# Orchid Room



## Justin (Jun 29, 2013)

Hi All, 

Wanted to share these pics of my plants in their new orchid room. These are mostly rothschildianum and related multifloral Paphs. With all the seedlings coming up I need to build another lightstand this year.


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## SlipperFan (Jun 29, 2013)

Beautiful stands. You have good skills. Plants look great, also.


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## mrhappyrotter (Jun 29, 2013)

This is me being jealous.

Technically speaking, my bedroom is my orchid room. I've got two stands as well, but I stick with T-8 lighting to supplement the ambient light from my window.

I'm assuming the plants in the first photo get compact flouros or some combination of sodium vapor & mercury halides?


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## Justin (Jun 29, 2013)

Thanks! the mature plants and divisions are under a 250w Metal Halide lamp. The seedlings are under 4 x 48" T-12 fluorescent and compact fluorescent lamps. 

I am going to add an HPS lamp for my next lightstand.


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## JeanLux (Jun 30, 2013)

Lots of strong healthy plants :clap: !!!! Jean


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## Trithor (Jun 30, 2013)

Your plants look great. I have never grown any plants under light, so the finer principles of it escape me.
What do you have n flask?


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## NYEric (Jun 30, 2013)

Nice, ..but.. you really need to commit and give those puppies more space..


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## goldenrose (Jun 30, 2013)

NYEric said:


> Nice, ..but.. you really need to commit and give those puppies more space..


:rollhappy::rollhappy:
way too neat, clean & orderly too!
GREAT job Justin!


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## Justin (Jun 30, 2013)

LOL Eric. 

Trithor the flasks are all Paph stonei.


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## NYEric (Jun 30, 2013)

How can you keep the plants along just one wall!? :rollhappy:


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## Trithor (Jul 1, 2013)

Are 9 of those stonei flasks mine?


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## Justin (Jul 1, 2013)

ha unfortunately the are all spoken for


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## eOrchids (Jul 1, 2013)

Great setup and healthy looking plants, Justin!


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## Rick (Jul 1, 2013)

Those plant look pretty dang happy Justin:clap::clap:


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## Cheyenne (Jul 3, 2013)

Justin, the plants look great. If you do not want to go out into the room further you can make your shelves taller. I have similar set up. I bought plastic shelves from home depot. The corner posts were round so I put pvc pipe extentions in to raise the shelves and make more room between them. Then have florescents on every shelf. I also built my own out of wood and stained them. You could get two or three more shelves above those plants in the same square footage.


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## Justin (Jul 3, 2013)

Thanks, Cheyenne we grow the same kinds of plants too so I’d love to see some pics of your setup! 

One more stand will accommodate the seedlings when they are all in 4" pots, but most of my roths don't bloom until they get to 5" pots, so that is when space becomes an issue!

Another aspect of the system i need to improve is is watering. Seedlings are in slotted trays nested into closed-bottom trays, so I can slide out the trays, remove the slotted tray, water, and put back.

But i need to reinforce the trays under the big plants so i can water into them then maybe pump out the water with a shopvac. For now i have to move the big plants to the sink or outside to water and it takes forever. Any tips on how other indoor growers solve for watering would be appreciated.

In the summer temps around the plants are 74F and humidity is about 55-60%. I'm sure my plants would grow much better in the heat and humidity of a greenhouse, but that is probably 10 years away so they will have to hang in there for now.


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## Trithor (Jul 3, 2013)

Whew! You have my sympathies. This is hardcore! I just slip on a pair of swim trunks and and wage aqua-war with a garden hose as my trusty sidearm


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## Cheyenne (Jul 3, 2013)

Justin said:


> Thanks, Cheyenne we grow the same kinds of plants too so I’d love to see some pics of your setup!
> 
> One more stand will accommodate the seedlings when they are all in 4" pots, but most of my roths don't bloom until they get to 5" pots, so that is when space becomes an issue!
> 
> ...



I had the same problem with watering. So what I did was bought plastic trays that had edges high enough that I could drill a hole and install a pvc fitting with rubber grommets to make it water tight. Then I ran pvc off the pans together and flow into a five gallon bucket. Then when it is full I just dump it outside. For some shelves I could not find plastic trays the right size. So i just bought sheet metal and bent the accordingly then followed the same drain process. Now I don't have to move the plants.


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## Justin (Jul 3, 2013)

Ah, good idea...i will have to work out a plan for that.


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## NYEric (Jul 3, 2013)

I just water! :crazy:


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## orchid527 (Jul 4, 2013)

Justin

Thanks for taking the time to show us your growing area. The plants are very healthy, but it looks like they want to burst out of that space. I suspect once the watering issue is resolved, they will take over the room.

I have a friend with a similar set up and she puts her trays into larger tubs. The entire tub is transported to a sink where the trays are watered. It is a hassle, but it keeps the floor dry. 

I like the idea of putting drains into trays and catching the water in a bucket. 

Mike


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## Chicago Chad (Jul 12, 2013)

Justin- I have seen much larger/ sturdier tubs that would allow you to drain water as Cheyenne mentioned. (that is the best method I have seen/used) One place to check that many do not is at car part stores (AutoZone and such). They are often used for oil and things like that. They have some that would definitely work but since you are using a predesigned setup, it may take some hunting. 

The less optimal way I deal with runoff, aside from dragging them all to the sink, is the old bucket technique/ not the cleanest, not the prettiest, but it works. The way I used it without moving the plants was doing something similar as mentioned, but I used 1/2" plastic valves for hydroponic setups. I fit them into the same 11 x 22" tubs you are using and then ran the 1/2" plastic tubing into the valves. This allowed me to take the drainage hoses off and not loose the residual water in the tubs. What I like is it is not permanent, it is cheap and relatively painless. You can also run the same tubing from tub to tub and then only drain the last one. I usually increased the HT of the tubs, one to the next and allowed gravity to push/ pull the water.


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## Justin (Jul 12, 2013)

Thanks for all the feedback and watering ideas everyone!

Yes these shelves are just bursting at the seams. i am going to add a whole new lightstand stand later this year which will relieve some of the overpopulation. At that time i'll implement a better watering system as well. 

When i was buying a lot of orchid flasks, i had envisioned an entire grow room, with HID lamps hanging from the ceiling and big tables full of plants. But i don't think that will ever happen so i will have to make due with lightstands until i build a greenhouse sometime in the next 10 years...


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## Chicago Chad (Jul 12, 2013)

> When i was buying a lot of orchid flasks, i had envisioned an entire grow room, with HID lamps hanging from the ceiling and big tables full of plants. Like a weed operation...



Yep. It's called 'my bedroom'!


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## naoki (Jul 12, 2013)

Following up on Cheyenn and Chad's suggestion, if you need a custom or larger size tray, you can make one with plywood. Fish people frequently make giant aquarium (in which you can probably swim) from plywood, and they suggest several kinds of paint to waterproof it water. I went with one of the cheaper options, roofing paint from Walmart (I believe it's about $12 for a gallon). After waterproofing, I caulked it. I've been using it over a year, and it's been holding well. Mine is 2x3', and I wanted it to fit into a plexiglass enclosure I use for quarantine/acclimation.


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