He ran a small humdifier on the table them for years. When he stopped using it, surprisingly nothing seemed to change either. He treats them pretty well, most are in those fancy glazed pots with holes designed for orchids with those clay balls and/or bark. He has special watering techniques and special fertilizer etc. It has gotten a bit drier in the house the last 2 years because we installed all new windows and doors, which resulted in creating moisture on the windows so we need to run a de-humidifier now. Which is another reason why it's extra surprsing to see them bloom so profusely after so many years.
Pace maker! Haha, that's a good way to put it @Alasgun! I'm so glad you shared this thought about what might be happening between the copper and the lights. I never thought of that, it just might explain what is going on here. What was also a surrpise was that their was no antannaes in the pots, just the coil in the package on the table? And orchids aren't even in soil? Maybe because orchids are more 'atmospheric' plants by nature, since they live in the crooks of trees with no soil naturally? But reading your post reminded me of when I was reading about outdoor electro culture and some people did pass electricity through the wires into the soil using discarded old cell phone chargers and things like that. That the Gauss meter picks up more activity inside than out definitely confirms the idea of collection % relative to the atmospheric presence. The stove is directly on the other side of the wall where the orchid table is too - 240 volts right there. I also have another nearby light and a heating mat in the next room. The super fascinating thing about your revelation is that electro culture might work even more noticeably indoors given the more charged atmpspheric influence? I should get DH to do a couple charged antannaes off an old charger outdoors in some pots this summer and see what happens compared to just a regular antannae.
So true @Pulsegleaner, I almost consider them throw away plants in much the same way as a bouquet of roses eventually is. You enjoy them while they bloom, and then toss. It's not easy to keep them up to their bloom potential without the specialized conditions they require, they're just too odd. I knew people who had a huge set up in their home for replicating optimum orchid conditions, as best as can be done inside a home, and it was such a giant contraption of wires, platforms and ballasts etc. it eventually all got relegated to the basement because the whole thing looked like a giant indoor shed. There are quite a few seasonal plants that come out for Easter, or Christmas, and they're nice potted specimens but when it's over its really over. With all the work to keep a poitsetta year round and get it to bloom the next Christmas on time it hardly seems worth the 10 bucks it is for a new little one.
Funny you should mention roses. More than once, I have bought one of those little potted mini roses they sell around Valentine's and Mother's day (invariably the red and white striped ones) and then try and nurse it through until it's warmer, then plant it in the garden.
My DW always planted those outside in one of her flower beds. They've proven to be surprisingly winter hardy; I've only lost a couple over the years. If anything, given a little care (I cut them back in Spring & late Summer) they have gradually become more vigorous.
Sounds like I have a decent chance then.
I'm not a houseplant person, but a few years ago an eccentric lady from down the road gifted me with a dead-looking pot of sticks. It turned out to be an orchid that had bloomed out. Why she gave this to me I have no idea, because I know nothing about orchids. Being polite I stuck it on the only window sill that I have, which is in the basement above the wash tub and washing machine-- the coldest and most humid spot in our house. Reading your comments re: humidity make me realize that this was a good location for it. Since then this little white orchid is always either growing new shoots, setting buds, or blooming. I rarely water it, and occasionally I give it a shot of fish emulsion. Talk about beginner's luck! 🍀
