Do i need a humidifier?

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biothanasis

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Hllo all,

I have notice that some days the humidity reaches 35% and some other times 60%! how can I make humidity rise without buying a humidifier? I think that 60% is when the trays are having water, but shouldn't it be a little higher (75%)? Should I cover my area with "plastic cloth" used for gh? Any ideas in general? Thank you in advance...

Best regards,
Thanasis
 
Thanasis

Ray's articles are good starting points.

I started out my small collection without humidity control in 2001, and went through the complete evolution to building my own wet pad after 7 years of trying all kinds of things from hand misting, automated misters, and foggers.

I noticed a night and day difference in the health and growth of my orchids when I first started control humidity in 2002-2003, and with each upgrade things got even better.

So I would endorse enclosing your collection and using a humidifier with the bottom end humidity level of 60%.

I know there are many species of orchids that do fine with extended periods of lower humidity, (many parvi species and hybrids). But for me they have done even better at continuously higher humidities.
 
Yes - thanks very much for those links!

I really must give this some serious thought as well; I feel guilty keeping orchids in such a dry environment. I have them on humidity trays now, but even with that I'm lucky to see 35% humidity. It's so darn dry here in the winter! I really should consider a humidifier in my orchid room...

The one thing that will help out very soon, is that I start seeds indoors in the same room, and that seems to increase the humidity significantly. Must get after that today...
 
I've commented on other threads about humidity trays. Although they don't actually do much to raise humidity in an open room situation, they do act as great catch-alls.
 
Hello,

Thank you all for sharing your experience and knowledge!!!!! I guess it would be better if I bought a humidifier and enclose my collection!!!! Thank you all again...

Take care... :)
 
I grow my orchids in a small room adjacent to a bathroom. I think the room was originally designed as a place to change clothes after swimming in the pool, it is quite small. My 3 tier fluorescent light cart takes up one wall, and a ceiling fan is constantly going on medium speed. Here in the humid South, 50%+ humidity was the norm until the weather got cold; then my humidity dropped as low as 35% for most of the time.

I did a lot of shopping, and finally settled on the Honeywell HCM-6012 11 gallon humidifier from Lowes, for a little more than $100. There are 2 water tanks in the unit, and I fill them both up every morning -- they are usually empty by the next morning. So far I have been very happy with it. It is easy to fill with water, it keeps my humidity near 60%, it is not very loud, and it was not terribly expensive. I anticipate that I will only need to use it during cold weather.

I think Ray and Candace are right, the humidity trays don't do much if anything. I have trays under my plants that stay full of water, and without the humidifier going, the humidity was 35%.
 
I was going to start a new thread but I'll just tack it on to this thread.

Though this is not the solution for everybody it appears it has solved the problem of low humidity for my setup (a light stand approximately 2’ X 4’ X 7’ with two shelves that is totally enclosed). I have been relying solely on humidity trays and though they certainly help in my setup they did not achieve the higher humidity the orchids really needed. I have had the notion that if I could find an ultrasonic humidifier that I could duct to the two locations I would have the problem licked. The problem had been finding a humidifier that had an outlet that would be round and of a size that would accept a common pipe size. Sunday I found what I was looking for. It is manufactured by Sunbeam and is their model #700/701. It is being sold by Walgreens under their brand name though the box clearly indicates that it is made by Sunbeam. It is touted as having an output of 2 gallons a day with a 20-hour continuous operation on a single filling.


Here is a picture of the apparatus as I have assembled it. Not the prettiest thing in the world but when I get it painted like the stand I think it will be ok. I would have loved to have it on the end but there was no easy to get to the humidifier to refill it.

humidifieref8.jpg


A couple pictures of the mist being discharged and a shot of one of the hygrometers.

topfogsmep4.jpg

bottomfogsmly9.jpg

instrumentsmtt2.jpg

:rollhappy:
If there are people that want the particulars of what size pipe I am using just say so and I will make another post with the details.

Now for my questions: Do I keep the humidity at this level or do I use the timer to switch it on and off so that a lesser humidity level is maintained? Do I run it 24/7 or do I turn it off at night? Are there downsides / problems that come with the increased humidity that I need to watch for?
 
You're so clever! I wouldn't run it at night and you'll have to keep an eye out for rot on the plants/water collecting in the crowns.
 
Oh man, that's an amazing set up!

My hubby would flip if I tried that though; he'd be worried about paint peeling from the walls and stippling coming off the ceiling etc. because of the high humidity; my orchids are growing in a spare bedroom of our house. As it is, we wrestle for control of the central humidistat in our home; he likes to keep it down low in the winter or else our windows ice up when it's really cold. I surreptiously turn it up for my poor orchids whenever I can...:eek:

I'm sure I've got one of those pad humidifiers somewhere; time to bring it out I think.

This is a great thread!
 
Now for my questions: Do I keep the humidity at this level or do I use the timer to switch it on and off so that a lesser humidity level is maintained? Do I run it 24/7 or do I turn it off at night? Are there downsides / problems that come with the increased humidity that I need to watch for?

That's a great setup Ed, and allot prettier than allot of stuff I've put together. Paint the pipe flat black and no one will know its there.

Any way all of my humidity devices are controlled by humidistats. Green house quality (you can get from WW Grainger too) will cost in the $60 to $80 range. Otherwise I scavenged mine out of a bunch of junked Walgreens humidifiers (very ugly but cheap and effective). You need to find a good air circulation area to set the sensor and away you go at whatever you set it too.
 
Any way all of my humidity devices are controlled by humidistats. Green house quality (you can get from WW Grainger too) will cost in the $60 to $80 range. Otherwise I scavenged mine out of a bunch of junked Walgreens humidifiers (very ugly but cheap and effective). You need to find a good air circulation area to set the sensor and away you go at whatever you set it too.

The humidistat would cost twice what the humidifier set up cost at that rate, but we use a lot of humidistats, supplied and installed by a sub., in our work at the facililities we construct so maybe I can get one of the old workable ones we have replaced.
 
The humidistat would cost twice what the humidifier set up cost at that rate, but we use a lot of humidistats, supplied and installed by a sub., in our work at the facililities we construct so maybe I can get one of the old workable ones we have replaced.

Way to Scrounge!!

The other way I like to look at it is that even a new off the shelf humidistat is less than the cost of the last two sanderianum seedlings I paid for.
 
I have not paid that much for an orchid yet but I know it's coming. I just want to feel more comfortable with them first.
 
I have not paid that much for an orchid yet but I know it's coming. I just want to feel more comfortable with them first.

It's allot harder to kill a humidistat than a sanderianum:poke:

Also I think you'll be amazed as to how fast your confidence will grow when you have a good setup, and see the growth results.
 

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