The fine art of growing orchids in a greenhouse takes more work than a potato field. But cymbidium, lady's slipper, Malay flower, etc. are far more exotic when it comes to the splendor of flowers and incomparable scents. A good greenhouse climate ensures optimal growth.
How do I create optimal conditions for orchids in the greenhouse?
To successfully grow orchids in a greenhouse, perfect temperature balance, sufficient ventilation, good sun protection, rainwater for watering and possibly a lowered floor are important. An optimal environment promotes the splendor of flowers and the variety of scents of these exotic plants.
Their reputation for being exceptionally demanding plants to raise and care for is not true at all. In principle, orchids in a greenhouse are easy to care for if you know and implement the properties of these exotic plants. When it comes to watering, cultivating orchids is eveneasier than on the windowsill, as the plants dry out much more quickly if something accidentally goes wrong. Of course, this requires the most generous ventilation possible, possibly even with fans. And the temperatures also have to be right, as you can read in another article on our portal.
What you should offer orchids in the greenhouse
Existentially important is a perfect balance of temperature fluctuations, especially in summer, as well as a well-functioning heating system. A movable sun protection that regulates itself automatically would be ideal, but it is not cheap. Professional growers have found permanent shading to be effective, filtering out around 60 percent of the sunlight between the beginning of March and mid-October. When mounted 20 to 30 centimeters above the greenhouse, the roof can heat up less quickly and the resulting diffuse light means the orchids do particularly well.
Plant-friendly ventilation ensures he althy growth
The number of ventilation flaps should be as high as is technically feasible. Side windows are also needed, which should not be smaller than the roof windows to ensure proper air exchange. Automatic ventilation systems would be ideal on the windows. But not in all of them, so that thepossibility of manual ventilation is still available in the evening.
Water quality in the orchid greenhouse
For these plants, which are quite delicate when it comes to irrigation water, rainwater clearly comes out of the drinking water pipe before the wet. This means that everyone who installed roof drainage when building their house so that the rainwater collected can be collected in a separate (and covered!) container is at an advantage. For warm water, which is also important for some orchid species, aflexible hose could be connected directly to the home water supply.
Tip
An essential step towards the optimal climate for the greenhouse orchids has already been achieved if a lowering of the indoor floor by approx. 50 cm is taken into account during the project planning. The interior then looks much more visually attractive and the pleasant room height makes working in the house easier.
