Some lighting recommendations please?

[thefish1337]

I mostly grow cattleya (90%) but I have some neofinetia, paphiopedilums and dendrobiums + some other tropical plants and succulents.

I would say that one light is good for a 2' x 2' area with higher intensities if your other plants aren't as light loving as a cymb you can put them on the sides were there is less light. It might take some experimentation. I'd keep it about 20-24" away from the tops of your cymbidium leaves and start from there.

Why not start with some cheap 50ish watt (actual not *equivalent*) LED shop lights and save up for the lights you want? They will work well for your space and you might find that you dont need anything more fancy.

[varda.elentari]

That's great because I want to be able to grow Neos and Paphs as well! How far from the lights do you keep your Neos?

I've been thinking along those lines as well. I'm currently using a 4-tube fluorescent fixture so I could use cheaper LEDs alongside to supplement until I can upgrade to a better fixture.

[thefish1337]

My neos are about 15" away from my HLG 65 panel dimmed by 25%. They can take full power but I have to water and fertilize a lot more than I want to so I back it off a bit. Could hang it higher too but I'm limited by the height of this shelf.

[varda.elentari]

Good to know. Thank you for the recommendations and very useful info!

[Les Barstow]

I've just updated my basement orchid room with a pair if the new Spider Farmer SF-600 LED lamps. They're designed to replace 1-meter long fluorescent tube fixtures, and they're rated about 270 PAR at 16 inches. Since I've installed them all of my orchids have taken off - leaves and spikes galore!
SF makes a number of fixtures, most based around 1'x1' square emitter grids. The SF-600 is a slightly lower power unit that covers a longer area with dimmer light - better for house plants than the SF-X000 models which are designed for grow houses. 3000k, 5000k, deep red, and infrared LEDs for white light that's targeted at plants.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08NWXLD71/

[varda.elentari]

Thank you! I've been considering SF as well for when I upgrade so it's definitely useful to know that your orchids are doing so well under them.

[Andrew-L]

The majority of the LED grow lights you find are all the same lights with different packaging. What matters is the diodes themselves and the drivers that power them. There aren't a ton of companies that produce diodes.

Also remember that light intensity falls dramatically with distance. After 24-30 inches your intensity has divided itself four-fold.

Although burning with LEDs is very unlikely, you can still bleach the plant with too high of intensity

[Les Barstow]

Originally Posted by Andrew-L

The majority of the LED grow lights you find are all the same lights with different packaging. What matters is the diodes themselves and the drivers that power them. There aren't a ton of companies that produce diodes.

Also remember that light intensity falls dramatically with distance. After 24-30 inches your intensity has divided itself four-fold.

Although burning with LEDs is very unlikely, you can still bleach the plant with too high of intensity

There are a few differences between the various companies beside the diode and driver manufacture. One is type of light. You can find lights with one or two white LED temperatures, or "blurple" lights; and supplemental red, infrared, and ultraviolet light diodes. It's good to note that the SF-300 and 600 are not the absolute top-end diodes you'll find in their higher-end models, but they're not crap either, so...

Thanks for the note on burning vs bleaching. I was wondering if there was a burning danger (and there might still be if you buy lamps with UV, which orchids don't really need). Should you still keep the same PAR ratings, or will say a Phal thrive on higher lighting without bleaching?

[Andrew-L]

Although I did have my phals under LED, I did not put them under my "big" led for fear of it being too much. I had them under a small novelty led grow light that has each light on adjustable arms. Maybe 35 watts. I still kept the light a good 15 inches away from the tops. My big grow light was running in the area next to my phals, giving supplemental light to my orchids while providing plenty of light for my roses. I have since moved the phals outside. Not because they were doing bad, I just want to make use of my natural environment

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So, maybe lol. From what I've read they can take more LED light than natural light.

[Andrew-L]

There is a LED grow light, called night sky something or another that mimics lightning strikes at night. Supposed to make the plant feel like it's outdoors I guess