High Humidity vs Low Humidity

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The question that always comes up; How can you grow so many exotic plants in the dry conditions of Alberta?! Truth be told, we like to use grow tents! We grow a large amount of our plants outside of the grow tents / chambers. But some varieties of Hoya, Anthuriums & Nepenthes don't like the dry conditions. We've also found that you can achieve much quicker leaf development in high humidity along with leaf size and much quicker to bloom. On saying this, every new conditions we use brings more challenges. So when dealing with high humidity, it is extremely vital to ensure you have excellent air movement with in your tent; you'll also want to make sure you have fresh air coming in as well. We will also do bi-weekly cleaning of the floors and walls as they can build up dew and start attract mold.

Above is a picture of me holding my Anthurium warocqueanum. I tried growing this outside of high humidity for almost 6 months with ZERO leaf development. You can tell it started to dry the tips out (furthest leaf back) then it started to fade the newest leaf. (in front of dry tip leaf) Although i do believe the faded leaf started to be from lack of water as the netted pot likes to dry pretty quickly and our fans are on all the time. The two larger leafs are done in a little under 2 months once i put back into high humidity. A few other things I'd like to mention about growing in High Humidity. You will want to be confident in your watering regime, and adjust accordingly. Constantly be checking your foliage for any signs of mold or black spots; if/when you see this. It's not a panic, maybe open more vents to your tent, re direct your fans and gently wipe off. If you have a heavy hand watering your plants; you will at times notice (more on philodendrons) that water will be expelling from the leaf tips. In high humidity conditions, I've found this to be what causes slight leaf deformities. Allow your plant to dry out for an extra day before watering to avoid this. Happy Planting! CSJ