humidity chamber?

Question

i just made a humidity chamber for a small salvia plant (trying to make it grow as big and fast as possible) and it is a wooden frame with a bunch of seran wrap all over it and I sprayed water into it then sealed it completely. is it bad that it is cut off from CO2 and if so how do I get it everything it needs without de-humidifying the box. also any tips on how to make humidity chambers humid would be appreciated. (besides just having a bowl of water in there...)

Answer 1

Humidity is more than water, it is airborne water. The only way that water vapor gets into the air is when it is heated.

So heating your water or adding steam will help with your salvia plant. It would be possible to put small vents in the base of the terrarium to let fresh air in. The hotter air rises and then when it cools it loses the water as dew, which would appear all over the salvia plant. So you could create a system that isn't closed which would keep the humidity high.
Check out these websites for hints on making a terrarium: http://www.blackjungle.com/basics.htm or http://www.thegardenhelper.com/terrarium.html or http://www.artmakers.com/terrcare.html

Of course you could just buy a humidified and connect it to send fresh moist air into the bottom of your terrarium. This would bring in fresh CO2 for you. If you wanted to add more CO2 then you could buy a CO2 tank that is used by paint ball players and vent it into an airtight chamber. However, I think it would be better to include a lot of fertilizer in the plant soil.

Answer 2

If you want the plant to grow faster, humidity isn't what you need, get a grow lamp. To maximize growth, keep the salvia in a bright and sunny location. Put a grow light on it and keep the light on as much as possible. Plants in Alaska grow HUGE due to the 24 hours of sunlight in the summer.

Salvias (and most other plants) will rot or develop fungi and mold if they don't have freely circulating air.

If you are in a very dry climate or have a tropical moisture loving plant, fill a tray with gravel, and add water below the top of the gravel line and set the pot on the gravel being careful to keep the bottom of the pot out of the water so you don't get root rot. The plant will get all the humidity it needs from the evaporating water.

My humidity loving orchids love gravel trays, but when I am growing plants for my flower beds, I actually keep a fan on them to keep the air moving so they don't get too damp and rot. Good luck!

Answer 3

Your plant is going to rot. Too much humidity, not enough light.