Oh my! I am certain watering and feeding must be a daunting task inside. How do you accomplish that? I usually toss as many in the bathtub as once and turn on the shower. Luckily, the fall has been quite mild thus far so all of my plants are outside. Shortly though, I will need to find a place for my various orchids, cacti, and tropicals.

Wow! You've got quite a collection. I wish I had a big window like that in my bedroom! I don't really have a 'grow area', I pretty much just put plants where they get enough light around my apartment- mostly in my living room (which does have a nice big window) and office. But I don't have near as many as you do :)

Bob, Wow. The contrast between light and dark makes your set-up look kinda otherworldly. Cool. Your roommate doesn't know they're super lucky to have such a treasure in the place. Whitecat8

Thanks folks, I wish my roommate shared y'alls sentiments. He is of the belief that if one has too many plants in their bedroom, they will become depressed because the plants suck up so much oxygen at night. I think that is positively ridiculous, but he won't listen to reason. A spouse sleeping sucks up more oxygen and spits out more CO2 than a plant, or 125 of them could ever dream of.

I water infrequently and feed even less so. The plants do go in the bathtub where I drench them with gallons upon gallons of water and let them drain. When I do water, my room smells like a sphagnum bog/orchid wonderland with all the wet bark/moss and fertilizer everywhere.
Bob

Bob,

It's been a while, but I always thought that it worked the other way. Plants absorb CO2 and emit Oxygen???
Thus the CO2 enrichment methods for accelerating growth on some types of plants.

Another Bob

Nice plants!

You know, I think people get depressed b/c of their living situations for far more obvious reasons. Spending too much time indoors is a place to start. Anyway, plants produce much, much more oxygen than they use.

Bob - I love that smell too!! My roomates call my plants my 'little forest' and tell me I'm totally wasting my talents on the wrong type of plants.

By the way, I seem to recall that at night without sunlight, respiration occurs, so plants do take up O2 and emit CO2. But the levels are probably insignificant

Yes, that's my understanding, too. Plants give off O in the daytime, and take in O and give off CO2 at night.

You clearly love plants. But as me aulde mither used to say, when you share space with someone you have to consider their needs, too. Not that she was a nag or anything :)

Calvin, I too get from friends that I should be spending all this time and money on plants that will give me more of a return. I started this whole indoor growing escapade 2 years ago with plants of more surreptitious motives, but have since moved on to plants of a higher caliber. I am, though, waiting for the DEA to bust in one night in full gear with flash-bangs and tear gas, and whatnot, because of all the lights, only to find orchids, cacti, and carnivorous plants.
Bob

Here is a pic of my newly constructed grow area...

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I live in the basement of a student house and I get hardly no natural light. I have some orchids around other places in the house (in some windows...) but this is where I keep my lights. I have two LED grow lights and one compact fluorescent - I have been thinking about getting one of those big CFC lights to add a little more light...

Alex

I had to add my bedroom photos too. I hate to admit it but this is just one room, and these are all orchids. I have 2 more orchid setups in the house. All natural light. I guess in part I say that with sadness as of the beginning of next year we will be moving to PA and I will probably need some lights for these guys.

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We breathe in oxygen and give off carbon dioxide. Plants breath in carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. It's because of them that we can survive on this planet. Without them providing us with fresh oxygen every day we would all die.

Kermit, that is wonderful, no wasted space at all. Whats the floppy plant in the middle of the first picture?

Orchid126, you're right, except for at night... Plants undergo respiration where they make use of the sugar they produced during the day via photosynthesis. In order to do that, they have to take in oxygen and spit out carbon dioxide.

Here are my 2 grow areas, with only 2 42W CFLs in the orchid room. Soon, there will be 1-2 85W CFLs in there.

There are 23W CFLs in the octopus lamp in the cooler living room.

After a talk w/ DH, I got another octopus lamp tonight for the living room and will use 5 more 23W CFLs on the other end of the shelves.

Hope everything is happy through the winter.

Orchid room -

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Cooler living room -

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Whitecat8

You all have already seen my cool case in my bathroom, but this is my current project. 1st weekend in november I'm putting in the benches, ground cover, fan, heater, and covering it. Soon enough, it'll be full to bursting...

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-Cj

Plants may take in oxygen at night, but it must be very little, otherwise we'd all be keeling over from the lack of it.

Cj - How exciting! Did you construct the frame yourself?

Can you direct me to a picture of the cool case in your bathroom? I missed it.

Kermit - All natural light! Wow. It's so strange to see orchids growing inside and not see cords, light stands, bulbs.

There's a very experienced grower in our orchid society who grows vandas and catts in all natural light. That's gotta be some sun porch. Maybe you'll have one in PA.

Whitecat8

WC: Yes, it was a kit from The Little Greenhouse. I modified the plans a bit, but...

As for the pleuro case...

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That one, I designed and built myself. I was initially going to buy the materials and build a GH very much like the GH I ended up getting, but considering the kit came with shadecloth, an exhaust fan, and a misting system for under $800, it was a bargain I couldn't pass up.

-Cj

Cj, You're most creative. Thanks for the pix and info. WC8

Poverty is the mother of all invention...

-Cj

Wow CJ that's amazing...and do you end up getting good humidity in there? How do the lights fare?

As long as I keep the humidifyer filled, yeah, I range from 55% in the middle of the day to 70%+ at night. The lights work fine, so far.

-Cj

The plant I believe you are asking about is a Paph Pinnochio that I had traded for on here in the spring from orchidtrader.I like the little guy and can't wait for a bloom. All the paphs around him are either in bud or just bloomed. I am hoping he takes the hint.

We get so much sun here in Colorado that there is no need for lights with properly facing windows. I even have to shade my east window for phals. And have a few facing north that bloom. I will be sad to leave the light but it will be nice to not have to manufacture humidity. A trade I guess. But I do like the no wires deal.

Shani

Actually orchids, unlike most plants, take in their CO2 at night. That's how they can withstand long periods of not being watered - they close their stomata(pores) during the day. At night they take in CO2 and convert it into acids that they then use for photosynthesis during the day.

More info on Crassulacean Acid Metabolism.

Correction: some orchids are CAM plants, others are C3.

And, of course, not all orchids can withstand long droughts, either.

Here is a link that might be useful: Orchid carbon metabolism

A. I never said all orchids. I'm sure most of the terrestrials are not CAM. However, the majority of the epiphytic orchids we grow in our homes are.

B. Again, never said _all_ orchids can withstand droughts. It was a generalization of behavior to explain why orchids do this unusual photosynthesis. Next time I'll have to write a dissertation, lest I forget one type of orchid.

Oh and perhaps you should research a little further than the first article you find on google to "correct" me.

Jeez. Just trying to share an interesting fact that I bet most people didn't know.

This was taken last month. It's a $7.50 rescue from HD. It has a faint pleasing aroma. Some that have finished blooming were moved to the greenhouse. The white one was the only surviving den from the storm several years ago. It blooms for months every year, even from it's kikis. Two others are now in bloom but the pics are still in the camera. This is my orchid indoor growing area. It faces south and there are 2 other windows to the right that face west. They get plenty of light. Summers are spent on the partly shaded porch.

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now now settle down :) Jemsta actually to be honest when I read your message saying "Actually orchids, unlike most plants, take in their CO2 at night" I did interpret it as meaning 'all' orchids.

Greenhouser- that phal-type dend looks marvelous! You sure are lucky having such a nice large window to grow in front of.

Greenhouser - And what a lovely view you and the orchids have out that window. Whitecat8

In that case, I apologize for not saying many :)
In my defense, the generalization to orchids is made in many books. Anyway, doesn't matter.

Oh and sorry for being so grumpy, I'm usually not like that.

Greenhouser, not only are your orchids beautiful, but I can't help looking through the window and wishing I had a view like that.
Best,
Jem

Under the new hps lamp indoors, finally decided to bring them in with the days getting colder:

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RP1

RP- that looks like HEAVEN! Hows the glare from the HPS? Or are you growing in a room that is not frequently used?
Jem- :)

-Cal

It's a pain getting at the back row of plants. Glare doesn't seem bad at all, but it may just not bother me that much. I'm only in here an hour before the lights go off most days.

Quite a few plants seem to be perking up under it, cyc lehmanii has two spikes, aclandiae has 1 bud, hsinying cognac has two flowers, onc ornithorhynchum has maybe 10 spikes, encyc cochleata has quite a few buds, ports of paradise is in early sheath and there's also the gorgeous cattleya which I had in bloom last year again. All in all doing better in winter than summer.

I'll have to get some pictures of the hsinying, from the back it looks like pink marbled candy.

RP1

Here is mine, had to use a super wide angle lens to capture whole thing.
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Wow, all neat growing spaces. Greenhauser your picture would be a lovely painting! Inside/outside, just beautiful.

My indoor plants are scattered about the house. Most of them on a tall shelf unit in front of a south window. I'll try to take a pic tomorrow.

I've really enjoyed this thread and seeing many different set-ups.

Happy growing. Sheila :)

South-facing windows,no supplemental light.

Living room
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Bedroom
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Marci in Chicago

Oh Im so jealous of you marci! what perfect lighting you too q li. i love your setups they rock! i wish i could have some thing like that. ill post my grow area later.

A beautiful setup marci! I am also very envious of the abundant natural sun you have. Q li - slick setup :)

This is where about 300 orchids grow all year round.

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There are more plants in there now. Paphs and Masdevallias grow on the middle shelf, ferns on the bottom........catt's, cymbids, Odonts, Oncids, Nobiles and more live on the top shelf.

An interesting grow area (picture taken in China):

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Bolero - cool green house! Looks kind of shady in there but it's probably just the camera angle.

Snasxs - I'm drooling over those cymbidiums potted in tall elegant pots. Absolutely beautiful