Quote:
Originally Posted by lotis146
I don't grow under lights (though I know it's in my future) however I do know whether with natural sunlight or artificial lighting if a plant is not yet adapted (ie moving from a lower light to higher light) it can be burned by light that is actually suitable for it.
Sorry if you've already mentioned this and I overlooked it, but how long have you been growing orchids? Do you have others besides these four, or are these your first?
I ask b/c I think the point that people are getting at by repeating that those plants get BIG is not just that they'll get big like grow all over the mount big but be big plants PERIOD. I'm only saying all of this if you are rather new to orchid growing. I'm just a year in myself but one of the first things I learned when I visited an orchid greenhouse was that all the Catt blooms I liked the most - from their online pics - grew on plants I was not interested in. Some Catts are big plants all around therefore mounting a couple of really big plants could get tricky in the long run. That said some orchids aren't such fast growers.
Another point I want to share is that there's a lot more to growing orchids than keeping them alive, I'm sure you know that. But I've found that there are all stages of orchid growing from just keeping them alive to reblooming them to getting impressive blooms from them. Impressive growth and blooms require doing more than just keeping them happy, trust me I've learned the hard way with plants that try for two spikes but decide they can only grow the one [under my conditions].
I've just acquired my first Vanda and it makes me somewhat nervous b/c apparently they like rather high humidity and in the world of orchids 50-60 is not high. I certainly admire your efforts to create something awesome for her, just beware you may benefit from more research on what species are going to be best together and easiest for you both to care for.
Also the Phal would be happy in an east or west facing windows. Good luck.  |
Hello,
I wish I didn't need to grow under lights, but the weather isn't co-operating still. Tomorrow night, for instance, is supposed to be nearly 30F. So, alas, I have no choice but to use lighting. I do see what you mean about the lighting. For normal veggies, it would be the same thing as hardening off seedlings. When I purchased them, they came from outside in south Florida, so I figured they were already hardened off and would do fine to step down a bit to a "shaded" albeit high PAR lighting arrangement.
I am rather new. I've always had a fascination with orchids, but never had them for myself. I have always grown plants, from rare carnivorous sundews to goji berries to bonsai Mimosa pudica. But again, I am new to orchids. I do see what you mean that they get big. I'm assuming it will take a while, so worse comes to worse, I can mount the entire deal on a log and put it in the green house once it's built. I do appreciate the advice though on how big they get. I found one picture that looked like the orchid was the size of a dinner table...but I'm thinking it may have been a different type.
I do believe you in surviving v. thriving. I would like to have them thriving of course (I've got some experience with exotic reptiles and closed system breeding - Spiny tail uromastyx to viper boas). So, I hope it's only a matter of time before I have them thriving. I hope a lot don't die in the process! God willing, I'll have a plethora of spikes - and blooms!!
Thank you for the advice on the Phal. I still want it to rest on the mount until it's a bit more healthy. It is on a bed of sphagnum, so I'm not worried about it spontaneously affixing itself where I can't move it.
Update:
The Blc tweng wen has put out several new roots and the new bud has grown nearly an inch since mounting. Quite happy with that. The Vanda is doing great. The roots have moved closer to the wood in an organized fashion. Happy with that! The catt is still a bit wrinkled, but I'm assuming that is due to the root die off when the plant arrived. There is one new little root that has started and the new growth has stretched about 1/2" from when I mounted it - heading directly back to the wood. I'm spraying it at least 3 times daily and when my Superthrive arrives, I will be using that. Fertilizer is once a week at 1/2 to 3/8ths dose. I do spray all the leaves too, against the advice I've read, but it seems to work at keeping everyone happy.
The reason I picked these 4 is that their general requirements, that I've found, are similar enough while still having the blooms my wife will love (All pink or magenta - excluding the orange vanda).
I do appreciate your advice and I will listen to it as I can. If there are tricks to help these guys thrive, I've love that!!
---------- Post added at 11:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:37 PM ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by AnonYMouse
There are all sorts of discussions on lights in Growing Under Lights forum. I don't have my own source to quote, just various readings I've done, measuring my lights and understanding what my plants need. You can get the basics from the link in the first post of this thread.
I'm not expert enough to teach this stuff but I know plants need X intensity for Y duration to succeed. Putting two lights does not increase intensity but doubles the output which is not the same. Multiples of the output will eventually get you the light energy the plants need but will be extremely inefficient.
And I'm done. You should be able to find the information you need to grow orchids in other parts of this board.
BTW, Brooke is a highly and nationally regarded expert. Just so you know. |
Hello there!
I'll read through the lighting forum. Thank you for the link. I didn't know there was even a lighting section on here! I see what you mean about X intensity for Y duration. I do have to get myself a PAR meter so I can take measurements myself and not rely on someone else's measurements. Who is Brooke? I don't know what he username is.
As for the lighting, I'm considering a wall mount light with a 300W fluorescent grow light to add 3,000K to the mix (for chlorophyll A). The chlorophyll B should be good with the LED's 5,000K(ish).
The lights are on a timer - it automatically adjusts itself for the changes in the season at the equator (nice little piece of equipment). Also I figured that this should stimulate their natural internal clock for blooming as they will know the season (same way to help reptiles breed). Temperature is easy as we keep the windows open until it's 80F outside. Then we keep it at 78F/D 76F/N until winter.
---------- Post added at 11:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:51 PM ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by Leafmite
You asked:
Would that live under the current conditions?
I don't know much about lighting. This is my first year and I went with T5HO (6500K, 54W) lights. They work very well for my Cattleyas and other high light orchids. You could buy a two foot one on Amazon for a pretty decent price.
They are right about that Cattleya becoming very, very large. I planned to buy one quite a few years ago until I realized how large it would become. Some smaller, but fragrant options are: a Cattleya Mini Purple, Cattleya luteola, Cattleya dolosa, Cattleya walkeriana, or Cattleya aclandiae. Then there are many, many small complex hybrids that would be perfect for that mount. I just bought Cattleya Your Mine 'NN' which is quite small but has lovely fragrant blooms. I think it is going to be a frequent bloomer, too. Pot. Burana Beauty 'Burana' is another small, fragrant one that blooms two to three times a year for me.
I think it is pretty sweet what you are doing. |
Great! Thank you!! I was thinking about some fluorescents. The LED's are what I made for our weddings up lighting, so that's why I used them. They were painfully bright.
I think I might incorporate a 300W 3,000K grow light above the whole mount eventually pending the overall results of the LED's. Thank you for your suggestions
I am going to look those up.
). I started with no experience in growing plants seriously aside from the occasional garden (on and off through the years). Honestly I never quite understood people who were obsessed with roses and tulips and plant 'clubs' even as I love plants. Needless to say, wow do I get it now. Search the plants you have here and on the internet or wait for people to chime in with their experience growing that particular plant. You'll learn from them - they'll tell you - as you grow them what makes them happiest. And you'll learn more if you research the plants and their parentage to understand how they grow in the wild (that is the species that make up their background grow in the wild). I'm sort of an impatient person at times but I'm learning from my orchids now. And I've found myself paying attention to the plants that aren't obviously happy wondering "more water? more/less light? warmer or colder? am I fertilizing enough?" Then I'll move a plant to a warmer or brighter place and something will happen (in two diff cases: one started a new growth after move to warmer room and months of nothing, another stalled its two spikes then more watering and more light in terms of duration caused the spikes to start again).
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