DIY Mini Plexiglass orchidadirum questions

[Ray]

Actually, not all plants need temperature variations to bloom. The more equatorial the plant, the less variation there is, so the plants have not evolved to require it.

I also suggest you take Justin’s “expertise” with a large grain of salt. He may make videos that appear authoritative, but some are a bit deficient on facts to back them up.

[Orchidtinkerer]

Ray, he's alright,
you could say the same about MissOrchidGirl and me.
I don't think any of us are experts, we can call ourselves iconoclasts and try to sound authoritarian but who honestly cares as long as our plants get the best care - experts certainly can't agree on anything, let alone what to call our orchids so I'd rather listen to a hobbyist with tons of experience than an expert who can't make his mind up

Everyone's advice online needs to be taken with a grain of salt. I actually like that Justin's video's are less authoritarian, less about accurate facts and more about experience, what has worked for him and what might help others.

It should all be in the spirit of growing better orchids.

[Ray]

No argument there, but I feel that recommending a cultural regimen that the plants tolerate is doing a disservice, rather than trying to master the factors that let them thrive.

I must say, however, that its a bit insulting to comment on the the “orchid iconoclast” moniker without any knowledge of its origin.

[Roberta]

While I find the name changes as annoying as any orchid hobbyist, the scientific side of me sort of has to go along. (I prefer splitting to lumping, since lumping, in a sense, destroys data that can be useful. "Sophronitis" may be a subset of "Cattleya" but from the point of view of taking care of them, they're not the same.) It's not about "not being able to make up one's mind about what to call them", but rather the scientific process of understanding what is related to what. As with all of science, answers tend to lead to more questions. DNA analysis does show relationships with some surprises relative to what was observed - morphology, environment, etc. I fully expect that it is going to get muddier before it gets clearer. That's the nature of science. And just to further confound the issue, evolution isn't something that only happened millions of years ago, it's still happening, making classification something of a moving target. So taxonomy is a human attempt to understand relationships, not a biological absolute. That understanding is going to change as we learn more. I'm not changing my tags, but I'm not going to dismiss new knowledge either even if inconvenient.

[YokaYampi]

Originally Posted by Orchidtinkerer

I'll second what Mr Fakename has said.

The Bellina will grow twice the size of that box so will soon outgrow its space.

The best solution is a 30x30x30 cm polystyrene fish box available on ebay - second hand they are not too expensive. You can leave the lid on with a slight gap. Like this I can heat the inside 10 degrees C warmer than the outside using only 2 watts of power. With no insulation it would be in the region of 20 watts.
A plexi glass tank would probably need 10 watts. If you add a fan like you are suggesting it will be 18 watts as the fan will blow most the heat out.
The only big problem with a polystyrene box is lighting, there are mini led's available that would suit such a box but depends where you live whether you can source the right light.

I can highly recommend an adjustable heat mat, otherwise you will need a thermostat to regulate it.
You will also need a timer to turn it off at night.

If you grow on a heat mat you will soon find that your plant drying out from the heat will be your main concern. Ventilation will just speed up the rate of drying and once you have it all set up (with a heat mat) you won't want any ventilation, certainly not for only one plant - you won't need it. But it is always good to have a spare computer fan on hand if you do think that you need it. If it gets too humid or the substrate doesn't dry out fast enough (I would still recommend a faster drying media over a fan or opening the lid more but a fan should of course be used if it is needed) I'm just saying from experience I doubt you will feel that you will need a fan with only one plant - the air current the heating of the heat mat will create (heat rises so heat creates air flow) and a gap in the lid.

But as a ps: If you read this aricle here you will find this grower keeps his Bellina at 14 degrees C in winter

Advanced Phalaenopsis Care: Summer vs Winter Blooming Phals >> Here But Not

I have not tried this low myself but 29 degrees is way too hot for a bellina, 24-25 degrees C during the day and 20 degrees C at night is the general guideline but it seems the plant might be able to handle colder.

I plan on moving and having a bigger box/room within the next 1-2 years This set up although small was temporary just to have as a little experiment while still living at home, If it begins to outgrow its tank before I move then I’ll have to come up with something (bitter sweet looking forward to that moment but hoping it won’t come too soon) right now I do have a heating Matt with a timer and thermostat keeping it at 22c during the day and 18-19 at night (without heat) but I am struggling with drying out.. I’m not sure what to do to combat that.. if you have any ideas!?
The fan is on all the time mostly because of the high humidity I’m scared of Mold so I wanted to keep everything circulating but I can put the fan on a timer so it’s one for an hour or a few hours and off for an hour intervals if you think that’ll help.. I haven’t tried it yet though.. right now I have a rescue in there with BELLINA since the mini rescue has no roots it’s enjoying the high humidity