I need advice on getting indoor lighting for orchids

[Autumn Child]

I have recently acquired two cattleya and they requires bright light. I am thinking about using indoor lighting to complement my shaded growing area. I have been reading about a few plant lights but i can only get the bulb with purple glows that i hate so much.

I think i am stuck with normal home lightings. Any advice on which one to get? I already purchased the warm glow compact fluorescence light, but i am not sure if the cool daylight one is better. I can definitely grow aquatic plant with the cool daylight. What about orchid?

[Ray]

You might consider a combination of both to give you a broader spectrum.

[johnblagg]

very pessible to grow with cfl bulbs and Ray is totaly on track with combining them a warm white with a cool whiite give more balanced light.

cool white is actually in the red spectrum more and promotes vegatative growth in a lot of plants and the warm white is in the red spectrum more and promotes flowering more.....

I myself do use hps and mh depending on what kind of plants it is but for my catts I stick with hps and a few cool white cfls combined

[jeffg]

As I have mentioned in other threads, I have had great luck with wonderlite - it will bloom anything. Link below.


Wonderlite Indoor Grow Light for Orchids & Indoor Plants

[Eyebabe]

I also use Wonderlites and have great success with them.

[Autumn Child]

Thanks for the advice. I will definitely combine both. Wonderlite is wonderful, but I don't think they ship to shanghai. Cost is another thing that I am considering. I can try a few local plant growth bulb, but they also don't come cheap. I will wait a few years till the local market improved and matured before i take the plunge.
Do any of you know what is the recomended wattage of compact fluorescence for proper growth and blooming of Oncidium and Cattleya?

[johnblagg]

I use the biggest cfl I can get.Mine are 60 or 70 watt and about a foot away from my catts maybe a litte more ....I would start about two feet away and gradually move them closer.

[Autumn Child]

Wow that is huge amount of lighting. Did you use the lighting to supplement natural light or just using it as the sole light source? Will plants get burned from artificial lighting?

I only have a combined light poer of 21 watt of cfl. I can move it up to 28 watt max and its also about two feet above my plant. Is my lighting enough as a complemetor to window sill light?

[johnblagg]

Inside in winter it is the only light source
I also have a 250 watt high pressure soidum .....but I have several plants also