To be happy, to grow healthy and strong and to produce the otherworldly beautiful flowers; orchids need certain levels of humidity.

If you live in a part of the world that has high humidity, or if you keep your orchids in a greenhouse, a nursery or a home that has sufficient humidity; you need not worry about depriving your plants of their needs.

If the opposite is the truth, especially when air conditioning is turned on for much of the time, you will need to provide artificial humidity by setting up orchid humidity trays.

Commercial, professionally designed and manufactured humidity trays are readily available in the market of indoor gardening supplies today and those come in a wide range of styles and colors.

For economy and convenience, some humidity trays are made of lightweight yet sturdy plastic. These consist of square or rectangular bins whose widths and lengths vary but their depths usually range from 2” to 2.25” and I found them in black, brown and off white. Also, they come equipped with a plastic lattice which serves as the base on which your orchid plants will stand. Add water to just below the top of the lattice and the immediate environ will do the rest. If you don’t mind spending more money and you want your trays to be more decorative, you can find humidity trays that are beautifully constructed out of wood, copper of ceramics and the platforms on which the plants are placed may be designed as a lattice, a mesh, or grades running vertically or horizontally.

But regardless of your expense and the material a humidity tray is made of and despite its design, the principle remains the same. Humidity trays are vessels consisting of compartments that hold water and include raised platforms to hold your orchid plants. The surrounding air will cause the water to slowly evaporate which will, in turn, result in higher levels of humidity.

Here is a brief visual that basically talks a little more about humidity trays for your orchids.

Now, you could also create your own humidity trays by placing gravel, small stones or decorative marbles into any dish, platter, serving tray, etc. Add water to just below the top most level of the gravel or stones and stand you orchid plant on top.

Whether you opt for store bought humidity trays or homemade, never allow the pot of your plant to come in direct contact with the water and be sure to periodically add more to promote continuous levels of moisture in the air.

For more expert information and useful tips regarding growing orchids, please take a look at the other articles found right here at Orchid Care.org — the most comprehensive site about every orchids.

Filed under: Orchid Supplies

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