Orchid Care OrchidTalk Orchid Forum Links Nursery

Welcome to OrchidTalk Orchid Forums


The Friendliest Orchid Community on the Internet!


  •  » Learn to Repot your Orchids
  •  » Learn Orchid Care Tips and Secrets
  •  » Find the perfect Orchid for your Growing Environment
  •  » Chat with Orchid Growing Professionals

OrchidTalk - "Bringing People Together to Grow Orchids Better!"


Let us help you grow your Orchids better; Join our community today.


YES! I want to register an account for free right now!


Register or Login now to remove this advertisement.

Results 1 to 4 of 4

Thread: artificial light

Click here to increase the font size Click here to reduce the font size
  1. #1
    Real Name
    John Lapointe
    My Grow Area
    Windowsill
    Favorite Orchid(s)
    Haven't met one I don't like
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Gender
    Male
    Location
    Marthasville, Mo. USA
    Posts
    28

    Default artificial light

    HELP! fall is coming, starting to think about where to put all the orchids ive added over the summer, started with 150 now up to 275 plants, my obsession over came me.I already use every available window in the house, adjustable shelving to utilize space but alas ive run out of space, most live outdoors during season. i was wondering about strip leds, attached to bottom of the shelve above. this will be a temporary greenhousein basement, hopefully greenhouse will be done by next fall. any input, ideas will greatly be appreciated. what i was think of trying is to attach a .9m led light strip to the bottom cross member, gives me 12" between strips. will this be sufficient light to maintain a healthy plant?

  2. #2
    Real Name
    Arne Schon
    My Grow Area
    Under Lights
    Favorite Orchid(s)
    Brassavola, Broughtonia
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Gender
    Male
    Location
    Baltimore, MD, USA
    Posts
    831
    Member's Country Flag

    Default

    Ask Raybark in this forum. I'm sure he can help you. There are many solutions. I have one 225 W high efficiency bulb, for instance, and it has helped a lot. Now I'm adding a LED fixture. If it is good I'll only use that from now on.
    Posted via Mobile Device

  3. #3
    My Grow Area
    Windowsill
    Favorite Orchid(s)
    Dendrobium, Cattleya
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Gender
    Male
    Location
    Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    5,021
    Member's Country Flag

    Default

    Sorry John but Your family (like mine) is probably considering an intervention Ray is the person to advise you on lighting. I am in the process of changing every light in the house over to LED. They've probably been around for a while but I've just discovered replacement LED's that you can put directly into the fluorescent fixtures so all 28 of my plant lights will be replaced over the next couple of months. I have to set up another area as well so it it would be great to have a discussion on lighting.

  4. #4
    Real Name
    Ray Barkalow
    My Grow Area
    Porch/Patio.
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Oak Island NC
    Posts
    2,103

    Default

    LEDs are certainly a viable choice, but choosing the right ones (correct output and spectrum) will be determined by what is under them at that distance.

    I, for example, used blue/deep red Philips Production Units in my "seedling incubator" in my basement when I had a greenhouse for others, but now that I am an indoor grower again, I use white/deep red instead, so the plant's look more natural.

    Both are 4' long, so cover the entire length of the shelf, and are 24 watts. I use two per 12" wide shelf, about 12" above my the tops of the phrags. For my smaller plants (mostly phals), I use one, about the same distrance above the plants.

    On another shelf, I had 5, 11 watt terrarium-type LEDs running lengthwise in the center, about 12" above the plants.

    Those Philips lamps are pricey, but I think that if you go to your local mega-hardware store, you can find some Cree floodlights (use outdoor ones, in case of accidental splashing) that can be very effective.

    Always think in terms of true wattage, not equivalent.

Similar Threads

  1. Artificial light quality
    By moniluhum in forum Semi Hydro / Lights / Greenhouses / Accessories
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: September 27th, 2014, 08:08 PM
  2. Transferring from artificial light and outside
    By moniluhum in forum General Orchid Culture
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: May 8th, 2014, 12:32 AM
  3. Transition from artificial light to outside
    By moniluhum in forum General Orchid Culture
    Replies: 10
    Last Post: April 6th, 2014, 06:09 AM
  4. Orchid artificial light experiment
    By deedlelu in forum General Orchid Culture
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: February 17th, 2013, 07:54 AM
  5. Switching from natural light to artificial light
    By Alplily NH in forum Semi Hydro / Lights / Greenhouses / Accessories
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: September 26th, 2010, 01:13 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
OrchidTalk --An Orchid Growers Discussion Forum brought to you by River Valley Orchidworks. A World Community where orchid beginners and experts talk about orchids and share tips on their care, cultivation, and propagation.