Lighting an orchid

[nickel525]

Ok Dumb question...maybe...but how does the whole light thing work. I thought it was the sun's uva and uvb rays that help a plant produce photosynthesis. How does a Fluorescent light source help an orchid grow?

And if a fluorescent lamp works...will a CFL (compact fluorescent) work as well?

[Ray]

Plants hardly use any UV at all, and certainly not for photosynthesis. The photoactive wavelengths are around 430 and 660 nm.

Here's an old article with some of the basics, but I'm sure that there are lots of artificial-light-knowledgeable folks here who can add more.

Light

[CodiMN]

Oo! I just got a book yesterday about lighting from the AOS! I've only just scanned thru but what I've learned so far has to do with the range the bulb is on the color spectrum! More red = flowers, more blue= foliage.

I currently have 2 compact flourescents in my orchidarium...they're a little blue, hence all the foliage I've been getting!

I'm going to look at some sites they recommended to check out light spectrum on some more energy efficient bulbs. Some sites they recommended:
GE Consumer & Industrial Lighting: Redirect to NA Splash Page
The global light site