its best to measure light in foot candles, not in watts. because 48 watts of t12 is alot less than 48 wats of T5HO. Cattleyas in general like 2,500-3,5000 foot candles and phalaenopsis generally like 1,000-2,000 foot candles. light levels can exceed those above, but not without added air flow, moisture, humidity, etc.
what light meter do you have? some light meters do not measure footcandles and you have to put the level you get and plug it into some equation to change units from say lux (or whatever its metering) into foot candles... there are free light meter apps you can get if you have an iphone or ipod touch with a camera though.
i have been growing under lights for years and i have never used a light meter until i recently got the iphone app. the best light meter there is are your plants, watch the color of the leaves, too dark means too little light. likewise, leaves that are too bright mean that the lighting is too high.
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How do you measure Florescent light output
after a while you develop an "instinct" and can decide where to place things without the use of a meter
Linear Mode
