Yes... it's snowing again! This winter does seem long, but it really hasn't been that bad... it must be old age affecting my perceptions! At any rate, a few blooming plants help to brighten the day. My photos today are of the view we enjoy from the kitchen sink. Add to the orchids all the song birds that use the feeders just outside this window, and it makes for a bright spot throughout the day.
I used to grow orchids when I had a lean-to greenhouse that opened into our home... I do miss that, however I have decided to take another approach to orchid growing. I am in the process of building an orchid case that will use the new T5 florescent lighting that works so well with blooming plants. I've purchased three beautiful (in terms of workmanship) fixtures, each having four of the four foot tubes that produce 3000 lumens each. At this point I've collected a dozen phalaenopsis plants, several of which are shown in this post. I would also like to grow paphiopedilums which should do very well with the conditions I'll be providing. Cattleyas need more light but I have been assured my fixtures will provide sufficient for them as well. From there, who knows what other orchids I'll try. I used to have about 500 african violets which froze in a big storm in the late 70's when we lost power for several days... I'd like to grow them again as well.
I can't show photos of my case yet as progress is slow because of the shoulder problems I'm experiencing. It will however have three tiers with a total of 37.5 square feet of growing space. I am trying to decide on how to handle the humidity situation at this point. Purchased humidity trays will run into a pretty major expense with this much square footage, so I'll probably come up with something of my own devising. The case itself is constructed of plywood painted a bright white for light reflection. The entire thing will be wrapped in natural white oak with raised panel construction on the two ends. I'll share photos when all is completed... have a great weekend, Larry
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