Not to deviate too much from the growth chamber, but orchids are a completely different creature. And Europa is right, Orchids are such an old species they don't have all the same adaptive and as i like to think of it, dynamic foliage as more modern plants. By this I mean they do look like they're dying because they don't make much foliage per plant... Like per psuedobulb they may have only 1 or a couple leaves. and those leaves are permanant, they don't just grow new internodes.
The only other plant I've grown indoors is a tomatoe plant, and I imagine MJ is very similar in that it's really fast growing, compared to orchids. Depending on species, the best ones bloom once every 3 months, and the worst ones are seasonal, so like sharry baby is an oncidium hybrid from somewhere in south america (or at least it's heritage is from there), and that being the case it's just warming up there, and so spring time brings out sharry babyy, even though it's fall for us. I think it's really an acquired taste, because orchids grow so slowly, you can't tweak your plant every day, you have to shoot for the best environment possible, and leave it there. If anything Orchids don't like to be played with.
Anyone ever thought about that, like older species of plants only survive in the tropical climates? It would seem that a better climate would create more highly evolved plants, but really you only see adaptation where it needs to be, like in the colder seasonal climates, and in the rainforest... Interesting how evolution takes a turn at the extremes and in the middle.
Anyways, Thought I'd post some more blatent promotions of my plants... hope it's not too offtopic, I mean, it is a growth chamber.
Here is an outside shot of my "orchid tent" as I call it, it has a zipper to open it up. It's not quite as sealed as I would have preferred, then again it has been an ad-hoc thing I've put together over the years. You can see a circulation fan near the front of the entrance, and a sink where the water drains into after misting the plants 3 times a day. Ocelaris |