Quote:
Originally Posted by hanabananaman
I recently had something similar appear overnight after I had done a routine hose spraying after the sun was down. I suspect my tap water had something in it. At this time of year the tap water is getting very warm due to our searing heat and I wonder if the chlorine is not able to kill germs as efficiently due to the temperature???
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Dear Hababananaman-
Evening misting has long been considered a risk to terrestrial plants. It sets up overnight wet conditions, encouraging common soil-borne pathogens like fungi & mildews which destroy roots.
Conceivably your plants might have encountered cold-damage similar to Krismast's. But without seeing your planting, or knowing more of immediate conditions, it seems likely you've encountered root damage closely tied to evening wetness. Meanwhile many growers tell us the resulting spike in air humidity levels from "routine evening spraying" is just not sustained enough to benefit tropical growth.
In my dry California conditions many professional orchid growers concern themselves more with the protection of humidity, rather than its production. Humidity is in fact constantly produced by all plants.
So we can increase relative humidity 'passively' using close nearby foliage plantings and with evaporation trays or tubs, or via technological systems. But wherever higher humidity is desired, a protecting structure is crucial. From a wind-break using a nearby wall or a planting of trees to dedicated arbor trellises, to heated conservatories, the humidity is contained.
Still, if you want damp, squeaky-clean plants, then (once plants are well-recovered from all wilt &after the top 1/2" of all suspect soil dries out), consider spraying plants in the morning! But if issues aggravated by damp continue, I wouldn't water before sunrise.
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