Is the UK humid?
 

I have done some searching on Google, and people say it is. The reason why I'm asking is because I have had a Camellia Sinensis and Coffea Arabica for a couple of months now, and they are growing. The only problem I had was when I left the Camellia Sinensis next to a window.

Apparently they need high humidity and it's best to spray them every day, but I have become lazy with this and spray them once-twice a week. They are growing just as well.


I was wondering if we have the correct humidity for growing them, and whether this would affect the humidity inside your house. I have recently moved them to the kitchen, close to the sink, assuming this would give a higher humidity.

Thank you.

Is the UK humid?
 

"BlackThumb" wrote in message
...

I have done some searching on Google, and people say it is. The reason
why I'm asking is because I have had a Camellia Sinensis and Coffea
Arabica for a couple of months now, and they are growing. The only
problem I had was when I left the Camellia Sinensis next to a window.

Apparently they need high humidity and it's best to spray them every
day, but I have become lazy with this and spray them once-twice a week.
They are growing just as well.


I was wondering if we have the correct humidity for growing them, and
whether this would affect the humidity inside your house. I have
recently moved them to the kitchen, close to the sink, assuming this
would give a higher humidity.

Thank you.




--
BlackThumb

Outside we are quite humid but most houses are designed to be drier on the
inside!

--
Charlie, Gardening in Cornwall
Holders of National Collections of Clematis viticella
and Lapageria rosea cvs
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk

Is the UK humid?
 

"BlackThumb" wrote in message
...

I have done some searching on Google, and people say it is. The reason
why I'm asking is because I have had a Camellia Sinensis and Coffea
Arabica for a couple of months now, and they are growing. The only
problem I had was when I left the Camellia Sinensis next to a window.

Apparently they need high humidity and it's best to spray them every
day, but I have become lazy with this and spray them once-twice a week.
They are growing just as well.


I was wondering if we have the correct humidity for growing them, and
whether this would affect the humidity inside your house. I have
recently moved them to the kitchen, close to the sink, assuming this
would give a higher humidity.

Thank you.


I have a humidity meter which I needed once to hatch chicken eggs. It's
showing 70% in my spare bedroom now, it does not cost too much to buy if you
need to know for whatever reason.

I don't know what your plant needs, but would 70 be enough? If so, you
already have it.

Is the UK humid?
 

On Sat, 9 Jun 2012 15:49:17 +0000, BlackThumb wrote:

Apparently they need high humidity and it's best to spray them every
day, but I have become lazy with this and spray them once-twice a week.
They are growing just as well.

Seems to indicate they are happy but bear in mind that interior
humidity is higher in the summer. You may find more problems in the
winter when the heating comes back on and the exterior air being so
much colder has less mositure in it, so when warmed inside the RH
drops.

--
Cheers
Dave.

Is the UK humid?
 

On Jun 9, 4:49*pm, BlackThumb wrote:
I have done some searching on Google, and people say it is. The reason
why I'm asking is because I have had a Camellia Sinensis and Coffea
Arabica for a couple of months now, and they are growing. The only
problem I had was when I left the Camellia Sinensis next to a window.

Apparently they need high humidity and it's best to spray them every
day, but I have become lazy with this and spray them once-twice a week.
They are growing just as well.

I was wondering if we have the correct humidity for growing them, and
whether this would affect the humidity inside your house. I have
recently moved them to the kitchen, close to the sink, assuming this
would give a higher humidity.

Thank you.

--
BlackThumb


You need to understand the concept of relative humidity. It may be
high RH outdoors but indoors it can be low RH just because the air has
been heated.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relative_humidity

Is the UK humid?
 

In article ,
harry wrote:
On Jun 9, 4:49=A0pm, BlackThumb wrote:

I have done some searching on Google, and people say it is. The reason
why I'm asking is because I have had a Camellia Sinensis and Coffea
Arabica for a couple of months now, and they are growing. The only
problem I had was when I left the Camellia Sinensis next to a window.

You need to understand the concept of relative humidity. It may be
high RH outdoors but indoors it can be low RH just because the air has
been heated.

Yes, at least if you have central heating. However, to return
to our muttons, very few plants grown in the UK can handle high
relative humidity at higher temperatures - that is fungal
heaven. In general, only tropical jungle plants (and those
are not) can.

Camellia sinensis is a tropical montaigne plant, which is why
it does well in the West Country - Coffea arabica comes from
Ethiopia, and I believe that it may be the same (though quite
possibly requiring less humidity, as I have seen it growing
in central Africa on the savanna).

For some more information on the UK's climate, look for the
uk.rec.gardening FAQ (by yours truly).


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Is the UK humid?
 

In article , wrote:

Camellia sinensis is a tropical montaigne plant, which is why
it does well in the West Country - Coffea arabica comes from
Ethiopia, and I believe that it may be the same (though quite
possibly requiring less humidity, as I have seen it growing
in central Africa on the savanna).

Er, no. Sorry. Camellia is SUB-tropical - Coffea is tropical.
But, anyway, the conditions where tea is grown in the sub-tropics
and tropics are fairly similar to those in Cornwall. Coffee
prefers slightly hotter and drier conditions, as I understand it.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

It is important to realise that, like many agricultural crops grown in a variety of climates, be it wheat, apples or tea, C sinensis comes in many varieties, with different climatic tolerances. On the one hand, C sinensis is grown in parts of China and Japan with a winter just as cold as many parts of the UK. On the other hand, it is grown in parts of Assam, Sri Lanka, and Kenya, where the local winter is about as cold as a Cornish summer, but drier. It is even grown in equatorial climates -albeit only at altitude - such as the highlands of Malaysia and Rwanda, where they don't have a cool season at all.

So I think the key to success with growing C sinensis in the UK is finding a suitable variety, and giving it a lot of water in the growing season.

Coffee also has its varieties, and although the growing regions of tea and coffee overlap (eg highland Kenya), it is not capable of growing in places with anywhere near such cold winters as many places where tea is grown.

The native region for tea are the hills along of SW China (ie Yunnan, not Tibet) into NE India, which, because of altitude, is on the edge between warm temperate and sub-tropical climates - not entirely frost-free I would suggest. Whereas coffee comes from locations at similar altitude in Ethiopia, but being a good 10-15 degrees further south is more likely to be frost-free.

Thank you so much for all your replies!

I have been away for a couple of days putting me behind in studying, so I won't be able to reply properly just yet.

There's a cheap humidity and temperature reader on Amazon. I'll order it.