My orchidarium/basement greenhouse

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.

 

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!

 

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:

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



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...


Hope this is informative!