Artificial light for tolumnia

[wtstuller]

Hey everyone,

I live in central Indiana and the winters here are very cloudy and cold. I am looking to move my tolumnia to artificial light, but have no idea what to look for. I know most genera (I have jairak rainbow) prefer anywhere from 2,500-4,000 foot candles, but what would that correspond to in watts? Do I need to purchase a special bulb, or would a compact florescent work? Also, does the standard 16-hour "day" apply, or does that vary also?

I should also mention that I have a miniature cattleya who lives with them

Any insight would be much appreciated!

[WhiteRabbit]

good luck!

[zxyqu]

I dont think there will be a specific relation of watts to Fc, but probably a general one. You'll really need to find people with certain setups to get the data you need. For example, my 4 bulb T5 will do 2500 Fc or so at about 6-10" from the bulb. With a 400W metal halide, you'll get that at almost 2 feet. CFLs if you get a high enough watt bulb might give you that, but I can't get 1500 under a 100W comparable tru light CFL. Hope that helps a little.

[Pilot]

I don't know the answers to your questions but I can tell you what I did. First, I suck at growing these guys. I'm only now figuring out what works in my conditions. I have planted one in sh and its actually doing well. Now for the light, I have mine growing under t8s mere inches...four or five at most....under the lights. The plants have taken on a purple tinge which tells me they're getting plenty of light for now. The lamps I use are backed by a Mylar reflector, so there is a lot of light beaming at these plants. They say Tolumnia can't get enough sun, but my experience has been, this past summer with a sun above 6500', is that yes, they can get too much. Several of mine burned even after weeks of acclimation. Since moving the survivors to the lights, they're doing much better. Now, if I can get the hang of not killing their roots, ill consider myself a success. Blooming them is yet another goal!

[wtstuller]

Sorry for the late reply everyone and thank you for the suggestions! I guess I'll have to ask around and see what other people have done. I've looked into the metal halide fixtures and that's quite an investment for use only during the winter months. Something has to be figured out though, and if it ends up working or not I'll follow up.

Thanks again!

[silken]

Mine spend the winter under a high output T5 that is about 8 inches from it. I only have 3 now and only had one last winter which did bloom with this arrangement and it is still alive and seems happy. It has a bit of a reddish tinge to it and spends the summer getting sun in the greenhouse with a 50% shade cloth. Mine also sat on a heat mat for the winter because the greenhouse is cool.

[lycaonpictus]

I grown tolumnia exclusively indoors in western Pennsylvania (every time I put them outside, they get scale and die!). I've got 250W MH lights in an orchid case, and that seems to do them well as long as I have the humidity right.

I'd suggest investing in a basic light meter. You can get one from just about any plant / greenhouse dealer for between $20 - $30, and it takes all the guesswork out of how much light your orchids are getting.

Another thing to keep in mind with tolumnia is that they seem to be more sensitive to water quality than most folks give them credit for. Pilot, if you're having trouble keeping roots alive, try using distilled water (or water from a dehumidifier). I got and RO unit for my tolumnia, and it made a big difference.

[billc]

I've grown and bloomed them under 4 light T5HO. 6-10 inches and then drop them down when the spike develops. I use rain water and lycaonpictus is right about them being scale magnets.

Bill

[fishmommy]

I grow mine under 400w HPS