Growth of Orchids

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 30, 7 February 1930, Page 33

Growth of Orchids

Accel.erated by Electricity N interesting example of the prac tical application of electrical heate ing comes from the North of England, where a keen amateur grower of orchids with large greenhouses for these and other tropical plants has had to depend hitherto upon hot-water pipes connected to a coke-fired boiler for the maintenance of a uniform temperature and the required degree of humidity. During the winter months many kinds of orchids die off quickly if they are subjected to a lower temperature than about SOdeg. F., and so cons stant attention to the coke boiler is required to keep the heat of the orchidhouse at that figure. Firing late at night, again early in the morning, as well as several times during the. day, proved tiresome, especially as in the other houses, containing semi-tropical plants, a lower temperature was sufficient.

The obvious remedy, therefore, was to install separate heating for the orchid-house and. make it independent oz the remainder of the buildings. For this purpose the Industrial Heating Department of the G.H.C. was consulted and a special heavy waterproof type of tubular heater was designed. A numeber of these heaters were installed experimentally in the orchid-house to a total length of 82ft., with a loading of 16 kw., and connected directly to the 8-phase network. To fjreserve the proper saturation of the atmosphere the heaters themselves are constantly covered with water, which speaks well for their design, and accurate tempera~ ture control in the orchid-house is effected by means of an adjustable air thermostat working in conjunction with a 3-pole 25-amp. Witton Ironclad Cone« tractor. . With the advantage of a _ special cheap tariff arranged with the local supply company, the orchid-grower is now congratulating himself on the general convenience and more economic advantage of these electric tubular heaters as compared with the oldfashioned system of heating they had superseded. He is now assured of equable temperature under easily-con-trolled conditions, plus a cleanliness that is not possible with coal or coke firing methods; moreover, there are no products of combustion or fumes inimical to plants to vitiate the air.