fluorescent light - Questions
Login
User Name
Password   


Registration is FREE. Click to become a member of OrchidBoard community
(You're NOT logged in)

menu menu

Sponsor
Donate Now
and become
Forum Supporter.

fluorescent light - Questions
Many perks!
<...more...>


Sponsor
 

Google


Fauna Top Sites
Register fluorescent light - Questions Members fluorescent light - Questions fluorescent light - Questions Today's Postsfluorescent light - Questions fluorescent light - Questions fluorescent light - Questions
LOG IN/REGISTER TO CLOSE THIS ADVERTISEMENT
Go Back   Orchid Board - Most Complete Orchid Forum on the web ! > >
Reply
 
Thread Tools Rate Thread Display Modes
  #1  
Old 11-15-2009, 02:12 PM
Singingirl96 Singingirl96 is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 195
Default fluorescent light - Questions

Hello. I currently own 30+ orchids (phals, paphs, cats and dens). I have them in east and west windows. All my paphs, phals and dens rebloom fine. My cats on the other hand need a little more help. I have 6 and only 2 have rebloomed.

So I thought about adding a strip or two of fluorescent lights on the wire shelf where they are.

Question: I have 2 fish tank light hoods that I was thinking about using. What type of lightbulbs should I use? Should I get standard lightbulbs or are they special lightbulbs?

I looked at my local pet store and they have all kinds of sunlight lightbulbs that would fit on my hood. Can I get any suggestions from you on what to get? Thanks.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 11-15-2009, 02:25 PM
Ross Ross is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Sep 2006
Zone: 5a
Posts: 9,277
Default

I tried that once and just couldn't get enough light to make any difference. Why not get a bare bulb compact florescent bulb (or 2 ) and hang them close to the plants you want to light? Here is my setup

I use 105 watt CFs (they are equiv of 500 watts incandescnt) 105 Watt CFL - 420 W Equal - Full Spectrum 5000K - Spring Lamp - EIKO 81180 Light Bulb They work like a champ. Just a thought.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 11-15-2009, 08:01 PM
quiltergal quiltergal is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Apr 2007
Zone: 8b
Location: Southern Oregon
Age: 70
Posts: 6,016
Default

I just zip tied 2 4' T5 flor to the bottom of each shelf on my grow rack. Not having them in a traditional "hood" allows the heat to dissipate faster so the plants don't fry. They are low profile so take up very little space. I saw a huge difference in my plants after setting up the lights.
Attached Thumbnails
fluorescent light - Questions-orchids-163-jpg  
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 11-21-2009, 12:52 PM
Claire25 Claire25 is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Jun 2009
Zone: 7b
Member of:AOS
Location: Maryland (Eastern Shore)
Age: 42
Posts: 142
fluorescent light - Questions Female
Default

Wow, I'm surprised you've gotten the Dendros. and Catts to rebloom in the lighting you describe. You must be blessed with very bright light at your windows! From my experience (using a 4-tube, 4-foot shop-light fixture), fluorescent bulbs simply do not put out the wavelength of light needed to flower many orchids (even the "grow light" bulbs are too blue; you need a lot of light in the red end of the spectrum to flower Dendros. and Catts). I've flowered Paphs beneath them, and possibly some Phals, but that's about it. On the other hand, I've had great results flowering my Dendro. and my Catts beneath a metal halide light setup--that baby cranks out enough light to get a tan under! (Well, almost!)
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 11-23-2009, 01:20 PM
quiltergal quiltergal is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Apr 2007
Zone: 8b
Location: Southern Oregon
Age: 70
Posts: 6,016
Default

Claire I'm not sure what kind of bulbs you were using in the shop light setup, T12s maybe? At any rate the new generation of grow lights (T5s) are much smaller and really crank out the lumens. They are bright enough to give my Catts and Dens red edges or freckles on their leaves. The window certainly helps. It faces southwest. However, when I was growing with just the light from the window nothing but the Phals bloomed. I'm using T5s in the 6400K range because they are less expensive. Even in that range, which is a lot more blue than Ross's 5000K, I have no trouble getting anything to bloom. A bazillion pot growers can't be wrong!
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 11-23-2009, 01:31 PM
Erce Erce is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Jutland, denmark
Age: 40
Posts: 254
fluorescent light - Questions Male
Default

If you use a warm white and a cool white - you will have all the spectres coverd - i use bulps from osram, i use the color 865 and 830 - and my chid are happy and reeblooming like crazy
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 11-23-2009, 02:34 PM
Fred Pippin Fred Pippin is offline
Jr. Member
 

Join Date: Nov 2009
Zone: 7a
Location: Gainesville, Ga
Posts: 3
fluorescent light - Questions Male
Default

any full spectrum bulb will work. Most are called 'sunlight" They are cheeper than plant lights and work just as good. Cattleyas need around 12-14 hrs per day of light

Last edited by Fred Pippin; 11-23-2009 at 02:35 PM.. Reason: spelling
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 11-23-2009, 07:45 PM
orchidbingo orchidbingo is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Jul 2009
Zone: 5b
Location: Macomb, IL
Posts: 443
Default

I'm using T8 basic shoplights with a mixture of 5000k and 6500k and I've had great luck reblooming catts, oncidium intergens and even bloomed an Ascocenda under these lights. First time to ever bloom a vanda type under lights.Just posted a picture in the Vanda alliance forum yesterday.
T5 are more efficient but I bought more orchids instead of replacing my old T8 set-up with T5's.

Good luck.

bingo
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 11-23-2009, 08:03 PM
josterha josterha is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Mar 2008
Zone: 5b
Location: Chicago
Age: 50
Posts: 114
Default

I'm having great luck with my new fixtures. Albeit, I'm only growing paphs, phals, and Dtps. I have virtually no sunlight and am growing on a three-tiered shelve using T8 natural sunlight bulbs from Phillips. I would not dare try Catts in this light. I'm happy with what I have, though.

John
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 11-23-2009, 09:44 PM
orchidbingo orchidbingo is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Jul 2009
Zone: 5b
Location: Macomb, IL
Posts: 443
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by josterha View Post
I would not dare try Catts in this light.

John
You should try it, John.

I have exclusively T8's on 3-tiered wire shelves and I've bloomed and re-bloomed lots of catts this way! They do not receive much sunlight as they are 4 feet away from the nearest window. Admittedly most of them are Catt hybrids, but my C. jenmanii has a bud about to open and my C. purpurata var. carnea is in sheath. I keep the lights on for 14 hours a day.

bingo
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Tags
fluorescent, light, lightbulbs, paphs, phals, questions


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
What is this on my new shoot?? Helen Cattleya Alliance 19 09-20-2012 07:35 PM
Grow Light v.s fluorescent "Natural" light josterha Advanced Discussion 1 04-20-2009 01:03 AM
Spring 2009 Project - Rejected Plants cb977 Member Projects 1 04-16-2009 02:30 PM
Project 7 (Mystery Project) - Final Plant List cb977 Member Projects 0 08-14-2008 04:26 PM
Project 7 (Mystery Project) - Tentative Plant List cb977 Member Projects 2 08-11-2008 02:32 PM

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 02:34 PM.

© 2007 OrchidBoard.com
Search Engine Optimisation provided by DragonByte SEO v2.0.37 (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
Feedback Buttons provided by Advanced Post Thanks / Like (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.

Clubs vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.