2ft 4-bulb T5 HO system- is it enough?

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Hi everyone,

I would like to start a small orchid grow area in my basement (it receives virtually no natural sunlight). I currently have a phal and phrag. In the immediate future, I would like to expand my collection to include another compact phrag, a paph, a smaller catt, and a Brassavola. I’ve been reading different threads but would appreciate some direct opinions about a light setup.

I would like to start small and am primarily looking at EITHER: a 2 ft T5 HO 4-bulb system (24 watts/bulb) that claims to emit 7,200 lumens, OR 2 separate 3 ft 2-bulb T5 fixtures (not HO, 21 watts/bulb) from Home Depot (cheaper and gives me more square footage, but the mount doesn't have special reflectors).

The big question I have: will I get enough light from these systems to bloom these orchids?

I recognize that it doesn’t give me much space to work with, but my idea is to get my feet wet with this smaller system and eventually scale up. If I did end up going with a 48” T5 HO system for a mixed collection, however, how many bulbs would I need (would 2 be enough)?

Thanks for the help!

Anne