• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Essence of Orchids

Orchid Images, Growing Areas, and Orchid Culture Notes from from the collection of A'na & Paul Satara

  • Orchid Portraits
    • Asian & Pacific Dendrobium
    • Australian Dendrobium
    • Dockrillia
    • Cymbidium
    • Paphiopedilum
    • Brazil Cattleya Alliance
    • More Genera
  • AEO Culture Notes
  • Growing Areas
  • About Us
  • Contact

Orchid Growing Areas

I love to imagine and create new and better spaces for my orchids to inhabit.  I am constantly observing to see how I can improve growing conditions.  We hope that our ideas and solutions will help other orchid growers with small collections design effective, attractive, and abundant growing spaces.

 

Finding the “right light”: growing areas and the art of orchid placement

February 7, 2021 By A'na Sa'tara

Orchid Light Intensity

What's the "right light"? Optimal light intensity for different genera and species of orchids has been an ongoing question and quest of our orchid culture. Over the years, I have continually experimented and refined the placement of orchids indoors under LED grow lights, and outdoors in several … [Read more...] about Finding the “right light”: growing areas and the art of orchid placement

Filed Under: Orchid Growing Areas Tagged With: Cymbidium, Dendrobium, Laelia, LED grow lights, Orchid light intensity

A new lighting option for indoor orchid growing: T5 HO LED replacements for fluorescent grow lights

December 17, 2018 By A'na Sa'tara

T5 HO LED lights growing orchids

Lighting options for indoor orchid growing, both for supplemental seasonal light sources and for year-round growing areas, have evolved in leaps and bounds over the past few years.  Indoor horticulture and agriculture are being radically transformed by the availability of high quality light from … [Read more...] about A new lighting option for indoor orchid growing: T5 HO LED replacements for fluorescent grow lights

Filed Under: Orchid Growing Areas

More than footcandles and lux: new ways to think about indoor orchid growing with LED lights

November 5, 2018 By A'na Sa'tara

Growing orchids under LED lights

For a number of years, my handheld light meter puzzled me when it came to indoor orchid growing with fluorescent lights.  I used it to adjust the height of lights above my Phalaenopsis, only to see the leaves redden up notably at just 600 footcandles (fc) on the light meter.  That should be quite a … [Read more...] about More than footcandles and lux: new ways to think about indoor orchid growing with LED lights

Filed Under: Featured, Orchid Growing Areas

Affordable, flexible benches and growing spaces for hanging mounted orchids both indoors and outdoors

January 18, 2018 By A'na Sa'tara

Outdoor indoor orchid growing benches

When we built our second shadehouse, one of the design challenges was what to use for growing benches.  We have visited a number of greenhouses, large and small, and have seen a few great configurations.  But what would work for our situation -- a relatively small shadehouse (6' x 8') that would … [Read more...] about Affordable, flexible benches and growing spaces for hanging mounted orchids both indoors and outdoors

Filed Under: Orchid Growing Areas

LED lights for orchids: our Paphiopedilum seedling growing area

January 17, 2018 By A'na Sa'tara

LED lights for orchid seedlings

Once upon a time, after wishing for more quality Paphiopedilum seedlings, we rubbed the magic eBay lantern, and a flask of Paphiopedilum fairrieanum arrived at our house.  Not content with one wish, we kept wishing, and more flasks of Paphiopedilum species appeared in the coming year.  One shelf of … [Read more...] about LED lights for orchids: our Paphiopedilum seedling growing area

Filed Under: Orchid Growing Areas

Footer

A’na & Paul Sa’tara

AEO is a way of seeing and experiencing orchids.  In our eyes, how you perceive your orchids is how you grow them …

HOW WE GROW

Experience more of the Photography of A’na Sa’tara

Images created on the threshold of consciousness and form

SEE CLEAR LIGHT

What’s blooming now?

  • Twitter

Featured Articles …

Growing beyond orchid taxonomy troubles? A new view of species, hybrids, horticulture, and science

Virus testing an (entire) orchid collection for CymMV & ORSV: the surprising results at AEO

Growing orchids under LED lights

More than footcandles and lux: new ways to think about indoor orchid growing with LED lights

Feed the orchids! Details of my fertilizer program for different genera

Orchid Portraits

Cymbidium banaense

Orchid photography by A’na Sa’tara

VIEW THE PHOTOS

Asian & Pacific Dendrobiums
Australian Dendrobiums
Cymbidiums
Dockrillia
Paphiopedilum
Brazil Cattleya Alliance
Other Friendly Genera

 

 

Copyright © 2025