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My orchidarium/basement greenhouse

Discussion in 'Growing Areas' started by cflorian, Jan 22, 2015.

  1. cflorian

    cflorian Member

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    Location:
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    Here are some photos of my basement growing area, mostly inspired by posts on this forum. It has been running since June 2012 and I just now finally feel like I have a handle on how to grow orchids indoors.

    The dimensions are approximately 10' long, 7' tall and 3.5' deep. Lighting is a 400w ceramic metal halide on a light rail that constantly moves from one side to the other. There are supplemental LEDs on each end, CREE XM-L neutral whites on DIY fixtures from rapidled. I haven't really been happy with the color from the neutral whites, so at some point I will swap a few out for warm whites to see if that helps.

    Watering used to be done by a sump pump sprinkler system on a timer, but I could never get the water even enough that way. Now I water by hand using a sump pump with a garden hose attached. I have a Mist King setup for the wet growers which runs every day. I use RO water and for 2 years was way under fertilizing.. after seeing widespread deficiencies develop I now fertilize at 150-200 PPM TDS with every watering. I alternate MSU and KLite every two weeks. The left side is bright and dry, the right side is shady and damp.

    Temperatures are a huge compromise between the warm and cool growers that I have.. so I try to keep things between 60 and 83 degrees.. but I am considering building a cool orchidarium this summer so I don't have to try to keep the temps down so much in this enclosure..

    There are about 120/130 species.. mostly purchased back in the early 2000s when I was growing in California.

    P1050169-1.jpg P1050168-1.jpg


    P1050170-1.jpg
    P1050066-1.jpg
     
  2. naoki

    naoki Well-Known Member

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    Very nice, plants look happy there! How do you deal with humidity (isolate humidity from the house structure) and water drain?
     
  3. KellyW

    KellyW Orchid wonk Staff Member Supporting Member

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    Thats great. I'm impressed. What is the varigated plant in the lower right?
     
  4. cflorian

    cflorian Member

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    Thanks naoki! I constantly vent to the outside using a 4" in-line duct fan. Luckily in Colorado the ambient humidity is so low that this is sufficient. The vent fan also helps keep the air inside the orchidarium fresh.

    The bottom of the structure is pond liner with some drain holes cut into it. Plastic tubs catch the effluent, which I have to pump out every couple weeks. Originally I designed the floor with a slope to drain only on the right side.. but my slope was insufficient and I had to add additional drains.

    Kelly, the variegated plant is a philodendron that I had in the house but moved in there to get watered while I was on vacation a while ago.. it has since become a weed (see the other photos)! I am thinking about trying to rip it out, I can send you some if you want!
     
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  5. Marni

    Marni Well-Known Member Staff Member Supporting Member

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    Well done! You did a great job on the case. The plants look very healthy and well settled in.
     
  6. Alexey

    Alexey Well-Known Member Supporting Member

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    Great setup! Plants look healthy. What kind of symptoms they had at the time of mineral deficiencies?
     
  7. goods

    goods Well-Known Member Supporting Member

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    Very nice looking!!

    Kelly, the variegated vine is the juvenile form of Scindapsus pictus. It's an aroid from SE Asia.
     
  8. cflorian

    cflorian Member

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    Thanks goods for the id. of that vine, I like it more now that I know the name! Just wish it would stop sending roots into everything it passes...

    Alexey, many of the plants still show symptoms of deficiencies on older growths.. Mostly cholorosis and leaf tip necrosis due to insufficient Mg and Ca (I think..). I thought it was a fungal problem at first, but realized it was a nutrient issue when repeated spraying of Cleary's 3336 didn't help. Symptoms appeared suddenly last summer after more than a year of insufficient nutrients. Improvement has been slow (nothing good happens quickly in orchid growing of course) and mostly on the new growth. Here are a few photos:

    Old vs. new growth in a Coelogyne showing chlorotic older leaf: P1050222.JPG

    Leaves turning purple on a Barbosella handroi(in low light) P1050215.JPG



    Leaf tip dieback on a Dend. victoria-reginae, the leaves would die back and fall off almost immediately after growing so that only 4 or 5 were retained at the growing end of the cane. There has been no progression of the dieback since upping the ferts. Sorry, not the best photo...
    P1050213.JPG

    Hope this is informative!
     
  9. annabanana1987

    annabanana1987 Active Member

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    Amazing! !! Soon my basement will look like this too!
     
  10. Alexey

    Alexey Well-Known Member Supporting Member

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    Thank you for posting very informative obserations. I had similar experience growing under lights. Unfortunately, chlorotic discoloration is permanent on damaged leaves. When my collection was relocated into greenhouse - new growths were normal. I thought that discoloration have been caused by light intensity (sometimes we are underestimating artificial light). Your positive results after increasing ppm just confirm that plants under lights can have higher metabolism and can require more nutrients.
     
  11. xmpraedicta

    xmpraedicta Prairie angraecoid nut Supporting Member

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    Love this set up - amazing. What is the construction material you used for the tank? I'm also very curious about this light rail setup you have going! Any resources as to where you got the mechanism for this?

    I have also resorted to hand watering my tank - I can't find a good automatic waterer that functions effectively, but I am always on the look out for something that can work so that I can get away for a few weeks at a time without worrying too much.