lights

[vicki]

I need opinions on lights to use for indoor growing. I need a light that would be good for vandas and catts. also. Any suggestions on this matter would be great!

[cindiras]

Well, I'm a bit of a skinflint. I use 4 foot long shop lights with a wide spectrum/ sunlight bulb rated a 5,000 foot candles.

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Wish I could help with a suggestion, but I grow in a gh. There are several members here who grow under lights. Check out the member grow area photo section and PM those people directly. Like Cindi, I think many people use shop lights with special plant bulbs.

Cheers,
BD

[SheilaJ]

cindiras, are you sure you are getting 5,000 footcandles from shop lights? That's a lot higher than any I've seen. What type are they and how many tubes do you have next to each other?

I don't grow vandas because they need WAY more light than I can give them indoors, even with a growlight.

[cindiras]

I am buying bulbs from a big box store that are called sun sticks. It is a wide spectrum bulb, currently costs about 5 or 6 bucks a tube. Remember, the 5000 foot candles the manufacturers claim, is right up next to the bulb. Every inch you move away from the bulbs will get you a lower footcandle measurement. A foot away and to the side of the fixture is probably closer to two thousand foot candles. All things to keep in mind when setting up plants on shelves with lights.