Need lighting primer -- lighting for masdevallias

[L-Dub]

I'm making a terrarium to grow my masdevallias in, but I don't have a good window to put the terrarium in so I'll need some form of artificial lights. I know almost nothing about lighting. The little bit I know is that I probably want to go with fluorescent lights so they don't heat the terrarium up as much.

First of all, can someone explain the difference between the different lights - T5, T8, etc? Is there a difference for growing orchids?

Can someone explain which bulb color temperatures are best for orchids (i.e. warm, cool white, etc.)?

My terrarium is about 21 inches wide and 14 inches tall. Can anyone make any recommendations about bulb type, number of bulbs, bulb temperature, etc. for growing masdevallias? How close should the masdevallias be to the lights?

Thanks for any replies!
Bryan

[calvin_orchidL]

Originally Posted by L-Dub

I'm making a terrarium to grow my masdevallias in, but I don't have a good window to put the terrarium in so I'll need some form of artificial lights. I know almost nothing about lighting. The little bit I know is that I probably want to go with fluorescent lights so they don't heat the terrarium up as much.

First of all, can someone explain the difference between the different lights - T5, T8, etc? Is there a difference for growing orchids?

Can someone explain which bulb color temperatures are best for orchids (i.e. warm, cool white, etc.)?

My terrarium is about 21 inches wide and 14 inches tall. Can anyone make any recommendations about bulb type, number of bulbs, bulb temperature, etc. for growing masdevallias? How close should the masdevallias be to the lights?

Thanks for any replies!
Bryan

I don't grow masdies so I can't help you out there - in regards to the lights, T5 T8 etc... describe tube lights, and the number describes how thick they are. The smaller the number, the thinner the bulb, the more light concentrated in a smaller space. These come in 24", 36" and 48" (I think I saw some 12" ones too but I'm not sure).

Compact fluorescent bulbs are curled up tube bulbs and are a good source of spot lighting...this may be the best choice for an orchidarium that size. You can buy them at home depot or any hardware store and anything up to 65 watts (not incandescent equivalent) will fit into a regular socket. Note that these lamps come in actual watts and wattage equivalents - the actual watts is how much it actuall consumes, the equivalent is the brightness compared to an incadescent lamp. You want to get something above 30W (should be about 100W equivalent) at least.

Cool/warm is a little controversial - some people say blooming depends on one, growing depends on another. Other people say it's CRI that's important. Still other people say final intensity is key. If you're just making a small setup, I would get one warm (often labeled as Soft white) and one cool CFL at 40 (cool white/daylight I think) watts each, 2 clamp lamps, and you're set (that's what I have over my ang tank)

Hope this little primer helps!

[Magnus A]

Bryan

For the T5 and T8, T5 is the latest generation! They are more efficient than T8 and as mentioned above smaler in diameter. This gives reflectors that are smaller and you can pach more tubes per area that gives even more light!


For the colour you should look for full spectra lamps! and a colour temperature around 5000-6500 K is good. I do not have the colour temperature for cool and warm white but the most important is that they should be full spectra. Containing all wave lenght in the visible ( blue to red)

/Magnus

[Ross]

To make the whole discussion as simple as possible, you can buy t12 shop lights, t8 kitchen florescents, and/or t5 hi-intensity florescents. Most compact florescents are in fact t5 based technology. As Calvin said, they are based, basically, on the tube diameter. But there are some other differences to be aware of. T12 and T8 tubes (almost always straight tubes) are cool tubes. They operate at temps as low as 70 degrees or so. T5 tubes (including most coily compact florescent bulbs) operate at 95 degrees or so. This can lead to heating of your terrarium if not controlled. The reason you want the smaller diameter (despite the heat) is the intensity of the light for the watts consumed. The T5 are the most efficient of the florescents. For a small tank like you are proposing, I would recommend the coily compact florescent bulbs. They aren't all that efficient, but much easier to deal with. The down side, is that when you replace the bulb you are also replacing the ballast, so the cost over time is higher. The other option is a 24" straight tube fixture where you would only replace the tubes, not the ballast. Here are some links to research:

2 to 200 Watt Compact Fluorescent Bulbs : 1000Bulbs.com The Light Bulb Superstore.
Full Spectrum Lighting and Light Therapy
.: Sunlight Supply - horticulture and aquarium lighting systems :. Website
Indoor Plant Lighting
ACF Indoor Plant Grow Light Information Guide
Compact Fluorescent Lighting Kits
T5 Aquarium Lighting, T5 Fluorescent Grow Lights, Plant Grow Light Systems, Horticultural T5 Grow Light, T 5 Grow Light

The thing to remember, as others have stated, "full spectrum" assures the plants will get all the light spectrum they need. There will be lots of waste light, but the plants and flowers will look most natural. It's the simplest way to assure the plants are getting what they need.

[gmdiaz]

I noticed a huge improvement in my plants. . .I replaced one, two bulb fixture of the T-12 regular grow lights from Home Depot with two, single bulb T5 fixtures that I bought from a hydroponic store for about 45.00 each. One bulb per fixture. Each fixture had a small, super shiny reflective hood. They're wonderful and produce less heat than the regular T12 bulbs.

Seems like two T5 bulbs are much whiter and brighter than two T12 bulbs. . .and I think they have a broader spectrum of light too.

Anyway, my plants sure do love it.

[L-Dub]

Thank you everyone for your information and suggestions! I understand terrarium lighting much better now.

I'll probably go with using the compact fluorescents for this terrarium, since this is my test tank to learn about terrarium growing. I'll be putting together a larger one if/when I get the kinks worked out of this one, and I'll most likely get T5 fixtures/bulbs for that one.

Bryan