# My closet.



## BlazingAugust (Dec 15, 2011)

Okay, so in my intro thread, I stated that I grew my orchids in a closet. So, here, I am going to introduce my closet. 

So, here are the doors.






And with them open.





Here is the bottom level, where I have all my Catts and Bulbos.





And here is the top level, where I have all my Phals and my two large mounts.





Since these photos are a month or so old, there has been changes since then. I have nailed twine between the two front legs and between the two back legs on the bottom level, so I hang about another 10 'chids on that. I can take pics of it and post it here later to show it to make it easier to understand what I did.


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## ehanes7612 (Dec 15, 2011)

yes...brings back memories


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## nikv (Dec 15, 2011)

Looks like a nice setup!


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## SlipperFan (Dec 15, 2011)

Looks like you have a very good start on an excellent collection.


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## Clark (Dec 15, 2011)

Very cool!


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## Justin (Dec 15, 2011)

nice healthy plants! Try to get them under a MH or HPS lamp sometime soon.


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## Paph_LdyMacBeth (Dec 15, 2011)

Everything looks really healthy and you're doing a great job! 
We Canadians are crafty people


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## John M (Dec 15, 2011)

Excellent start at a great collection, Cody. Yup; brings back memories for me too!


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## Orchidnut57 (Dec 15, 2011)

Very innovative:clap:


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## cnycharles (Dec 15, 2011)

looks good! welcome from upstate ny! also it looks like your top light could come down almost a foot or at least 8"...


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## Rick (Dec 15, 2011)

That'll work. Needs more paphs.:wink:


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## eggshells (Dec 15, 2011)

Looks nice and neat. You should see the miscellaneous thread by NYEric to get some great inspiration.


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## NYEric (Dec 15, 2011)

What he means is, you could get another level of plants under the lights! 
I would recommend you get them up from directly on the floor also.


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## BlazingAugust (Dec 16, 2011)

Lol, thanks everyone for the compliments! For the top level, where the T5's are now, my phals are getting around 1,600 fc, and bringing it down would also give me less light in the edges. For the bottom, they are all in trays, so no worries there. My next stand will have a plywood base, as it is going to be out in the open in my bedroom, which is in the blazing hot upstairs. Then, after that, I will build a similar stand in the basement for Paphs.


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## Yoyo_Jo (Dec 16, 2011)

Paph_LdyMacBeth said:


> ...We Canadians are crafty people



oke: You meant crazy, not crafty, right? :rollhappy:



Very cool set up and welcome to the forum BlazingAugust!


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## Marc (Dec 16, 2011)

Nice setup you have there, I grow indoors as well but I still haven't setup any artificial lighting.


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## goldenrose (Dec 16, 2011)

That's wonderful! I would think you could improve your current lighting by painting the inside walls white or using that reflective material, Mylar I believe it's called.


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## eggshells (Dec 16, 2011)

goldenrose said:


> That's wonderful! I would think you could improve your current lighting by painting the inside walls white or using that reflective material, Mylar I believe it's called.



I agree or you could just get reflectors for T5 to boost the lumens.If I knew a metal sheet worker. I would have an idea on how to do it.


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## cnycharles (Dec 16, 2011)

ah, I had forgotten from your first posts that your lights are t-5's; my advice was based on standard t-8's, so nevermind! 




eggshells said:


> I agree or you could just get reflectors for T5 to boost the lumens.If I knew a metal sheet worker. I would have an idea on how to do it.


 or, you could use coat hangers and aluminum foil over the lights, duct tape to hold in position (or that mylar; you can get rolls of it). if you sneak things that your parents buy already, then you don't have to make a special request


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## Heather (Dec 16, 2011)

Hehe, I like the introduction - with the door picture. Made me smile. 
Nice collection, but you definitely need some slippers!


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## BlazingAugust (Dec 16, 2011)

Well, since I'm cheap, I could just tape aluminum foil to the wall, but no painting or stapeling, I would be dead for sure! I DO have aluminum that I draped over Tue top of the lights, so that helps.


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## Shiva (Dec 16, 2011)

As your collection gets bigger and larger, you'll think of crazyer schemes to accomodate your plants. I went through a lot of crazy schemes through my 30 years growing orchids, including a whole appartement with a blue swimming pool tarp covering the floor and going up the walls fixed by duct tape. I had flat stones on the floor to walk on and keep my feet dry. And that was on the second floor of a co-op building.:rollhappy:


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## cnycharles (Dec 16, 2011)

if you could convince your parents to put closet organizer shelving into your closet, then you could move your shelves up and down and hang the lights from the shelf hangers. my landlord this spring redid the bedrooms and put these in, they're nice. I don't think they cost too much; you just put up two or three of those slotted rails that go on the wall, and then get the shelves and supports that fit those 'rails' (I can take a pic of mine if you need but you probably get the idea)





Shiva said:


> As your collection gets bigger and larger, you'll think of crazyer schemes to accomodate your plants. I went through a lot of crazy schemes through my 30 years growing orchids, including a whole appartement with a blue swimming pool tarp covering the floor and going up the walls fixed by duct tape. I had flat stones on the floor to walk and keep my feet dry. And that was on the second floor of a coop building.:rollhappy:



OMG! I never thought of that! .... now I can water with a hose!  (I think my landlord would have canaries...) :rollhappy:


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## BlazingAugust (Dec 16, 2011)

Well, as for innovation, there is the twine that I hung to hang some 'chids from, so that made some extra room.


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## eggshells (Dec 16, 2011)

Another thing too is if you want to grow multifloral paphs and want to use a HID light. You can buy those clothes rack and suspend the HID there. then you don't have to construct anything. you can suspend T5's too if you got the reflector. 4 T5's 

Thanks to Paphman910 for that idea lol


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## John M (Dec 16, 2011)

Shiva said:


> As your collection gets bigger and larger, you'll think of crazyer schemes to accomodate your plants. I went through a lot of crazy schemes through my 30 years growing orchids, including a whole appartement with a blue swimming pool tarp covering the floor and going up the walls fixed by duct tape. I had flat stones on the floor to walk on and keep my feet dry. And that was on the second floor of a co-op building.:rollhappy:



LOL! That sounds like something I'd do! When I was a teenager, I built a sturdy frame out of 4 x 4's that stood on the 4 corner posts of my bed. Then, I attached a 4' x 7' sheet of plywood and put on 6" high sides. I lined that with heavy guage plastic and filled it with water! I had a 24 sq ft pond in my bedroom above my bed! I put inverted clay pots in the water and stood an orchid pot on top of each one. Above the plants was an 8', 4 tube fluorescent fixture supplementing the ample natural light that came in from a very large, south facing window. The orchids thrived and the tropical fish I put in the pond did very well and had babies many times. 

I also built a Budgie flight cage (24" horizontal, 18" vertical and 16 feet long), and hung it from the ceiling! My bedroom was an oddly shaped addition to the house: 8' wide and about 20' long.

Years later, I had a flock of Button Quail living lose in my 20' x 20' furnace room in the basement. I even had a hen go broody and incubate her own eggs and raise her chicks to adulthood. That was cool!


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## BlazingAugust (Dec 16, 2011)

Thanks for all the ideas for future reference. Since the T5's are pretty bright, here is what I am thinking for the Paph stand. I will have one 4' 10,000 K fixture with reflector smack dab in the middle, and then two 4' 6,400 K fixtures on each side. This will give me enough light to be aboe to have the roof nearly 3' above them, which will give plenty room for spikes, which is what I want. I will also be able to hang plenty of mounts along the side. I will probably follow this plan for the other stand I will be putting in my bedroom.


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## BlazingAugust (Dec 16, 2011)

Wow!!! A frame above your bed!!!! I SOO would love to do that!!!!


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## Shiva (Dec 16, 2011)

John M said:


> LOL! That sounds like something I'd do!




The funniest thing about it is how perfectly natural it seemed to be for my friends to walk into the bottom a swimming pool on the second floor of an appartment building,


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## Shiva (Dec 16, 2011)

John M said:


> When I was a teenager, I built a sturdy frame out of 4 x 4's that stood on the 4 corner posts of my bed. Then, I attached a 4' x 7' sheet of plywood and put on 6" high sides. I lined that with heavy guage plastic and filled it with water! I had a 24 sq ft pond in my bedroom above my bed! I put inverted clay pots in the water and stood an orchid pot on top of each one. Above the plants was an 8', 4 tube fluorescent fixture supplementing the ample natural light that came in from a very large, south facing window. The orchids thrived and the tropical fish I put in the pond did very well and had babies many times.



This just in: 

''MAN DROWN IN HIS BED WITH FISH ALL OVER HIM; POLICE NOT SURE WHAT HAPPENED!''


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## SlipperFan (Dec 16, 2011)

:rollhappy:


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## biothanasis (Dec 16, 2011)

Very nice growing area!!!!


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## eggshells (Dec 16, 2011)

Shiva said:


> This just in:
> 
> ''MAN DROWN IN HIS BED WITH FISH ALL OVER HIM; POLICE NOT SURE WHAT HAPPENED!''



Lol thats funny.


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## John M (Dec 17, 2011)

*LOL! * :rollhappy: I was an odd kid.


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## John M (Dec 17, 2011)

Shiva said:


> This just in:
> 
> ''MAN DROWN IN HIS BED WITH FISH ALL OVER HIM; POLICE NOT SURE WHAT HAPPENED!''



....And unfortunately, the Budgies aren't talkin'!


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## quietaustralian (Dec 17, 2011)

BlazingAugust said:


>



Nice collection!

I'm an art conservator, I specialise in books and art on paper. Occasionally I give lectures on the care of rare books, maps etc. 

Any chance I could use the above pic?

Regards and thanks, Mick


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## BlazingAugust (Dec 17, 2011)

quietaustralian said:


> Nice collection!
> 
> I'm an art conservator, I specialise in books and art on paper. Occasionally I give lectures on the care of rare books, maps etc.
> 
> ...



Lol, sure!


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## cnycharles (Dec 17, 2011)

will the caption be, "how not to store your first-edition collector's books" ? 

i'll bet those books are text books from school (algebra, differential equations, sociology, home ec)


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## John M (Dec 17, 2011)

cnycharles said:


> will the caption be, "how not to store your first-edition collector's books" ?
> 
> i'll bet those books are text books from school (algebra, differential equations, sociology, home ec)



I noticed the use of the books as well and thought "Hmmmm...maybe not so good?" However, I didn't say anything because the pot shouldn't call the kettle black! After all, when I grew thousands of plants in my basement, I watered with a hose. The floor is cement and the walls are stone and mortar. However, I rusted out the steel jackposts that were holding up the first floor and had to replace them! :sob:


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## Lycaste53 (Dec 17, 2011)

I propose to have a look at these beautiful plants and that beautiful and clean closet- setting two years later. Maybe there will be only one, who survives
Best regards, Gina


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## BlazingAugust (Dec 17, 2011)

Don't worry about the books. They are all outdated, unused books that I found.


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## Orchidnut57 (Dec 17, 2011)

Shiva said:


> The funniest thing about it is how perfectly natural it seemed to be for my friends to walk into the bottom a swimming pool on the second floor of an appartment building,



And that is why they are called FRIENDS:rollhappy:


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## hchan (Dec 17, 2011)

Lycaste53 said:


> I propose to have a look at these beautiful plants and that beautiful and clean closet- setting two years later. Maybe there will be only one, who survives
> Best regards, Gina



With a bit of care, there's no reason why they won't do well. It's no more unusual than people with basement setups. Depending on how aggressive you are with the humidity levels I guess you might run the risk of getting some mildew on the walls and carpet after a while


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