The Orchid Source - Orchid Forum

When I first red about mounting little orchids on ceramic drainage tubes I was intriged to build my own. I have some pottery skills so I made a clay container to hold water that could seep trough the baked clay.
On the front I mounted litttle nests in which I can mount an orchid.



Then a build a adaptation of Darryl's orchidarium dicribed on this forums. I moved the doors to the side. But his tutorial was of great help.



I am testing it now. I have not yet planted the nests. The orchidarium and my ceramic orchid 'wall' is now 3 months old and moss is starting to grow in the surface. The orchid in the pots are growing happy.

The surface evaporation is quite high. I have to fill the container every few day's. Water also leaks out into a tray filed with grid. I have to siphon it off every 2 weeks.

But overall I am very happy with the result. I want to grow small orchids but not sure which spieces I could choose yet.

Geertjan

That looks great! I'll be interested to see what you grow.

Very interesting concept. I look forward to seeing it all grown in and planted.

Me, too - what a unique idea. And quite nice to look at as well. Is there a fan? I don't see it, but....... And - what are the dimensions?

Interesting idea. Have you considered molding it to look like a natural rock back ground? Or is there a way to imbed some flat rocks in the front (without compromising the structural integrity) to achieve a more natural effect? Also, perhaps you might like to have a few ferns growing between the orchids. Just a thought.

Very, very clever! I like it. By the time the surface area is covered
with moss and plants growing in, it should be beautiful...lush and
green. Be sure to keep us posted on your progress. BTW, what's
the temperature range for the plants you want to grow in there?

Here are some extra details.
There is no fan. I hope natural draft is sufficient. The air can flow in through an opening on the front of the orchidarium. (red arrow). and out on the top.

Indeed it is difficult to see how large it is. It is not very big since the kiln a have to bake it in is not so big. It is approx. 35x50 cm
I did not sculpt any rock like features because, indeed I expect it to grow over with moss. But this wil take perhaps a year:-(



It is in my living room and right now the min. night temperature is 15 celcius. I dont't use any heating. There is some heat comming from the 2, 18 watt PL lamps. In summer the max temperature might rise to 30 celcius. But there should be a cooling effect from evaportion, I hope :-)

Right now the orchids inside are an Aspasia Lunata, a Spiranthus spec, and a masdevallia spec that is flowering continiously.
But they will grow to big. Perhaps I can grow some miniature orchids from tropical mountain regions.

I'll keep you informed on my progress. It may take a while. If you guy's have suggestions on which minature orchids I could grow I would appreciate it.

I suggest some of the small Phal. species that seem to enjoy intermediate/cool temperatures and don't take up much space.
Of course, you must consider that I'm a Phal. species collector
and love them.

I have a hunch you will still need a fan.

Hi Pook

Why do you think I need a fan. It will increase evaporation so I need to refill the container must more often.

I'm not Pook, but you need to circulate the air so it doesn't become stagnant. Uncirculated air can lead to many problems with your orchids.

Has to be like a breeze as if they were living in their natural habitats.

What jojo said. Stagnant moist air leads to lots of fungal problems.

This looks like a fun project. Do you have any recent pictures with the small baskets filled in?

That is going to be lovely...please keep us updated with photos

Hmmmnnn!
Well, first you have to consider what is the MAX and MIN of both Temperature AND Humidity...
Once you have established this, you can then decide on the varieties you want to grow.
I am also biased to Dendrobiums...and there are A LOT of mini species/hybrids out there. One of the harder to grow is the Den. cuthbertsonii, flowers that last upwards of a year! Another could be Den. senile.
Though you have to figure out exactly what you want (also), like, how long the flower lasts/colour/do you want scented/size of flower.
I recently posted a picture of a Cleisostoma sagittiforme, wonderful little flower and scented and the orchid is about the size of a folded (width wise) dollar bill.
Though I would also consider some of the "Jewel" orchids too. They can be very compact and the foliage display is great to look at year round.
I have been reading up on terrariums a lot lately, since I also grow a lot (for me) of "Jewel" orchids. My problem is the humidity they need, and lower levels of light. As well as some of my Dendrobiums with similar needs.
Eventually, it will come down to your tastes and the effort you want to put into the final set-up...and from what I have seen so far, it is gonna be very wonderful to look at when you done.
SUCCESS!
Mark

What a great idea! I'm really impressed with how professional it looks. Can you give me an idea of how much the ceramic part weighs?