The Phal abuse ends here. - Page 15 - Orchid Board

Paul Mc · #**141** 08-22-2011, 07:55 PM

While it is overwhelming, doing a bit of research on terminology would be beneficial. I am still somewhat confused by a lot of terms, but I have learned a lot. I've learned enough to know what kind of light to buy and what kind not to buy. If you are going to grow under lights at all, you really need to invest some time to understand the very basic principles, although a bit complex and confusing it may be once you start reading about them. After time, like anything else, it becomes second nature.

King_of_orchid_growing:) · #**142** 08-23-2011, 02:29 AM

@ greenpassion:

Paul Mc gave you sound advise about the misting and the humidity trays. So I will not repeat it.

As far as lighting terminology is concerned, I will do my best to clarify some of it...

Kelvin temperature - You've read some of my posts regarding this, and I'm willing to bet you're asking what this actually means.

Kelvin is the SI unit of measurement for the color temperature of light (in this case).

The following is an excerpt from Wikipedia in regards to kelvin temperature:

Colour temperature [in relation to kelvin]

The kelvin is often used in the measure of the colour temperature of light sources. Colour temperature is based upon the principle that a black body radiator emits light whose colour depends on the temperature of the radiator. Black bodies with temperatures below about 4000 K appear reddish whereas those above about 7500 K appear bluish. Colour temperature is important in the fields of image projection and photography where a colour temperature of approximately 5600 K is required to match "daylight" film emulsions... The photosphere of the Sun, for instance, has an effective temperature of 5778 K.

The above mentioned is the reason for why I recommended the kelvin ratings I did for growing orchids.

If you have further questions regarding the color of light and it's importance to orchid growing and photosynthesis, don't hesitate to ask.

Another thing you may have read other people speaking of are LED's.

LED is actually an acronym for Light Emitting Diode.

All complications aside, basically a LED is an electronic component made up of 2 wires with a gap in between that's encased in a small lump of plastic. That gap is where electricity jumps between the wires. That's what creates the light. The wires can be made of different kinds of metals much like an incandescent bulb. The different kinds of metals give off light with different properties.

The reason why LED's don't emit so much heat is because it doesn't depend on heating a metal filament inside a glass casing to produce light.

Incandescent bulbs use the principle of heating a metal filament inside a glass casing to produce light.

From what I understand, florescent bulbs use electricity to excite some special chemicals called phosphors inside a glass tube to produce light.

greenpassion · #**143** 08-23-2011, 10:54 AM

Thank you Phillip and Paul. I apprieciate your patience with my ignorance around light specifics, and I will try to absorb the tech terms. Little by little I'll get there. Before this, I didn't know what CFL or LED stood for, or what an mr16 bulb was....again, thanks.

King_of_orchid_growing:) · #**144** 08-23-2011, 12:51 PM

No problem. That's the problem with using acronyms sometimes. If you're not familiar with the object the term is used for, you won't know.

In case nobody said it...

Compact Florescent Light.

The CFL's usually sold for home use that can be placed into sockets used for incandescent bulbs look like thin glass tubes arranged in a coil.

There are other types of CFL's too. One of which looks like a thin glass tube arranged in a long "U" shaped. Some have only one "U", others have several "U's".

Yet other CFL's look like 2 thin glass tubes that run parallel to each other and only connected together by one end with a small or thin piece of glass.

T8's, T5's, and T12's are different kinds of florescent tubes (i.e. "shop lights"). Unfortunately I don't know what these designations stand for.

If you happen to see the acronyms HO or VHO in conjunction with the florescent tubes, they stand for:

High Output

Very High Output

King_of_orchid_growing:) · #**145** 08-23-2011, 12:56 PM

MH lights = Metal Halide lights

These babies are the big boys of lights. They produce massive amounts of light and produce a lot of heat.

An over simplified explanation of what they are would be that they are oversized high powered versions of incandescent bulbs.

satishraghuram · #**146** 08-26-2011, 12:46 AM

hi

i have a phal with a stem that is in bloom. i bought it at a local flower show. it is potted in a mixture of charcoal and coconut husk/shell. do the roots need to grow out of/throgh holes in the pot to be exposed to the air?

the pot was damp when i got it, with no drainage holes. can this cause root rot? how often do i need to water it?

i live in bangalore, india where the summers can get upto 100F, about 70F in the monsoon and 60F in the winter. there are short periods of sun even in the non-summer months.

i have placed it on an east facing balcony - is this the correct position?

thanks

Paul Mc · #**147** 08-26-2011, 06:25 AM

Typically, we pot phal's in a mixture of perlite, charcoal and medium grade bark (not small, not too large chunks). I'm not familiar with using coconut husk/shell. However, the most important thing is - can air get in around the roots to let them "breath."

We tend to let roots do what they want to do, but if they are able to be slightly bent and directed back into the potting mix, we sometimes do that as well. Aerial roots are common in most orchids and not something to really worry about if it occurs.

Your pot should have good drainage and plenty of holes. If you look at RePotme.com's website, then click on pots, you will see a selection of appropriate plastic pots. However, we also can use porous clay pots (unglazed) as well. Again, the clay pots should have good drainage and a few slits on the side that are slightly open.

Consistently damp environments will cause root rot. Phal's need to dry out just a bit before being watered. It's a delicate balance though, knowing when it's too dry or too wet. Patience is key to learning. If you use a clear plastic pot, look through it once in a while. If there is condensation, then wait. If there is no condensation or moisture then water.

Temperature wise, I'll let someone else talk about that.

As for the position, you want it to be somewhat sheltered from the sun throughout the day. Remember they grow on the underside of trees so the tree canopy of leaves protects it throughout the day. If you stick out your hand and you see your shadow with sharp edges, it's too much light. Also, if your phal's leaves feel warm to the touch, too much light.

greenpassion · #**148** 08-26-2011, 09:42 AM

Hi again. I have recently been the lucky recipient of what I believe is an oncidium ( never saw it in bloom) and a small phal (no problem ID'ing that one!) Anyway, both looked to really need re-potting, so I did so. When I took them out of the pots, the phal was in moss, no bark or anything else. ?? The roots looked like it would not be too long before they rotted. The oncidium was in an almost soil like mix, very similar to Miracle grow Orchid potting mix. I put both plants in a mix of medium bark blended with Miracle grow orchid mix, using a small amt of packing peanuts in the bottoms of the pots. The pots are glazed ceramic with various holes or openings around on the sides, with good drainage. My questions are, 1) Potted in straight moss?? and 2) Did I 'do good'?

King_of_orchid_growing:) · #**149** 08-26-2011, 01:46 PM

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