Humidity question
 

Hello everyone.

I would love to increase the amount of humidity in my balcony and I'm not sure how to do this. I live in south florida which is very humid during the summer and early fall but dry in my balcony during winter spring time. any one have any good trick on raising humidity level in a balcony or closed area?

thanks

What do you grow? A lot of orchids are dormant during this period, so dry air isn't a problem. And what do you consider dry? I wouldn't consider anything "dry" until you drop below 45%.

And my definition of "dry" would be even lower ;)

I would think if they are outdoors, and you aren't in a desert region, the humidity is probably fine ...

That said - what is the humidity, and what types of orchids?

I recall Paul Phillips (Ratcliffe Orchids) complaining about the lack of humidity in the Orlando/Kissimmee region, while he was there.

I would think that a daily spritz should do the trick though.

I agree, the humidity is usually adequate through-out the year in South Florida. We've had a few hot dry spells this winter and I admit I had to increase watering a little bit. Usually just a quick misting of the orchids, plus getting the concrete on the patio wet, will give the plants enough humidity. But when we have those 85 degree days with no rain, I water my plants a little more often.

i have a few types of orchid so i guess this is a general question. i think its dry bc the orchid medium dries pretty fast and i also get a hot blast of mid day sun that can pretty much dry a load of laundry in a few minutes. I have the orchids covered from the sun. I have no real percentage on humidity so I'm sorry if my answer isn't very direct.

---------- Post added at 10:03 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:59 AM ----------

Hi Tucker85

I also live in Plantation. cool!! how often do you mist your orchids and what time of day is best for misting?

I have some mounted phals and some vandas that need to be watered every day. When I do that, I also get my patio floor very wet and that increases the humidity. If your orchids are in pots, and you don't water often, you could mist the whole area about once every three days. In the summer, when the humidity rises, you shouldn't need to do that.

By the way, if you grow several orchids, you might want to attend one of the Plantation Orchid Society meetings. You don't need to join. Guests are allowed to attend meetings. We meet on the first Tuesday of every month, at 7:00 PM, at Deicke auditorium 5701 Cypress Road, Plantation, FL 33317

---------- Post added at 12:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:16 PM ----------

What makes you think you need to raise the humidity?

For most orchids that we mortals grow, there is usually no need to try and raise humidity artificially. Orchids are very adept at surviving on little humidity if need be. Many go through a dry season where there might not be aby rain for a month or more. I wouldn't worry about it. just tailor your potting mix to suit whatever your conditions call for. If you have a problem with a watering schedule this can be accommodated by increasing or decreasing the amount of moss or sponge rock in the mix. I prefer to water more frequently if needed instead of having a mix that holds too much moisture. I Wyoming or Colorado you might want to add in lots of sphagnum moss while those in Florida or New Jersey may opt for a more coarse mix and just water a little more when it gets too dry (25% or less RH).

my balcony gets really hot and i have noticed that the plants dry out pretty fast. Thats why i ask.

I will definitely try to make it to one of the meetings. thanks for your help

---------- Post added at 04:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:10 PM ----------

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...earn-more.html

here is a link where you can all see my orchids. these photos are about 2 months old.

If your orchids are drying out very quickly, I would just water a little more often. Good luck.