Best orchids for growing under lights

[The Orchid Boy]

I want to get everyone's opinion for some of the best orchids for growing under T8 fluorescent lights. Orchids that will grow and bloom well under lights and fairly short or compact.

[Merlyn]

I grow all 28 of my Phalaenopsis under T8 lights and nowhere else. Some equestris are compact growers and profuse, sometimes sequential bloomers. There's a large and colorful selection of man-made hybrid Phals to choose from. All of them are relatively easy to grow and most of us have started with them, me included ! Good luck !

[billc]

In addition to Phals, I have Masdies and smaller Paphs under T8's and they do just fine. You may have to move the plants when in bloom, the flower stalks will go right into the bulbs.

Bill

[The Orchid Boy]

So what generas of orchids are good for under lights? Any medium to low light genera? Can phrags be bloomed under lights? I want an easy phrag that isn't to tall of big that is good for newbies and grows well under lights. Any recomendatons?

[Wjs2nd]

Most phrags and paphs have the same lighting needs. I would check out some greenhouses but the phrags I have seen have been pretty small/compact.

[jcaballero]

Originally Posted by Merlyn

I grow all 28 of my Phalaenopsis under T8 lights and nowhere else. Some equestris are compact growers and profuse, sometimes sequential bloomers. There's a large and colorful selection of man-made hybrid Phals to choose from. All of them are relatively easy to grow and most of us have started with them, me included ! Good luck !

What distance do you have your lights from the Phals?

[The Orchid Boy]

I have my phals about 3 inches away from T8 lights and about 9-10 inches away from T5 lights.

[naoki]

I think Phrag. besseae might be best (in this genus). It has lower light requirements than most other Phrags, and it is similar to the level required for Paphs. I could grow P. besseae under T8 for a while, but I managed to kill it due to overheating. I'm currently trying Phrag. lindenii under T5 HO, but Phrags are pretty difficult for me.

I like Paphs best for under-light, and especially species in Brachypetalum have short flower stalks, so they are good for T8. They are my favorites. They are not easiest Paphs, though. But with T5 HO, you can easily grow most orchids with low-medium light requirement.

[Eddie Oates]

Phrags are the easiest of all orchids to grow providing you give them medium light, keep them very wet and always underfeed them. I feed mine twice per year with a tsp of blood and bone sprinkled on the top. You can plant them in anything you have to hand. I use very differing media and they all grow very well. At the moment I am trying a few on alkadama, kunama, kyodama and cat litter. You can't drown phrags like you can other species.

[trdyl]

I have several Cattleya species under T5s as well as a Dendrobium Phal type hybrid. Cattleya mossiae and jenmanii seem to do extremely well.