Orchid Care

[quiltergal]

Sarah, I didn't paint the shelves they came white. This is what I got.

5-Tier White Shelf

You can condense a lot of plants in one spot with this kind of shelving. I attached my lights to the undersides of the shelves with zip ties. I set mine up with 3 shelves for plants. 2 shelves have one light each and the 3rd has two lights. Now I have to say when the lights are on it's REALLY bright. The shelf is in my bedroom and even with the blinds closed you can still see bright light coming from that room from outside at night. In fact it sort of looks like aliens have landed in my bedroom.

[kiki-do]

Wow Terri, that is a great unit! It's pretty enough to go in any room. I'm confused about lights, though. Everyone calls them T something. Does regular fluorescent lights that are in workshops and over kitchen counters work the same way? Are these lights specific for plants? And the cost to run them, is it high?
This is one area I have no idea about. Do vandas bloom better under these artificial lights? And to add another question on top of this heap....where can you buy them that are reasonably priced? Lowes or Home Depot?
Thanks for any imput. kiki-do

[caseydoll]

Thank you Terri! I LOVE that stand! I think that is exactly what I have been looking for! The reason I asked about paint is because the ones I always see are chrome. I like chrome stuff but in my kitchen or dining room it wouldn't look that great. Now I will have to hunt for some t5's and I will be set. The brightness may be a factor though... I will have to see what my boyfriend has to say about that. I think with that shelf I may be able to fit all of my orchids on one stand. That would be great!

Kiki-do, I'm so happy you shared how your story about your "hokey" set-up! Now I don't feel so bad! I have my orchids everywhere too. The ones I have in my kitchen are on a old coffee table and in my dining room I have them on a unfinished wooden plant stand that has a few different level "steps". Hard to describe, but trust me it looks stupid! Then I have some sitting on different inappropriate places like my silverware armoire and on a bookcase. Then my dining room table is covered with houseplants that have been moved due to needing more room for the chids! I must say that your coat rack idea for hanging orchids is great! I can't believe I haven't thought of that. It may seem hokey to you but I think that is cool. I think that if we lived closer we would be great friends!

[Ross]

Originally Posted by kiki-do

Wow Terri, that is a great unit! It's pretty enough to go in any room. I'm confused about lights, though. Everyone calls them T something. Does regular fluorescent lights that are in workshops and over kitchen counters work the same way? Are these lights specific for plants? And the cost to run them, is it high?
This is one area I have no idea about. Do vandas bloom better under these artificial lights? And to add another question on top of this heap....where can you buy them that are reasonably priced? Lowes or Home Depot?
Thanks for any imput. kiki-do

Let me please join in. There are basically 3 technologies - t12 (old shop lights) t8 newer shop lights and kitchen strip lighting and t5 (high intensity/ high temperature / high output lights meant not just for plants but also for treatment of Seasonal Affective Disorder. The t12 technology is being phased out - it won't be available in the future. These are the "fat" shop tubes we grew up with. They are dim (for the power consumed), wore down fast and not really affective for plants. Then along came the t8 technology (they are skinny compared to t12s) and are commonly available at Home Depot, et. al. and used to light kitchens (we have many in ours.) They put out more lumens (a measure of light energy) than the equiv. t12 tube and are rated at same (or similar) wattage. The newest "kid on the block" is the t5 which is skinnyer yet and much higher lumen output than any of the predecessors. They put out so much light they are very popular with folks who grow under lights because plants can be further from the lights. Only catch is, where the older technologies (t12 and t8) ran at low temperatures, these guys run at 95 degrees F. This means they are cooler than the standard sodium grow lights, but still hot. Does this help clear up the types?

By the way, don't even bother with t12 technology (being done away with) but go for either t8 or t5 depending on your comfort with these. Chances are the tubes you may use right now in your kitchen are t8 and very bright. They'll work just fine with growing orchids. It's just that t5 are even better with high light seeking orchids.

[cb977]

Those stands are great! I have one this size and the smaller 3 shelf system. Available in chrome, off-white and black...what more could an orchid lover ask for? We've played around a bit with the positioning of the shelves to give me tall or short spacing. You'll love them!

[caseydoll]

Originally Posted by rsfrid

Let me please join in. There are basically 3 technologies - t12 (old shop lights) t8 newer shop lights and kitchen strip lighting and t5 (high intensity/ high temperature / high output lights meant not just for plants but also for treatment of Seasonal Affective Disorder. The t12 technology is being phased out - it won't be available in the future. These are the "fat" shop tubes we grew up with. They are dim (for the power consumed), wore down fast and not really affective for plants. Then along came the t8 technology (they are skinny compared to t12s) and are commonly available at Home Depot, et. al. and used to light kitchens (we have many in ours.) They put out more lumens (a measure of light energy) than the equiv. t12 tube and are rated at same (or similar) wattage. The newest "kid on the block" is the t5 which is skinnyer yet and much higher lumen output than any of the predecessors. They put out so much light they are very popular with folks who grow under lights because plants can be further from the lights. Only catch is, where the older technologies (t12 and t8) ran at low temperatures, these guys run at 95 degrees F. This means they are cooler than the standard sodium grow lights, but still hot. Does this help clear up the types?

By the way, don't even bother with t12 technology (being done away with) but go for either t8 or t5 depending on your comfort with these. Chances are the tubes you may use right now in your kitchen are t8 and very bright. They'll work just fine with growing orchids. It's just that t5 are even better with high light seeking orchids.

Ross, do you know how much more your electric bill is due to your lights?

[Ross]

Originally Posted by caseydoll

Ross, do you know how much more your electric bill is due to your lights?

Nope. Mine ran pretty high anyways but in the $80 range monthly. Didn't see much diff. The unit is rated as approx 200 watts. So if you ran it 12-14 hours per day you'd be using 2.4 to 2.8 KWH of juice per day. Check your bill for local rate. $80 includes the 48" t5s and all three CF bulbs besides dryer, fridge, range, etc.

[Becca]

Ross also pointed out to me, that if you are going to purchase lights, that while T5 light fixtures might be more expensive to buy starting out as compared to a Compact Florescence Light Fixture, that the bulbs for the T5's will be way cheaper to replace then the Compact Florescence Lights.....Down the road, you would be putting more into the CFL's then you would with the T5's and the T5's are way better!

[kiki-do]

Thanks Ross and everyone for the light info. It was one of those questions I was wondering about, but afraid to ask because it sounded so complicated. Your explanation was excellent and easy to understand. Now you said T8's are in Home Depot, but where do you purchase T5's? And approx. what should I expect the cost to run when I am looking for them? Thanks again, you all are so helpful! kiki-do

[quiltergal]

Here are a few pics of my grow space. As you can see I have room for lots more! I'll post another pic this evening so you can see how bright the lights really are.