I thought you might throw that qualifier in there.
1) I made that comment because it seemed reasonable to me that SOME TIME during any 6-month period, the conditions might not be favorable for sufficient evaporation - increasing the risk of such rots.
2) What did I do to deserve you picking on me like this?
Sorry Ray I did not know I was picking on you? Not my intention at all.
I questioned what you said because I thought you said you watered overhead and then implied that you did not want to risk crown rot by watering overhead. So I just wanted you to clarify what you wrote.
And yes there are always times when conditions might not be favorable for sufficient evaporation many times in a 6 month period. On those days the grower should not water overhead or even water at all since the plants probably won't use much water.
A simple rule to follow is to water overhead early in the day so that by 3:00 in the afternoon all the water on the foliage has dried up. That is a guideline I was told when I was a kid and it has worked well for a long time. Since I don't really like rules I generally will water later but want the foliage basically dry by 2 hours before dark. When I do water in the afternoon I always remember the old grower that told me the 3:00 rule and that causes me to evaluate just how wet I should get things. He was a short Frenchman that was retired from the Merchant Marines, always had a cigar hanging out of his mouth and his "orchid culture rules" always were shrouded in foul language that kept my mother at the other end of his greenhouse! Fond memories!
In a greenhouse you actually have less control over the drying times than in a room under lights. When I grew in greenhouses I pretty much followed the 3:00 rule because you never know what the next hour of natural weather might bring. Now that I am growing in a room under lights I don't care what the weather is outside, everyday is the same inside, misters go off at about 3:00 and the lights dry things out before dark.
I will also add that back when we grew Phalaenopsis commercially in greenhouses I spent time every late afternoon or evening checking crowns in the plants for water. If there was water I blotted it out with a paper towel.
That is just part of growing, a job or oppertunity to visit and enjoy the plants. A person might figure it is easier and safer just to keep water off of the foliage but through years of experience and trial and error I learned that the plants grow better when you wet their leaves. I have no scientific paper to prove that, just what I have observed in my lifetime with orchids.
Bear in mind I was around to buy some on the first drip emitters when they came out. Little spaghetti tubes with lead weights. The sub irrigation worked great as a time saver but I did learn that the plants grew better with overhead watering. Then later along came ebb and flow. That worked too but even though it soaked the media better than drip the plants still grew better when they got their leaves wet.
Finally after living for some years in the tropical rainforest I have learned without any doubt that plants that come from a rainforest or wet environment really do like their showers. In fact every living thing in the rainforest is happy and excited after water falls on them.
Anyways Ray please don't think I was picking on you. I respect the things you have learned and appreciate hearing what you have to say.
oke: I think you forgot bat poop (which is like concentrated digested insects).
