A possibly interesting idea, what do you all think?

[Anca86]

here's my little office orchid shelf (14” D x 36" W x 46" H) the fans cycle is on for 3h, off for 1h. the cheapo amazon full spectrum LED lights are daisy-chained and are set to run for 6h each day. i water x1 a week and let the run off fill the humidity trays, which keep the orchids at roughly 50-75% humidity.

View attachment 34932

Very nice! What fans are those? How far from the lights do you have the orchids?
Thanks

 

[Linus_Cello]

Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting.

 

[Duck Slipper]

Just curious, did you need to apply for a permit to collect rain water? Here in Oregon you need one to collect, but they seem pretty difficult to get. A farm within the company I work for has 10 greenhouses, each one using around 300 gallons a day/every other day and they were denied a permit for some reason.

Jeez…Something wrong with this world if we have to ask to collect rainwater. My old house has an old cistern that still works. Gutters drain to it…I never asked anyone either.

 

[Carmella.carey]

here's my little office orchid shelf (14” D x 36" W x 46" H) the fans cycle is on for 3h, off for 1h. the cheapo amazon full spectrum LED lights are daisy-chained and are set to run for 6h each day. i water x1 a week and let the run off fill the humidity trays, which keep the orchids at roughly 50-75% humidity.

View attachment 34932

Do they get any natural light?
Patrick

 

[cnycharles]

I was just overhearing someone at work (greenhouse grown perennial seedlings) mention that restrictions against collecting rainwater existed such that it has become a non possible for greenhouse companies wanting to utilize rainwater. I vaguely remember there being some stipulation that there was supposed to be some ‘release’ after some point which made it unpractical
…and that’s about as specific as I was able to overhear :/ . Common sense doesn’t seem to apply to much in the world anymore :/

 

[My Green Pets]

Colorado also has unique rainwater harvesting laws and water rights are an important specification in real estate.
This type of regulation doesn't exist in wet states, but out here in the desert water rights are specified and taken very seriously.

Here's the rain barrel policy in this state.

 

[Hien]

I was just overhearing someone at work (greenhouse grown perennial seedlings) mention that restrictions against collecting rainwater existed such that it has become a non possible for greenhouse companies wanting to utilize rainwater. I vaguely remember there being some stipulation that there was supposed to be some ‘release’ after some point which made it unpractical
…and that’s about as specific as I was able to overhear :/ . Common sense doesn’t seem to apply to much in the world anymore :/

one day they will come up with permit requirement for sunlight , then moonlight , then permit for wind, then for how much air can one breaths in, in the fashion of the "boiling frog tale"...Gone were the days the Americans thought just the Tea Tax alone was a bad idea... guess we are tamed and domesticated quite well .
What happens to "Land of The free, Home of The Brave" ? how sad !

 

[eds]

The ironic thing is that we may have given you the tea tax but we have the rights to the water (and anything else) that lands on our property (there are restrictions on water flowing through your property. Admittedly we don't have quite the issue with water as you guys do but we waste so much as a nation through leaky water pipes that we are likely to see hose pipe restrictions in areas this summer.

 

[merc]

Very nice! What fans are those? How far from the lights do you have the orchids?
Thanks

The fans are cheapo upHere Halo Ring Led 140mm case fans connected to a ZRM&E PC Fan Speed Controller 8 Way Cooling Fan Hub. They're quiet compared to the oscillating fan I used to have, but not completely silent.

We bought a 3 pack of smarplugs from Costco and hooked the fans up to our Home Assistant. I need to figure out a hub for the lights so I can also hook those puppies up to our Home Assistant. PSA: The Costco smart plugs are garbage. Constantly losing connection and requires manually unplugging/plugging-back-in to get it to reconnect to network so Home Assistant can control them.

The plants are 3-6" from the LED lights. Unfortunately, they don't receive any natural light since my office is essentially a small, windowless cubby.

 

[Anca86]

Than

The fans are cheapo upHere Halo Ring Led 140mm case fans connected to a ZRM&E PC Fan Speed Controller 8 Way Cooling Fan Hub. They're quiet compared to the oscillating fan I used to have, but not completely silent.

We bought a 3 pack of smarplugs from Costco and hooked the fans up to our Home Assistant. I need to figure out a hub for the lights so I can also hook those puppies up to our Home Assistant. PSA: The Costco smart plugs are garbage. Constantly losing connection and requires manually unplugging/plugging-back-in to get it to reconnect to network so Home Assistant can control them.

The plants are 3-6" from the LED lights. Unfortunately, they don't receive any natural light since my office is essentially a small, windowless cubby.

Thank you for the details!

 

[southernbelle]

Here’s mine: 9 x 12 indoor climate controlled. Lights are ALT LED 5,000 K (natural sunlight), high intensity, 60 degree T5 tubes (4ft). Each tube draws 50 watts energy. I use 1 tube for Paphs; 2 for regular cattleyas and 3 for high light catts. (Fixtures hold 1-3 tubes). Lights hang on carabiner cords from 8’ ceiling so can be adjusted to any height to achieve correct PAR. Lights on all catts are +- 24” above leaf canopy. For Paphs a little more. This produces the PAR they all need. Lights only raise temp of room about 5 degrees. They are all together on a timed switch that runs them from 11.5 to 13.5 hrs. per day depending on the month of the year. I love the headroom my lights give me as room would be claustrophobic with them close to plants. Fixtures can be made to hold 1-6 lights. You choose. (Orchids Ltd.)

Temps range from Hi-84/Lo-70 in summer to Hi-72/Lo-62 in winter. No windows in room (in basement), so I open and close the door from day/night and use fans/heater to control temps. Humidifier keeps it at 50-55 humidity summer and 55-60 winter.

I water in the sink with a 1/2 HP pump pulling my fertilized R/O water from a 10 gal trash can through a curly hose with small wand. I use an app (Errands) and color coded tag to know what plants to water each day (rather than every 7 days, etc. for all). Table #4 RED for instance.

I grow on 4’ x 30” tables that each hold 2 plastic boot trays perfectly, in clear plastic pots in Orchiata/ charcoal/perlite mix sized to pot size. I also grow about 10 Phrags and 4 phals upstairs in my bathroom East/SouthEast large bay windows at ambient room temp in mostly bark mix, but some are in rockwool/leca mix. The Phrags did not like the 84 degree temps of grow room.
I have about 89 plants. 75 in grow room and 14 upstairs.
Cattleyas are large, many in 10” pots, so trays are quite crowded right now awaiting division and gifting. When they bloom I move them up to our living area window to enjoy them.

 

[Carmella.carey]

Here’s mine: 9 x 12 indoor climate controlled. Lights are ALT LED 5,000 K (natural sunlight), high intensity, 60 degree T5 tubes (4ft). Each tube draws 50 watts energy. I use 1 tube for Paphs; 2 for regular cattleyas and 3 for high light catts. (Fixtures hold 1-3 tubes). Lights hang on carabiner cords from 8’ ceiling so can be adjusted to any height to achieve correct PAR. Lights on all catts are +- 24” above leaf canopy. For Paphs a little more. This produces the PAR they all need. Lights only raise temp of room about 5 degrees. They are all together on a timed switch that runs them from 11.5 to 13.5 hrs. per day depending on the month of the year. I love the headroom my lights give me as room would be claustrophobic with them close to plants. Fixtures can be made to hold 1-6 lights. You choose. (Orchids Ltd.)

Temps range from Hi-84/Lo-70 in summer to Hi-72/Lo-62 in winter. No windows in room (in basement), so I open and close the door from day/night and use fans/heater to control temps. Humidifier keeps it at 50-55 humidity summer and 55-60 winter.

I water in the sink with a 1/2 HP pump pulling my fertilized R/O water from a 10 gal trash can through a curly hose with small wand. I use an app (Errands) and color coded tag to know what plants to water each day (rather than every 7 days, etc. for all). Table #4 RED for instance.

I grow on 4’ x 30” tables that each hold 2 plastic boot trays perfectly, in clear plastic pots in Orchiata/ charcoal/perlite mix sized to pot size. I also grow about 10 Phrags and 4 phals upstairs in my bathroom East/SouthEast large bay windows at ambient room temp in mostly bark mix, but some are in rockwool/leca mix. The Phrags did not like the 84 degree temps of grow room.
I have about 89 plants. 75 in grow room and 14 upstairs.
Cattleyas are large, many in 10” pots, so trays are quite crowded right now awaiting division and gifting. When they bloom I move them up to our living area window to enjoy them.
View attachment 35025View attachment 35026View attachment 35027View attachment 35028View attachment 35029

When you water what happens to the run off in the trays?
Patrick

 

[Carmella.carey]

Here’s mine: 9 x 12 indoor climate controlled. Lights are ALT LED 5,000 K (natural sunlight), high intensity, 60 degree T5 tubes (4ft). Each tube draws 50 watts energy. I use 1 tube for Paphs; 2 for regular cattleyas and 3 for high light catts. (Fixtures hold 1-3 tubes). Lights hang on carabiner cords from 8’ ceiling so can be adjusted to any height to achieve correct PAR. Lights on all catts are +- 24” above leaf canopy. For Paphs a little more. This produces the PAR they all need. Lights only raise temp of room about 5 degrees. They are all together on a timed switch that runs them from 11.5 to 13.5 hrs. per day depending on the month of the year. I love the headroom my lights give me as room would be claustrophobic with them close to plants. Fixtures can be made to hold 1-6 lights. You choose. (Orchids Ltd.)

Temps range from Hi-84/Lo-70 in summer to Hi-72/Lo-62 in winter. No windows in room (in basement), so I open and close the door from day/night and use fans/heater to control temps. Humidifier keeps it at 50-55 humidity summer and 55-60 winter.

I water in the sink with a 1/2 HP pump pulling my fertilized R/O water from a 10 gal trash can through a curly hose with small wand. I use an app (Errands) and color coded tag to know what plants to water each day (rather than every 7 days, etc. for all). Table #4 RED for instance.

I grow on 4’ x 30” tables that each hold 2 plastic boot trays perfectly, in clear plastic pots in Orchiata/ charcoal/perlite mix sized to pot size. I also grow about 10 Phrags and 4 phals upstairs in my bathroom East/SouthEast large bay windows at ambient room temp in mostly bark mix, but some are in rockwool/leca mix. The Phrags did not like the 84 degree temps of grow room.
I have about 89 plants. 75 in grow room and 14 upstairs.
Cattleyas are large, many in 10” pots, so trays are quite crowded right now awaiting division and gifting. When they bloom I move them up to our living area window to enjoy them.
View attachment 35025View attachment 35026View attachment 35027View attachment 35028View attachment 35029

When you water what happens to the run off in the trays?
Patrick

 

[southernbelle]

When you water what happens to the run off in the trays?
Patrick

I water at the sink. The trays only catch a minor amount of run off when I put them back in their places in the trays.

 

[merc]

I have about 89 plants. 75 in grow room and 14 upstairs.

I love your grow room setup! So much room to move about. I am especially jealous of the sink right next to all the plants. That's brilliant! This is an awesome idea that I hope to be able to recreate in our house or workshop someday.

I envy everyone with a greenhouse setup, but a greenhouse is simply impractical here in the woods.

 

[LadySlipper]

I water in the sink with a 1/2 HP pump pulling my fertilized R/O water from a 10 gal trash can through a curly hose with small wand. I use an app (Errands) and color coded tag to know what plants to water each day (rather than every 7 days, etc. for all). Table #4 RED for instance.

Amazing setup. Are the trays light enough to handle when you water?

 

[southernbelle]

Thank you, merc. I honestly did not want to deal with the maintenance and cleaning of a greenhouse plus the plumbing/heating/cooling for VA’s climate was going to make it quite costly. Because my plants are so large at this time, it feels really tight but that will be alleviated before long. The only maintenance here is changing the filters on the R/O and sweeping up the bark that falls on the floor. And, it’s easy to climate control although the lows are not as low as are optimal, but Catts and Paphs don’t seem to notice and bloom like champs.
I put the large sink and cabinets in this area when we built to have a place to condition and arrange roses, as that was my passion until my knees said ‘no more’, so all it involved was adding one wall/door to close off the area. Wish it was a bit larger, but you know how that goes… then I’d just get more plants and…

 

[southernbelle]

Amazing setup. Are the trays light enough to handle when you water?

I don’t pick up a whole tray. I pick up plants individually, place them on a tray by the sink, then water over the sink, let them drain and return them to their places. The trays on the tables collect the minimal water that is still draining, but dries quickly because of the fans circulating the air. I usually have between 10 and 20 plants that I water each day. I use an app called Errands and color coded tags so they are in the app by (tray) #1 RED and I pull them that way. The advantage of this app is it automatically repeats from the day an item is checked off the list, not the day it was scheduled to be done, if I’m adjusting a day or so. Small 2” seedlings water every 2-3 days, 10” catts can go 10-12 days depending on time of year. I try to check those scheduled for ‘tomorrow’, especially during the warm growing season to make sure I don’t need to adjust by a day. Here is a closer photo of the sink area:

They rotate from the tray on the left counter 4 or 5 at a time are watered over the sink (foliage is kept dry) then placed on the drain board on the right if need be for space, then are returned to their spots. My trays are labeled by color of their tags, so the always go back in the same place with colored tag facing front so light orientation does not change (for the most part). It sounds complicated, but it’s really not (once I got it figured out.) I usually spend 30-60 minutes a day watering, checking things, disinfecting tools. This enables me to closely examine plants each time they are watered and and nip any disease or insect problems in the bud. Disease is very rare as humidity is controlled and foliage stays dry. Now that I use Safari granules (mostly) sprinkled on top of mix for pests when needed, pests are easy to control. Scale and fungus gnats had been my nemesis, but that makes them easy to control as I can’t spray without moving plants outside which is a pain!! Oh, I also use stretchy ties to train catts to grow vertically instead of reaching out sideways, so they take less space.

 

[LadySlipper]

I don’t pick up a whole tray. I pick up plants individually, place them on a tray by the sink, then water over the sink, let them drain and return them to their places. The trays on the tables collect the minimal water that is still draining, but dries quickly because of the fans circulating the air. I usually have between 10 and 20 plants that I water each day. I use an app called Errands and color coded tags so they are in the app by (tray) #1 RED and I pull them that way.

Incredible. You're so highly systematic. How much time do you enjoy with your plants daily?

 

[Cklinger]

Safari granules

What are Safari granules? Sounds interesting since I’ve been seeing a fungus gnat or two.