Requesting advice for orchid terrarium rebuild
Hello Orchid Board
I've been growing orchids for 6-7 years now with good success (simple grocery store orchids in my living room) and decided to take the plunge into terrariums with miniature orchids. I finished construction of my first orchid terrarium three weeks ago following instructions online. My goal is to make a fully automated, natural-style planted terrarium. It's been a ton of fun, though I've continued researching since then and realized I made a number of mistakes. First, details on my current setup: I live in Boston, MA. My terrarium is indoors, aside a southeast facing window (not in front of it, since my desk is there). Measuring with a lux sensor only registers about 1000 lux at noon, much less than I initially expected. I have a UNS 60U tank (20 gallons, ~24x14x14") with a glass top covering just over 3/4 of it. The base layer is 1" of volcanic gravel covered by a plastic mesh screen, then a 3/4" layer of activated charcoal, topped by a 2" layer of rePotme Phalaenopsis Monterey Dark Imperial Orchid Mix. The orchids are either mounted in sphagnum moss on rocks or cork bark, or planted in the substrate. There is an AC Infinity USB fan constantly circulating air internally. I have the following plants:
And here are current images of it: Imgur: The magic of the Internet As I mentioned, my goal is to create a natural looking planted terrarium, automate as much of it as possible, and require as little manual maintenance as possible. I'd like to leave for 1-2 weeks at a time and not have to worry about it. I'm building an automation setup using a Raspberry Pi which is currently monitoring temperature, humidity, and light over the day, and can automatically flip on a Repti Fogger and any other accessory as needed. So far I've identified these problems:
I was additionally wondering if it's possible to seal (or nearly seal) an orchid terrarium like this so it acts like a traditional terrarium: that is, simulating the water cycle so it requires little/no manual watering. Is it possible to adequately meet the plants' needs doing that without keeping them persistently damp? Also, I'd like to clarify my understanding of the culture requirements for 10,000+ lux. Holding my phone flashlight directly up to my light meter registers 10,000 lux, and that seems awfully bright as a minimum. Is this correct, or am I misinterpreting it? Thank you! |
I wish I had more to offer, other than I think the setup looks good. Yes, needs more light. Is it possible at all to kove it in front of the window?
My setup is much more hands on, but i thought I'd mention that I use a reptile fogger for mine. And I hand mist on occasion. Now, from my experience, it is possible to get positive results from mixing orchids of different types in one environment. Ideal? Likely not. But I grow a number of catt types high various phal types. As well as a Dyakia, and a Neofinetia...though it's not bloomed...yet. Now, I'll sit back and look for more sage advice. |
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I’ve been working on my set up for a little over a year and am still making adjustments.
I use a Mist King, 2 nozzles run once a day for only a few seconds. My top is sealed with 1/4” plexiglass, the doors have built in vent slots and I have a PC fan running 24/7. So far I have never had to drain water out, in fact I need to add water occasionally. My set up is in the basement with 100% artificial light. I use a LED grow light I picked up at Home Depot. I plan to switch it out to a COB grow light that I read about here in the growing under lights section. The light I have puts out a lot of heat, I had to put a fan on it because it was heating up the tank too much. Most of the orchids in there (12) were from Andy’s. His site lets you do a search by miniatures and vivarium which is helpful. I also have 3 dart frogs in there and picked up some other plants from frog vendors to fill in the background for texture. All of the moss hitchhiked in on the orchid mounts and spread on its own. I need to pull it out to keep it in control. I would suggest raising the tank higher so it’s at eye level, it’s more enjoyable if you don’t need to bend down to look at it. It’s also easier to hide all of the wires and tubing on top. Maintenance is simple, I have a 2 gallon bucket for the Mist King that lasts for 3 weeks. Front access tank is good because algae will grow on the glass, it will be harder to clean reaching in from the top. I just picked up a second tank and plan on doing a slightly dryer environment. |
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My current plan is to rebuild with a misting system that will run for a few seconds daily. I'm hesitant to install permanent vents since it already makes my office smell somewhat of wet forest when it's not sealed. Instead, I'm planning to use large river stones for the base layer and install a small peristaltic pump to remove collected water as necessary (controlled by the Raspberry Pi). This pump type doesn't need to be primed and is better suited for dirty water, and a small one should be fairly quiet. I'll build a small hidden column in the background to run the pipe up with enough space to remove/replace/clean it if necessary, and will drain into an enclosed bucket behind it. All the wires currently out are just for prototyping, so once I finalize the setup I'll solder everything and clean up/hide it all. :) |
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The easiest solution to this is a glass top to keep in the humidity; internal fan(s) to minimize the standing water; and spot-spraying by hand areas the need more water. |
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oh, something else you could do to keep the humidity up, and still allow for airflow, is to get a glass top, and drill some ventilation holes with a diamond drill bit. This will allow your orchids to dry out a bit more like they would in nature, without having the humidity drop substantially.
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Welcome! I'm glad that others with more experience have been able to help you out more, but I also wanted to mention since I saw that you're in Boston like me that there's the Mass Orchid Society that meets monthly. Next meeting is this weekend and will be held virtually. Others there might be able to give you some local advice?
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