Originally Posted by
Keysguy
Somewhere here on another thread recently there was a discussion on "important factors to optimum plant growth" or some such and I chimed in that I believe that good air movement is paramount.
I'm not going to disagree with your perspective Ray because I have read a lot of your writings and have great respect for the scientific approaches you have developed over the years. And this orchid disease is, at its heart, a scientific endeavor, no?
I would just like to point out what my personal experience has been in regards to that one component.
When I had my greenhouse here in NH I fought constantly with pests of all kinds. Aphids, mealy bugs, spider mites. you name it and they were in there somewhere. When I moved my collection to the Keys 3 years ago they started living in a shadehouse that is less than 200 feet from the shoreline. As you can imagine, being on an island directly between the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico creates almost constant wind, often in the 20-30 mph range for days on end. I believe the actual year-round daily average is something like 12 mph.
Anyway- I have not had to deal with a single pest issue since they went into that shadehouse. The only other things different are 1) no artificial light needed now (love your set-up Geoff- very similar to what I did in my NH GH) 2) some slight tinkering with fertilizers for water quality deltas and 3) they get rain water year round vs. summer only. (and we very rarely get rain in the winter so the difference is insignificant) and finally, it's warmer with way more sun (natural light). Hence my belief that heavy air movement is highly desirable in avoiding insects and disease. I had 2 large oscillating floor fans in my 12x16 GH but even that does not give you the movement necessary indoors at all levels from the ground up.
Geoff- outstanding work there.