Air movement improves orchid nutrition

[DirtyCoconuts]

as someone who grows almost all my orchids outside in a windy(ish) area, my plants are happy and easier to maintain when i lean into the environment *use way open, inorganic medium; water a lot when there is not rain* as opposed to try to fight against it, the plants are happier

i have phals that keep flowers 4-5 months and they are tossed about in the breeze

[rbarata]

I haven't confirmed but common sense tells me that the evaporation rate under an air flow 90% RH is different from an air flow 60% RH, and so on.
This means, the higher the humidity the less important is evaporation in the equation.
Adding to this, air doesn't have any nutrient in its content. It might be present in the water droplets but for that to happen, without any artificial device (mister or similar), RH must be at almost 100%.

If you think this doesn't add anything valuable to the discussion, that means I haven't understood the original post.

[K-Sci]

Originally Posted by rbarata

I haven't confirmed but common sense tells me that the evaporation rate under an air flow 90% RH is different from an air flow 60% RH, and so on.
This means, the higher the humidity the less important is evaporation in the equation.

Without question. The implication is that a RH that is too high may reduce nutrient uptake at the roots. I've never heard this or seen studies, but it would follow.

Adding to this, air doesn't have any nutrient in its content. It might be present in the water droplets but for that to happen, without any artificial device (mister or similar), RH must be at almost 100%.

I agree that the air itself doesn't deliver nutrients. I'm not sure what the point is here, however.

If you think this doesn't add anything valuable to the discussion, that means I haven't understood the original post.

The first part of your post makes sense, but the second part doesn't seem to be addressing the post, so maybe I wasn't terribly clear in the original post.

All my original post says is that that higher airflow causes higher transpiration. Water lost via transpiration must be replaced by water taken in by the roots. That water would have nutrients in it. Therefore, increasing airflow would should result in more nutrients brought into the plant via its roots.

Thanks for your post!

-Keith

---------- Post added at 02:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:32 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Roberta

I sense here an attempt to "micromanage" the orchid growing process. All of the factors are interrelated, so for good growth, they just need the basics - light, air, temperature, water in the correct amounts. A small amount of fertilizer, but the details not all that important, The rest takes care of itself. Tweaking one factor in the absence of the others is not going to make miracles. There aren't any magic potions.

Providing orchids with good air movement is often described as a horticultural requirement for fungal and bacterial disease prevention. I'm not sure how having another reason would be micromanaging.

-Keith

[estación seca]

I think the point is plants that transpire more must take up more water to survive, so under such conditions plants are able to take up more fertilizer if present in the water.

[Roberta]

I sense here an attempt to "micromanage" the orchid growing process. All of the factors are interrelated, so for good growth, they just need the basics - light, air, temperature, water in the correct amounts. A small amount of fertilizer, but the details not all that important, The rest takes care of itself. Tweaking one factor in the absence of the others is not going to make miracles. There aren't any magic potions.

[Roberta]

Air movement is certainly important - to prevent disease, also to provide the wet-dry cycle that most epiphyitic orchids need (to various degrees) As a factor in nutrition to be managed, that's the micro-managing part. I would consider the variation in amount of nutrition to be a miniscule fraction of the benefits of air movement, which overall is VERY important. But then, I consider nutrition in general to be a relatively minor factor in orchid culture, for the vast majority of orchid types. Other parameters are far more important. Get the other factors correct, then the details of fertilizer may make a difference.

[K-Sci]

Originally Posted by Roberta

I consider nutrition in general to be a relatively minor factor in orchid culture, for the vast majority of orchid types.

How about posting some current flower photos to prove it. That is what we grow orchid for, isn't it. -Keith

---------- Post added at 08:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:06 PM ----------

Originally Posted by rbarata

Not quite right, IMO. If the air flow has a high humidity, the plant would have a lower transpiration rate, which means less water is need to be absorbed. So, less nutrients.
This is a very simplistic view but I think it's correct.

Wouldn't growing orchids at 100% RH for any period of time result in fatalities due to disease?

-Keith

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by K-Sci

How about posting some current flower photos to prove it. That is what we grow orchid for, isn't it. -Keith[COLOR="Silver"]

Plenty of recent pix on the Southern California Orchid Species blog (link in my signature)... My section is a little sparse for the current month only because I couldn't get out out the yard to take a lot of photos due to health issues. I also have pretty much the same collection of L. anceps and relatives as my cohort on the blog, not a lot of point in repeating them (It's L anceps season...). And as I have stated often before, I fertilize very lightly when I get around to it. And in prior months, many, many more blooming species - all current for the month prior to each page. So enjoy... Not enough hours in the day to post the same photos in multiple places just for bragging rights.

[rbarata]

Originally Posted by K-Sci

Wouldn't growing orchids at 100% RH for any period of time result in fatalities due to disease?

Well, some orchids grow in (or near almost of the time) 100% RH environments (cloud forests, for ex).

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by Roberta

Air movement is certainly important - to prevent disease, also to provide the wet-dry cycle that most epiphyitic orchids need (to various degrees).

I totally agree with that. I took these pics this afternoon - new years day in Australia. These plants (Angcm. eburneum and Den. discolor) generally get the nice natural air-flow --- and are very sun-hardened. These have been absolutely zero maintenance - except for needing to water them - which is done with the automatic 'hunter' pop-up lawn sprinklers, which also waters the lawn grass at the same time.

They have never been attacked by mealybugs or scale or anything for a few decades. Never got any disease such as fungal attacks or bacterial rot etc. These plants seem to be 'right at home' and having a great time out there. They withstand big rains, and searing heat, intense sunlight etc.

And no manual fertilising of any kind ever done for these ones. Still growing in their original pots of scoria. Never repotted heheh ----- so a lot of the plants are actually hanging outside of the pots.

Pic 1

This other pic is also a eburneum - just growing nicely under something ------ zero maintenance as well. No manual fertiliser. They really probably don't need much - as Roberta mentioned.

Pic 2