The humidity level issue

[Diane]

Our weather here (So Cal) has been unusually warm and very low humidity for a month or so now. Yesterday, in my town it was 84 F, with hunidity at 11%. Indoors, it has been almost as low, especially when I travel. The 'chids are really suffering. Today is even warmer and just as dry. I just got a replacement for my dead humidifier Sunday. It's a very nice, quiet indoor humidifier. I have had it set on a target level of 55%. It has a built in whatchamacallit that detects the room's humidity and turns the unit on and off as needed to keep the level in range. It has been running at highest volume possible since Sunday evening. The first night it did not even get the room above 25% (that is the lowest reading it gives). and the tank ran dry. So I refilled it in the am and went off to work. when I got home (11 hours later). The tank was empty and the unit read 33%. I refilled it and ran it all night and in the morning it was at 39%. Another day of running and this morning it was 43%. I don't think it will get much higher than that because of my house's floorplan.

This humidifier is rated for a room up to 600 sq feet. My floorplan is really open - there are walls around but you can basically walk throught the bottom floor without ever seeing a door, except for the Bathroom and closet. And the first floor is open in one 10 x 10 section up through the 2nd floor all the way to a skylight in the vaulted ceiling... So air moves around a lot, and there is no way to close off rooms downstairs. Downstairs sq ft is about 950 to 1000, upstairs sq ft is 950. Blooms that would normally last 8 - 10 weeks (Paphs) are dying off after 3 weeks. Suspect this is because they are too dry, both from low humidity and from the fact that the media is drying out faster because the humidity is so low.

I am considering getting a second humidifier and placing it in another spot on the ground floor to help get and keep the humidity up. (I already have humidity trays under 90% of my plants, doing their evaporative thing.)

Sooo - opinions please:

Buy another unit and place it downstairs

Buy another unit and place it upstairs in a spot where the humid air will drop through the open space to the 1st floor.

Forget about another unit and get something else.

Switch to growing Cactii

Other

[clintdawley]

Diane,

Is it possible to enclose your growing area with some plastic sheeting and place the humidifer under the sheeting? Is your growing area in a place where this might be considered "ugly"?

[ATester]

Diane,

Is it possible to enclose your growing area with some plastic sheeting and place the humidifer under the sheeting? Is your growing area in a place where this might be considered "ugly"?

That was going to be my suggestion. Trying to keep your humidity localised would be probably the easiest thing to do. Is your hydrometer right in with your plants? If not, it may be reading the humidity of the entire room versus the localised evaporation right around your plants. I wouldn't suggest adding succulents around your plants since they retain water, but placing in some other plants in theory should add to the ambient water in the air.

Hmmm...those darn Santa Anna's, eh?

[mde]

One thing to keep in mind... the hygrometer reading that you get from the humidifier itself is not accurate for the room so if it is set at 55% it will shut off when the humidity right at the humidifier is 55%, not when the rest of the room/growing area is 55%. Never trust the readings from the humidifier itself. You should always take the readings from a seperate hygrometer placed in the growing area not directly over the fan of the humidifier if you want to be getting as accurate of a picture as is possible.

[Piper]

Hi Diane,

I have the same trouble in the winters here in Mass. It's even more critical for me because I play an antique set of bagpipes (WWI pipes) and the old wood will crack if the humidity drops too low.

When the temps plummet, I have trouble getting the rooms to 30-35%. I have two humidifiers, one in each of the rooms with the most orchids. They go round the clock Nov-Mar. I use lots of pebble trays as well. They really evaporate moisture into the air, and they're easier on the electric bill. Finally, misting can help, but I tend not to. I've got too much good wood furniture nearby.

Good luck!
Julie

[Hoa Tony Nguyen]

Well, Diane, you just have to experiment around and see what might work. I used humidifier before for orchids. Well, I know that a good thorough soaking will do as well. Hot days like this, we would be more liberal with water and maybe water the plants again (Wednesday) even though we just watered our orchids on Sunday ... Just a thought.
Cheers. Hoa.

[Diane]

I wouldn't suggest adding succulents around your plants since they retain water,

Hmmm...those darn Santa Anna's, eh?

Yeah - too bad the air doesn't retain water like I do.... lol

[Diane]

Diane,

Is it possible to enclose your growing area with some plastic sheeting and place the humidifer under the sheeting? Is your growing area in a place where this might be considered "ugly"?

Ugly I don't care about, but lack of air circulation might become an issue??? Enclose and add a small fan????

[shalene]

Enclose with plastic and add a fan. This is my setup in the basement and it works really well. I have a 12 x 12 area with one humidifier (2 gal) and I fill it once a day.

[Diane]

Okay - that is very do-able. Does the plastic go from floor to ceiling? Humidty outside today was 8%, the hygrometer on the humidifier read 39%, so I am now losing ground again.

Re the value of the humidity reading, yes it is a little sensor built into the humidifier, but the humidifier is on the edge of the kitchen counter and the 'spray' points out over the floor towards the 'chids. So I know it is not perfect, but at least the humidified air is being blown out away from the unit, and eventually to the floor.