# Orchidarium and set up



## OrchidIsa (Nov 2, 2013)

Hi 

Here is how I actually grow my orchids! I have some in a living room dedicated to my plants (but not for long... there are going to be soon installed in my office: south facing window but not as hot as the living room) and in an orchidarium I build with my father (and Erythrone for the technique specs/discussions).

So here is the room, and the window in the kitchen (those one are there to be acclimated).












And here is the orchidarium:

A closer look:





A full view:


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## dodidoki (Nov 2, 2013)

Great! Just like a laboratory!


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## Carkin (Nov 2, 2013)

I just love seeing how people are growing their orchids! Thank you for sharing your set up, it looks great! Do you notice a difference in growth between those in the living room versus those in the terrarium?


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## goldenrose (Nov 2, 2013)

:clap::clap: NICE!!! :clap::clap:


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## OrchidIsa (Nov 2, 2013)

Carkin said:


> I just love seeing how people are growing their orchids! Thank you for sharing your set up, it looks great! Do you notice a difference in growth between those in the living room versus those in the terrarium?



I can only compare for some plants (before and after) because some of them began their carreer in the living room and then, went to the orchida, when I built it. For those ones, yes there is a difference. The humidity is more constant and higher in the orchidarium. Some mounted plants like it a lot and were slow growers in the living room. Neofs like it a lot too as well as masdevallias. Some plants, like my oncidium papillio didn't like it AT ALL. Three pseudobulbs turned yellow and died before finishing growing, so it went back to the living room. Some phals prefered living room too (after testing). The room is facing south and when it's sunny, even if I have my shades, the temperature rises a lot (sometimes more than 90F) and the humidity drops (30%). For phrags and paphs, they are all in the living room and will soon be installed in my office. I'll see if they will be only on shelves or if I'll build another terra for keeping them in a 50% humidity/ 64F to 74F range.

About the masdevallias, they like the high humidity but since they are in the terra, none of them bloomed, as they were doing in the living room (but were more wrinkled because of the low humidity). Maybe I should try to give a bit more light to them but they are already a great green color... I think more light would be too much. I don't know...


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## Carkin (Nov 2, 2013)

Very interesting! Thank you


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## SlipperFan (Nov 2, 2013)

You have a lot of space you can fill!


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## OrchidIsa (Nov 2, 2013)

Yes Dot!! I have plenty of space  Just need to find what to put there! :rollhappy:


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## Kam.j (Nov 2, 2013)

*Fans on the terrarium*

I was curious as to how you rigged the fans on the terrarium!


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## OrchidIsa (Nov 2, 2013)

The fans? They are linked to the pc power supply on the top and the wires are passing along the pole (hidden by the grey cover). 






I can control the speed with this :






Tada!!


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## Mrs Sunshine (Nov 3, 2013)

Looks really great! Gets me inspired.


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## The Orchid Boy (Nov 3, 2013)

Nice! And so much empty space that needs to be filled.


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## Justin (Nov 3, 2013)

nice grow space!!!


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## Silvan (Nov 3, 2013)

Your plants in the living room looks quite happy there .. are you sure
you want to move them ? 
Love the orchidarium ..everything is all so neat and clean..


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## OrchidIsa (Nov 3, 2013)

Yes, I know, they look happy... and they mostly are! But the major problem is the sun and the (too) big windows. When we decided to build this room (it's an addition we did 2 years ago) I thought that big windows would be the best thing to do (for clarity and all). When it's sunny, the temperature rises too much in the room and the humidity drops at like 30% (summer and winter). I use a humidifier to keep humidity higher but in the winter, the air stays dry (sunny days) but the water streams in the windows!! Not a good thing!! And with dry air comes the mites... So, to avoid those problems, I build the orchidarium. After a few tests, some plants don't like the orchidarium and prefer the room. So, I decided to put them in my office where the window is smaller but facing south too. The humidity stays around 50% easier without the humidifier. I think it will be a lot better like this. Maybe I'll have to build another one for them too. I don't know. It will be the first winter for them in my office.


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## NYEric (Nov 3, 2013)

Nice living room. reminds me how mine used to be.  Tabks for sharing. Phals grow warm - hot, and humid, but not sunny. Which masdies do you have?


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## OrchidIsa (Nov 4, 2013)

Here is the list of the masdies I have:

Masdevallia Angel Tang
Masdevallia Cassiope
Masdevallia Charisma
Masdevallia confetti
Masdevallia estradae
Masdevallia figueroae
Masdevallia fractiflexa
Masdevallia Ignea
Masdevallia Machu Picchu ‘Crown Point’
Masdevallia Norops
Masdevallia pachyura
Masdevallia Redwing
Masdevallia spiderman
Masdevallia Sunny Angel 'Sunnyside Up'
Masdevallia Tuakau Candy
Masdevallia venusta


I know some of them are supposed to be cool growers but I still decided to try them. Some are new (here less then a month), some are 2 years old.


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## NYEric (Nov 4, 2013)

Try a couple of the cool ones outside. In the provinces in full Sun they would be OK. If you have an ultrasonic fogger try that with the rest. a cool mist and strong air-flow should make them happy.


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## JeanLux (Nov 4, 2013)

Masdies are soo cool!!!! I buy them ever again, just for one blooming of a coccinea f.ex.  !! (Have some veitchiana since more than 1 year now !!). Jean


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## OrchidIsa (Nov 4, 2013)

I will try some of them outside next spring, not now for sure!! The weather is getting colder and colder and masdies like cool temperature, they don't want to freeze! This morning we were at 17F outside (-8C).

I can't have a fogger in the living room, I have a hardwood floors and still don't want to have that much water in the air (and windows). That's why I'll keep them in another room or build another orchidarium.


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## mSummers (Jan 13, 2015)

Sorry for digging up an old post, but I have a couple questions about your orchidarium build. Did you build the frame yourself? If so where did you find the aluminum extrusions? Also did you use glass or acrylic?


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## NYEric (Jan 14, 2015)

Gee!? Welcome to the forum.


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## OrchidIsa (Jan 14, 2015)

No problem! Every post is there to be read and to be explored again and again!

Yes, I built the frame by myself because I wasn't able to find what I wanted in the needed dimensions. I bought this type of extrusions, here: http://www.8020.net/Quick-Frame-1.asp I found the prices and service to be really good.

I did use glass for the all the orchidarium and bought the rest of the accessories at my local hardware store. Aquarium silicone has been used to seal the glasses on the alu.

If you still have some questions, just ask


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## mSummers (Jan 15, 2015)

Thanks for the info on the frame! I've been looking for that profile, but couldn't find where to buy it.

Is there anything you would do differently if you built it again?


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## OrchidIsa (Jan 19, 2015)

Not really... Maybe only the set up for cooling the temperature at night. I actually use an air conditioning unit that exhaust in another room... It's noisy and not really nice to have a dryer hose on the floor  I thought at first that not heating the room would do the job but finally, it doesn't. I tried to find another way to cool it but I didn't find something better and smaller. So, I stick to this solution since it's working. Maybe someday...


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