Lights for Indoor (bathroom) Orchid Wall (and other advice?)

[MesozoicMiss]

Hey all!

Here's the plan! I have a pretty large blank space on my wall (3' x 4') in my bathroom and I would like to do an orchid wall there!

There is no light for plants in the room. The only light is an overhead light and a bathroom mirror vanity light. The bathroom does end up staying pretty warm and fairly humid. There is a towel rack that I could clamp some upwards facing lights onto.

I think I've determined the easiest way to do this living wall is a frame (I'd laser cut a screen, cause I'm extra like that) and then hang mounted orchids from hooks on the screen so I could take them down to water them effectively. But I am open to other suggestions

I've thought of getting more extra and putting hygrolon in a frame and layering the laser screen over, making the orchids detachable from the frame and growing moss on the hygrolon spaces in the screen pattern. See? I told you, extra.

I'm looking for affordable lighting advice! Since I'm only operating in hypotheticals I was guessing that I could light from the bottom or the top and have orchids with high light demands closer to the lights and then decreasing light requirements further from the lights.

Other important considerations. I'm a total newb at orchids, but I am excellent at following instruction, advice, and care sheets. I do like big projects, and am not overwhelmed but I do need to stay affordable. So please hit me with whatever advice you have*

[DirtyCoconuts]

hello and welcome.

I admire an ambitious project and I think all us tinkerers are into "extra"

my initial thought is that a mesh in a frame is a great idea often used in grow houses and the like and seems simpler than having the wet hygrolon and moss near your walls and as a part of the frame.

I would also be careful with below lighting. all plants take at least some locative cues from the light source and i imagine youd have a lot of twisting leaves and down facing flowers if you light them from underneath. Please note this is not based on experience only my general awareness of how my orchids react to light and specifically the direction it comes from

[Diane56Victor]

Re below lighting....might be a safety issue too, the plants could drip water onto the lights. Even if hung up elsewhere to drip dry it would be difficult to prevent that last rogue drop, not to mention the time spent away from the light source to get them drip dry.
I like the idea of a wall of orchids in the bathroom though. Overhead lights with the orchid wall over the bath....if you have one...several obstacles ovecome at once, overhead lights, drainage...no problem

[MesozoicMiss]

Thanks for the feedback! So light above the grow wall facing downwards. If I do clamps on the frame with like, construction light housing, what affordable bulbs would you recommend?

Am I crazy in thinking I can arrange orchids from lighting needs from closest to the light to farthest?

[Diane56Victor]

I cant speak about lighting for orchids as I grow outside. Just posting with general care and safety in mind. Another thought re light safety make sure they are really securely fitted to the wall dont want them coming loose when someone is taking a bath!
I hope you can get it underway, sounds great.

[MesozoicMiss]

I really appreciate everyone's support!

[DirtyCoconuts]

Originally Posted by MesozoicMiss

Thanks for the feedback! So light above the grow wall facing downwards. If I do clamps on the frame with like, construction light housing, what affordable bulbs would you recommend?

Am I crazy in thinking I can arrange orchids from lighting needs from closest to the light to farthest?

no, this is not a crazy idea about the light needs, i forget if this is a direct distance or an inverse square application but the closer to the light the stronger. plus the lower, less 'light hungry' plants will be partly shaded by the ones above

[MesozoicMiss]

Thanks so much! Also, heck yeah South Florida (that's where I grew up). Have you been keeping your eyes on the million orchid project with Fairchild Tropical Garden?

[DirtyCoconuts]

YES! I have and I’ve been participating. I got Rablewood elementary school, right down the street from me, to mount 50 native orchids in the school’s trees. I hope it makes some kids see the magic in nature.

Fairchild is a truly special place on this planet

[thefish1337]

Originally Posted by MesozoicMiss

Hey all!

Here's the plan! I have a pretty large blank space on my wall (3' x 4') in my bathroom and I would like to do an orchid wall there!

There is no light for plants in the room. The only light is an overhead light and a bathroom mirror vanity light. The bathroom does end up staying pretty warm and fairly humid. There is a towel rack that I could clamp some upwards facing lights onto.

I think I've determined the easiest way to do this living wall is a frame (I'd laser cut a screen, cause I'm extra like that) and then hang mounted orchids from hooks on the screen so I could take them down to water them effectively. But I am open to other suggestions

I've thought of getting more extra and putting hygrolon in a frame and layering the laser screen over, making the orchids detachable from the frame and growing moss on the hygrolon spaces in the screen pattern. See? I told you, extra.

I'm looking for affordable lighting advice! Since I'm only operating in hypotheticals I was guessing that I could light from the bottom or the top and have orchids with high light demands closer to the lights and then decreasing light requirements further from the lights.

Other important considerations. I'm a total newb at orchids, but I am excellent at following instruction, advice, and care sheets. I do like big projects, and am not overwhelmed but I do need to stay affordable. So please hit me with whatever advice you have*

if you're looking for something inexpensive I'd suggest mounting some LED floodlights which can be had for fairly cheap. they are also somewhat waterproof as they are intended to be used outside. you can buy at amazon or homedepot. 2-3 floodlights spaced evenly and mounted at the top of your wall will allow you to grow pretty much anything you want (low light plants at the bottom higher at the top). i'd look for a warmer spectrum because the spectrums above 4000K on LEDS has way too much blue light for a home environment and is harsh to the eyes IMO. i'm currently growing orchids with both 3000k and 4000k spectrum LEDs and there is minimal differences- a lot of the suggestions to use more blue lights in orchids is applicable more to fluorescent tube lights or HID lighting.

examples:

Robot Check