Tinted windows

[Rwhb12]

Does anyone know the light spectrum that is best for orchids? We have an “advanced” tinted glass in the windows of our house and I am wondering if the change in spectrum is affecting growth of my orchids?

Of course the next question- if the answer is yes - is what to do about it. I have a greenhouse which is too cold in Winter, and soaring energy costs. Maybe supplement window light with grow lights?


Russ

[realoldbeachbum]

We have tinted windows as well and I have wondered the same thing. Hopefully one of the OB experts will be able to "shed some light" on it!

[Ray]

If by "tinted" you mean Low-E coatings for energy savings, they do reduce the light transmission, but the reduction is fairly uniform across the visible-light spectrum.

[estación seca]

I know mutiple people who had trouble with other house plants with energy saving tinted windows.

Lights are a possibility. There is a forum here for growing under lights. Most people find LEDs designed for growing plants work well and use less electricity than other lights.

[Arizona Jeanie]

Tinted windows definitely slowed down my Phals and reduced blooming. I added a grow light for them, they're now doing fine.
I have some tropical plants that tolerate very low light doing OK by the windows. (Peace Lily, Arrowhead, just started a Scindapsus cutting.)
The light I'm using is something like this:
Amazon.com
On a timer. Simple to set up and use, phals are now happy and bloom every year. I'm sorry I paid extra for the tint, I'm thinking of replacing with clear glass.

[Mountaineer370]

Around the time I got my first orchid, we also replaced the windows in our house with new, energy-efficient (low-E coated) ones. As I added more and more orchids, I became disappointed at the lack of reblooming on many of them. My plants all sit on a table in front of a large south-facing window. People here on the forum suggested they weren't getting enough light, which I couldn't understand, but I started to wonder about the new windows. I added a couple of supplemental lights (in my case, the decorative floor lamp variety), and it made all the difference in the world. I also started rehoming plants that didn't seem to do well in the conditions in my home (or that got too big). That's how I ended up with only Phals. I downsized some more and now only have around a dozen, but almost all of them rebloom regularly now.

[Ray]

Depending upon the specific coatings used for Low-E glass, the intensity reduction can be as much as 40%.

[Moab]

Some orchids-the “low light” types like phals can work with some typical LEDs.

Others will need actual grow lights. For me I’m in the PNW. So I have to use grow lights for my catts and vanda’s for instance.

I’ve got some of the smaller Barrina (Amazon) grow lights for my orchids. Some are small and some are bigger, higher output.

If you have a Dracula orchid for instance, mine just stays in a west facing cool window without any additional light.

Hope this helps a little bit.