Warm mist humidifier to raise orchid temp

[Mercurianmad]

Hi there. Does anyone use a warm mist humidifier to raise the temperature of their orchids?

[estación seca]

Warm mist is not efficient. A heat mat is probably best for just a few orchids. Before putting orchids onto it, put a pot onto the mat with a thermometer to be sure they won't cook.

A room space heater works if you have a room full of orchids.

Are you looking to the future? I seem to recall the temperatures you mentioned are fine now for your orchids.

[Mercurianmad]

I was just thinking for the vanda, how it would probably be happier being a bit warmer. They’ll probably be other questions in the future, like how do you hear an orchidarium 😅.

[estación seca]

78 F / 25.5C is fine for a Vanda seedling; outside now would be good, too, if you take care it doesn't sunburn. In an earlier message I suggested warmer temperatures; I forgot it's a small seedling, for which higher temperatures are not as important as preventing sunburn.

Ultrasonic humidifiers do well at raising ambient humidity. It might help in the winter when you are heating your house, and humidity drops very low. There are quite a few people here who have posted photos of their collections with ultrasonic humidifiers pointed at the plants in winter.

An orchidarium will be a fair amount of work, and managing a high-humidity growing environment is very different from what you have now. That is fine at first, but it can get wearing. Before getting a big terrarium, try growing a small high-humidity orchid in a large pickle jar. Or, a small second-hand aquarium with a glass top. If you use an aquarium, go to a hardware store and have them cut the cheapest window glass to fit the top of the aquarium. It will not fit tightly, so there is no reason to cut it a little short for air circulation. For a 5- or 10- gallon aquarium a single piece of glass is reasonable. Larger aquariums often have a crossbrace at the top; these need two pieces of glass. A 20-gallon tank will not have a cross brace, but you should still use 2 pieces of glass; one single piece will be far too easy to break when lifting. Use epoxy to attach wooden drawer knobs to the outside of the glass so you can lift it easily. The glass will have sharp edges, so be very careful.

Before a big terrarium, I would suggest starting with some orchids that do well on your windowsill; grow them for a year, and flower them; then think about expanding. And it's far better to learn orchid growing with cheap plants rather than rare and expensive plants. You aren't too far from Gold Country Orchids; Alan Koch breeds small Cattleyas that bloom several times per year on the windowsill. And when you do go into town, think about going to a Trader Joe's and buying an Oncidium intergeneric hybrid in flower. They're under $20, the flowers last a long time, they are quite easy to grow on a windowsill and many are fragrant. My most recent orchid purchases were a few small Oncidium intergeneric mericlones. They are 2-3 years from flowering.