orchids for artificial lights

[latebloomer]

Hello! I just wanted to post a question for those who are growing under artificial lights. Are there specific phals (or any other) that grow very well under artificial lights?

I'll be going to my first orchid show in a couple of weeks! Except for one named orchid, the rest of my small collection are noids, so even though I'm looking forward to buying the named varieties, I would like to make "smart" selections and get my money's worth. Can't wait!

[camille1585]

Just about every orchid can be grown under lights it just depends on how light your setup is putting out.
What lights do you have?

First orchid shows are wonderful!! I went to my first one is the fall, and it was amazing. You are going to have so much fun! I was planning on getting 2 or 3 orchids, but I came back with 7....

[latebloomer]

Hi Camille,

I have T12 lights. Right now I only have phals, but it would be wonderful if I can expand to the other types as well. The space between the plants to the lights is about 19" high so I guess I am limited to low growing plants.

I am really looking forward to the show, but hope I won't go overboard with the purchasing!

[Bookworm]

You aren't necessarily limited to Phals, I grow under T12 ligts too and I got my Zygopetalum to bloom. Paphiopedilums are good to grow under lights too.

[let_it_grow]

I have Dens, Phals, Paphs, Oncds and Cyms all growing under lights and they all grow well.

[camille1585]

I think you're sure to blooms phals and paphs under the lights, and maybe some oncidium hybrids/intergenerics.
Just depends on if the artificial light is supplement to sunlight or the main source of light. Also depends on how many T12 tubes you have and how long the lights are on per day.

[let_it_grow]

I use t5s but t8s will probably fit in the ballast you have your t12s in and in most cases offer brighter light. You wanna look at the lumens or the foot candles of the bulbs you buy. The higher the lumens or foot candles the better. The highest t12 bulbs i have seen are 2400 lumens so you dont need to worry about too much light for your plants unless you have more than 4 bulbs. Are you using the lights as supplemental lighting or is this the only source of light for the plants? One other thing to look at is the colour temperature or Kelvins, you want the K to be around 6500. With the right bulbs you can pretty much grow any chid

[latebloomer]

The unit I have is a small one which holds only 2 bulbs, and it is my only source of light. Unfortunately, I have no idea about kelvins, footcandles, etc! Something new to learn about I guess.

That's definitely good news that I can grow more than phals! I must admit I don't know anything about other orchids and I've only had phals for about a year. Hmm, so many possibilities! Thanks so much for the advice!
There are so many helpful people in this forum - someday I hope I'll be able to reciprocate!

[Becca]

A mixture of warm (3000K) and cool (6500K) is best to use since it covers the light spectrum better then just a 6500K bulb. The warm colored bulbs help promote flowering while cool colored bulbs help promote growth. I have been told that using only 6500k bulbs won't quite do the job. But if someone has actually bloomed orchids using only 6500K, then I would love to know so I don't have to worry about buying warm and cool colored bulbs!

[let_it_grow]

I use a 6500k bulb but its supplemental so i have sunlight too. 6500k is considered full spectrum because it has light from the blue end of the light spectrum all the way to the red. Plants require as wide a spectrum as possible to grow properly. Take a look at this article... it helps understand


Indoor Plant Lighting