grow lights for phals - help me

[LadySoren]

The grow light world is overwhelming me.

I only have 2 phals, one is a mini.
I have no good windows to put them near and 2 felines who like to scratch their faces on my new blooms.
Windows don't have sills or tables to put the plants on, have air vents pointing directly where I'd be putting my plants, and aren't facing a good direction for sun.

I want a grow light
STAND (so I don't have to mount anything - I rent)
that isn't like 4 feet long (only have 2 plants!),
is under $100,
AND easy to find replacement bulbs for.

Obviously, I don't want to DIY. It's not really possible for me.

Help me if you can. Online shopping for this is overwhelming!

thanks!

[Call_Me_Bob]

First off, let us talk about the most obvious thing. I guarantee that down the road you WILL be buying more orchids. It's something you can't prevent and it is futile to resist

What I would recommend for a small collection of 2-6 orchids is a super cheap super effective clamp light. This is the absolute best thing I have found for growing under lights!! Super cheap and they work great!

I recommend getting a 23w cfl that is 6500k. In one of the 10" clamp lights I am getting about 4K foot candles roughly one foot under the bulb.

For $10, you can't beat it!! Bayco 10.5'' Brooder Clamp Light - Walmart.com

I would say find a place that's cat-safe where you can put the orchid and also clamp the light above somehow.

[Joyorchid]

That's super info, Bob! Where do you get your bulbs?

[Call_Me_Bob]

Originally Posted by Joyorchid

That's super info, Bob! Where do you get your bulbs?

WALMART! They were something like $3 for a four pack! Super economical! And you could even paint the outside of the reflectors like matte black to make them look nicer!

[LadySoren]

This sounds great!
Any suggestions for what I would "clamp" it to...?

Is the light 10" diameter? And how big are the bulbs?

Yes... I'll probably get more orchids... It's inevitable.

Thanks for the help!

[Call_Me_Bob]

Originally Posted by LadySoren

This sounds great!
Any suggestions for what I would "clamp" it to...?

Is the light 10" diameter? And how big are the bulbs?

Yes... I'll probably get more orchids... It's inevitable.

Thanks for the help!

You could use the edge of a book shelf, the top of a shelf, anything really. I even have some suspended from a hook on the ceiling, I think they look nice when suspended!

The reflector is 10.5 inches across

The bulbs are the about same size as any normal CFL.

[LadySoren]

I will have to look around my place and see where to set this up. A standard bookshelf would be good for when they're not in bloom.

Thanks again for the simple solution!

---------- Post added at 09:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:01 PM ----------

oh, I meant to ask, does this lamp get hot?

[Call_Me_Bob]

The lamp itself gets warm, the bulb maybe a bit warmer. Also, be careful with getting the orchids TOO CLOSE because these lights have potential to burn some low light stuff.

[naoki]

This is another option, Cree 9.5W 2700K LED from HomeDepot:

Cree 9.5-Watt (60W) A19 Warm White (2700K) Dimmable LED Light Bulb (1-Pack)-BA19-08027OMF-12DE26-1U110 at The Home Depot

I've heard good thing about it.

[LadySoren]

I got the exact lamp and bulbs Bob suggested to see how it goes.
I ended up taking the "clamp" off and hanging it 12" above my orchids with a command hook on my wall.


We'll see how it goes!

From my experience so far (just set it all up yesterday), the lamp doesn't get hot enough for me to be concerned. Lightly warm and it has been on since 9 this morning.
I used to have a desk lamp that got EXTREMELY hot which is why I was concerned. Maybe we had been using the wrong bulbs...

Hopefully the pix I try to post will show up...

THANKS BOB!