control low humidity in an arid region

My next experement to master my greenhouse Humidity
have any of you tried to control low humidity in an arid region ?

(see below for my conditions)

I have ordered (with a 30 day satisifaction guarantee)
6253 Charley's Portable Fogger
is a Charley's exclusive item, available only from Charley's Greenhouse Produce cloud-like mist
Imitate the foggy mists of tropical jungles! Your plants will thrive in this super-fine mist that hangs in the air and drifts through the foliage. It is very effective for cooling, as well.
Ruggedly built for long life, the centrifugal fogger is maintenance-free - no nozzles to plug up! Coverage is up to 250 sq. ft. Portable: simply fill the 1-gallon reservoir, or use parts included to connect built-in float valve to garden hose for full-time water supply. For automatic control, add a timer or humidistat.

2 gph out put. Rotate exhaust head to direct for, or remove head for maximum output. Size: 14" diam., 19" H. 5-ft. grounded power cord. 115 volts, 0.9 amps. Micron size is 20 microns, with fogging head it is 10-15 micron.

“I just love my new fog machine. I can testify that it really does do what it says it does. I am 100% thrilled with it. It wasn’t long before it began to make a real difference in the growth of my orchids.”
– Ralph Velez, Westminster, CA

and a 6147 Prewired Humidistat
Automatically controls your humidifier or misting system. Ready to use:
1. Plug humidistat into 120-volt outlet
2. Plug your humidifying equipment into the humidistat
3. Turn the control dial to desired setting.
Range 20% to 80% relative humidity. 6 ft. power cord with series plug included. Use with line voltage. Positive OFF setting. 125 VAC. 6.5 amps.

inside my greenhouse ======
Temp 69 - 61 degrees with two 1500 electric oil heaters running
RH has been 50 - 37 % now with two household humiditifieds running
(total output of .5 GPH)
I basically have 3 types of plants in my greenhouse
1. Bananas - which are dieing one after another
2. Elephant Ears - which are hanging on but not growing
3. Brugmansia - which are doing better than the others and have a few white flys which I am spraying as discussed on other threads

my climate =======
I am in zone 9 - 15 miles east of Sacramento California
for the past month my weather has been as follows
rain 3.7 inches
max wind 38 mph
low temp 25 degrees high temp 85 degrees
Rel Humidity 32-94

currently it is 2 pm and it is 50 degrees with a RH of 38% outside

other sources of advice =====
several sources that warn about excessively low humidity ======

1. "Greenhouses for Homeowners and Gardeners" ISBN 0-935817-51-4
Very dry air can reduce rooting of cuttings and cause leaves to wilt
Where plants are grown in very dry conditions, transpiration from the leaves will be greater than moisture intake by the roots. The growth and vigor of the plants will be reduced.

2. "Ortho's All about greenhouses" isbn978-0-89721-463-6
When Humidity in the Greenhouse stays below 50 percent for long peoiods, plant growth suffers, because leaves lose water faster than they can replace it.
Most plants do well with a relative humidity from 50% to 70 percent, but many tropical plants prefer 80 percent.

3. all references spend considerable time warning as Tigerlilly did of the risks of too much humidity

How much is that fogger Jim? I wouldn't mind hitting my palms that I have in a room in the house with them once every few days. I wonder what it would do to the paint job...that I just finished painting after putting a skylight in there?

the fogger is around $440
humidistat $ 90
shipping $40

not cheap

I'm getting ready to order also. I think the maker is a Koren company. Here's another supplier.

http://www.hydrofogger.com/?gclid=CNzJ-PzHoJACFTaEOAody0Mb8A

hard to tell differences. charlies has a parts list which shows a korean web site
charlies includes the attachment kit ?
gph output does not match ?

hydrofogger.com ____________ charleysgreenhouse.com
Measures 16.75" tall x 14.5" _____ Size: 14" diam., 19" H.
Output is 1.75 gallons per hour____ 2 gph output (1.05 gph web site below)
Price: $449.00 ________ ______ $440.00
attachment kit extra _________ attachment kit included

charlies source http://www.faran.co.kr/english/main_e.html
HR50 and HR55 look the same (55 is missing the top ?)

This message was edited Dec 28, 2007 10:27 AM

This message was edited Dec 28, 2007 10:27 AM

Yes, it looks like Charlies is the best deal. little cheaper and includes the water hook up. I did spend a few hours looking for a better deal, one was not found. I think I'll wait till I recover from Christmas before I order:-( Let us know your impressions of the unit once you get running.

I added pictures to my website so you could the difference
Oct 27 vs today http://www.rader.org/garden/GH_humidity.htm
as I look at the pictures it is worse than I thought !!

Charlies Greenhouse Portable fogger arrived today
It is a very solid impressive unit !!
I plugged the model 6147 Humidistat into the wall socket and set it on the table
next to my plants
I then connected the water to the faucet, It filled quickly and shut off
I plugged the electrical cord from the Humidifier into the Humidistat
and turned the control knob from off, The humidifier came on at 60%
It really puts out considerable vapor, you would not want it without the humidistat because it really blows the vapor out with it's atomizing screen !
It is cloudy and 50my $7 thermometers indicate at 1:10 pm
north end of table 68 degrees and 55% humidity
south end of table 68 degrees and 58% humidity
after one hour of operation
all fans are still off,
the munidifier, has cycled many times, dial at 60%
my $7 thermometers indicate at 2:20 pm
north end of table 64 degrees and 73% humidity
south end of table 68 degrees and 80% humidity
Outside
cloudy, 50 degrees and 82%
There is still no sign of wetness in the greenhouse !!
---------
The assembly only consisted of pushing the provided 1/4" tubing
into the garden hose adapter and the unit's overflow valve
charlies source [HYPERLINK@www.faran.co.kr]
it is labeled HR50 "made in Korea" Humidifier
the Humidistat states that "Typically 40% - 50% is a normal setting,
depending on owner's preference and plant requirements