the wire part that was the top lid over it and then put my plants on the wire part. It was similar tot his one My First Home Extra-Large for Rabbits & Ferrets Rabbit Treats & Supplies
but bigger.

[Sabien]

I usually put round clay pellets (the ones that are used for hydroponics) in the bottom of the outer decorative pot and let the plastic pot rest on it.
Gr,
Sabien

[janet_a]

i think it was something like a teaspoon per quart or thereabouts--it really doesn't take much. i wing it. i do it every few months or when the trays start looking ooky. does a number on any bugs that land in there too.

[hera]

I use the bottoms of regular planter trays and add eggcrate for shop lights. You can make it to any size that you need. Works well and cleans up easily.

[butt0n]

I made mine out of standard 2' x 4" plant trays and I bought a sheet of fluorescent light covering which is basically a giant plastic grate and cut that down to size. This is much cheaper than buying each tray individually.

[Christina]

Wow. Thanks everyone! you all gave me such great ideas to ponder. Kortney, I have a small rabbit cage that fits your idea perfectly. And since the bottom of my cage isnt very big and wont fit all my plants, ill try using the standard plant trays and go from there.

Oh, and janet-- I just took down these wire shelves that were in my closet when I moved in, and I think a couple of them are perfect for multiple size trays that I might come across.

~Thanks everyone. Im so excited!

[brookn]

I use plastic silverware trays that I get for a $1, I fill them with pea gravel and add water.

[missann]

I didn't read all the posts, but here is what I used: I used a large, heavy duty plant saucer from Fred Myer (It was in the outside gardening section behind the registers) It is probably a foot and a half in diameter. I used this to make into a bird bath, but filling it with pebbles to set your plant on would work also. OR you could just set an inverted pot in the middle of the saucer and set your plant on that. Or you could Take a terra cotta pot, tape up the hole, fill it full of wet sphag, and then put it's saucer on top to make a lid and put the plant on that. Or you could just get a large terra cotta pot, get it wet, let it drain, and set your plant inside of that. I figure that the increased area that the terra cotta makes evaporates more water faster thus increasing the humidity more than just a tray of water.

[missann]

OR if you have little orchids and a fish tank, you could just grow them in in it like a terrarium and that would really keep the humidity in. Just do something like the above ideas, or if you want, you can make a whole planted terrarium with other plants in it, and then have the orchids mounted on the sides, or sitting above the dirt. I have a terrarium that I made. I should get a pic of it on here for you.

[missann]

I found this while I was looking around. It is so beautiful. Built by dennis.

Here are a few pics. The pot that the potted plant is sitting in should be much bigger, of course. I think it will only work with little plants so that the rim comes out around the plant. The clear tray I have is not the huge one that I used for a bird bath, but you can see what it looks like, because it is very similar. I have also place another saucer on top of the pebbles so I can fill the try more full and so that it sits level, and I don't have to worry about one side of the pot sitting in the water accidentally. Of course, you can set anything moist around the pots so long as it doesn't leak water into the pots themselves. Good luck. I really like the big tupperware tray or rabbit cage ideas. My ideas are small scale for if you want to take a plant to work or move it into another area and can't take a huge tray.
The terrarium doesn't have any orchids, but you could just set some in there on top of the dirt. I love my terrarium. I have live sphag, a mini palm, a polka-dot plant, and a something china doll.

[Sharyn]

Black plastic nursery trays with plastic fluorescent light grate cut to fit on top.
The trays are under $2 (I like to double them). A 2 x 4 piece of grate costs about $15. You'll get 3 grates to cover the trays and a bit left over.

[katrina]

Sharyn -- where do you get your nursery trays? Online or locally? If online, can you recommend a site? Thanks! Kat~

[Sabien]

Miss Ann, do you have some kind of air circulation in your terrarium? I was thinking of growing mini orchids this way, but then I read that you can get fungus problems if you don't have air circulation.

[katrina]

Hey Sabien! I use an old 55 gal aquarium as a sort of semi-enclosed giant humidity tray in the winter. Semi-enclosed being the key words there...mine is not covered on the top and has plenty of air circulation. I used it to house my vandas and assorted other smaller chids this past winter. I was able to maintain humidity levels in the 80%+ range.

The set up that MissAnn has is beautiful... but as it is (set up for tropical plants) it might cause trouble for orchids. You are right the lack of air circulation would potentially be a fungal/bacterial nightmare for the chids. However, if you want the unit enclosed on top...you could add some type of circulation unit...muffin fans being ideal... (circulating in and pulling out).

The other change I would make....I wouldn't set my orchid pots directly in a moist soil -- I believe that might be an issue for the roots.

My set up is not totally enclosed on the top and there's enough circulation where I haven't needed additional fans. I have small aquarium gravel in the bottom...deep enough that I can keep water in the bottom w/out the pots being directly in the water. I also use various pots as pedestals so that everyone is at different elevations (better airflow) AND I have some teak baskets hanging from the sides. I use aquarium lights in the hood that are for coral/live rock set up. I'm not an expert but both of my vandas proceeded to put out new growth and everyone else seemed to be very happy in there over the winter.

The totally enclosed top is prettier than my set up but personally...I didn't want to spend the extra money. Mine did what I need (maintain high humidity) so I opted to keep it simple.

I wish I had a picture to show you but silly me never took one last year.

Hope that helps Sabien.

[Sabien]

Oh, I have all these ideas in my head now. I'm not sure my husband will like them, however. He already thinks I'm crazy because I've started buying tiny plants with 2 or 3 leaves and a small root sticking out. He just can't see the beauty of it, I guess.
Anyway, here's 2 more ideas to keep humidity high. The only problem is that you can't put much into them. I bought the mini greenhouse at a local florist. It wasn't cheap, but I just couldn't resist. I have 2 now. The other one is a bit larger. You can open the roof and on the sides of the roof there is no glass. That's how you get the air cirulation. I've had them for about a month now and so far, so good.
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[Sharyn]

Originally Posted by katrina

Sharyn -- where do you get your nursery trays? Online or locally? If online, can you recommend a site? Thanks! Kat~

I usually buy the trays in the springtime at any place that carries garden stuff. If I don't buy them early at seed planting time, they usually get sold out and don't carry them the rest of the year. I saw that e-bay carried a set of 5 trays for $6, however, the shipping was $10.

You can find heavier duty trays at most hydrophonic supply stores, but they're expensive (from $17 to $35). You can also try Bed, Bath & Beyond, K-Mart, or Wal-mart and try to find shallow plastic storage containers - they make them in all sizes.

If all else fails, get the clear plastic round saucers for putting underneath plants and fill them with a layer of small pea gravel or aquarium stone. I got a bunch of them from Home Depot. They need to have water added more often, but they work and will help raise the humidity.

Here's link for Charlies Greenhouse. You'll need to scroll down the pages, but he has some black trays, much sturdier than the ones I have, but more expensive too. Good luck in your search. http://www.charleysgreenhouse.com/in...pe=3&Submit=Go

[Sharyn]

katrina: Sorry, but I also meant to add this link for starter trays at Charlies Greenhouse. They're 12 X 17 and on sale for $6.25. I may order a couple for myself. Charley's Greenhouse & Garden greenhouses supplies charlies kits hobby garden accessories orchids winter green house

[katrina]

Thanks Sharyn!!