What can I grow under a T5 Hydrofarm 4' x 4 bulb light fixture?

[bballr4567]

Originally Posted by Pilot

Just to give some input, I got an enviro 4' x 6 bulbs unit and its fantastic. Wow are t5s so much brighter!!! My Tolumnia and Vandas are already soaking in the rays.

I told you!!!!

[danska8]

Originally Posted by zxyqu

Bill is right. The higher the light requirement, the higher they need to be. I grow only Phals using T5, and they grow at anywhere from 20-28" below the bulb. Oncs and Catts will need to be closer, 16-20" to give them their high light requirements.

Curious to know how deep of shelf and how many bulbs you're using. I purchased a costco rack that I'm planning on doing this with. It's only 14" deep so I'm thinking about just using a 2-bulb.

Also, are you guys running combinations of 6500/3000k bulbs? I'm doing mostly Phals and a couple of lower light Phrags.

[naoki]

With 14" depth, 4-bulbs of T8 (or T5NO) or 2-bulbs of T5HO works well for Phals. I haven't had much success with Phrags, but if the light requirement is simlar to typical Paphs, then this should work. Most Phrags are supposed to be happier with stronger light than typical Paphs, though. I mainly grow Paphs (including multi-florals), and they are under 4-bulbs of T5HO which is shining on 4'x2' area, but I think 3-bulbs would be enough. Red & Blue LED would be a cheaper option (especially for Phals) in a long-term, though.

[PrognatusAfera]

Hello! I've been growing using the two-bulb version of the Hydrofarm T5, and I have to say, both my phals AND my cattleyas seem to be loving it!!!
I have my mini-catts raised up a few inches higher in position than the phals, so they're closer and getting a little bit of a stronger light.
I installed the light last fall, and so far, I've been rewarded with a whole bunch of new leaves, new bulbs, and a bud! Very exciting.
Based on all this, I bet the catts would love the 4-bulb version, too. I don't know if my results are consistent with anyone else's, but figured I'd share, in case it's helpful.
(I did have a few dendrobiums under that light for a few months, too, but they actually started to show signs of over-lighting, so I've moved them since and they seem happier now... so, at least in my house, they dendrobiums stay away from the hydrofarm table.)

Good luck!

[stylingpat]

Originally Posted by PrognatusAfera

Hello! I've been growing using the two-bulb version of the Hydrofarm T5, and I have to say, both my phals AND my cattleyas seem to be loving it!!!
I have my mini-catts raised up a few inches higher in position than the phals, so they're closer and getting a little bit of a stronger light.
I installed the light last fall, and so far, I've been rewarded with a whole bunch of new leaves, new bulbs, and a bud! Very exciting.
Based on all this, I bet the catts would love the 4-bulb version, too. I don't know if my results are consistent with anyone else's, but figured I'd share, in case it's helpful.
(I did have a few dendrobiums under that light for a few months, too, but they actually started to show signs of over-lighting, so I've moved them since and they seem happier now... so, at least in my house, they dendrobiums stay away from the hydrofarm table.)

Good luck!

Are these the 2ft or 4ft fixtures? Do mini-catts have a diff light requirement then regular catts?

[PrognatusAfera]

Originally Posted by stylingpat

Are these the 2ft or 4ft fixtures? Do mini-catts have a diff light requirement then regular catts?

My fixture is a 4ft.
I'm not sure about in other contexts, but I have both mini-catts and regular catts under my lamp, and they all seem to be happy down there.
Not sure if that's supposed to be the case though..

[Island Girl]

Is there a difference in the output/light intensity between the 4ft and the 2ft fixtures? (other than the space covered length-wise)

[jeremyinsf]

I just saw this thread so I'm posting a reply here hoping some people can give me advice. I have a metro rack now 48"x18" with a 4' Hydrofarm 4 blub fixture. It's half blue / half red blubs. Most all my plants are Paphs. Some multi-floral, some others. What I don't know is how far the light should be from the plants? I know the 'warm to touch' rule about the leaf, but any other basics anyone can share? Is 18"-20" above about right? And then when they spike make sure there is plenty of room for that? Right now I have several in spike and there is a lot of room. But I wanted to add a second light/shelf for plants that are not in spike/flower, and I don't know how far away from the plants that light should be either. Lastly - how long do I leave them on for!? 12 hours a day? Do I change it through the year based on the season and what the sun would do?

Thank you all!!



---------- Post added at 08:19 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:18 PM ----------

BTW they are T5HO blubs - 54 watts each.

If I added a second fixture, I suppose I could just use two blubs instead of four?

[rosemadder]

Aha, another planted tank person, eh? I'd love to see your setup!

[rosemadder]

Originally Posted by Island Girl

Is there a difference in the output/light intensity between the 4ft and the 2ft fixtures? (other than the space covered length-wise)

Not particularly, the bulbs light up pretty much the same throughout their length, whatever that happens to be.

Originally Posted by jeremyinsf

how long do I leave them on for!? 12 hours a day? Do I change it through the year based on the season and what the sun would do?

Well, on the tank I try to keep it down to 8 hours total with a siesta period of several hours in the middle... to discourage algae blooms! But on above-water plants, 12hr is probably okay.

As for changing the timing-- yes, probably a good idea. Temperature, too, if possible. Some orchids don't care, especially if they're from near the equator where day length is practically always the same, but others are very sensitive to the seasons, with dormant periods and blooming season and so on. Some can be tricked into short dormancy and pushed into longer growth periods. I don't know the specifics on Cattleyas, I don't have any yet myself.

Just earlier today, I saw a chart with recommended light hours for the year, adjusting the timer once each month. Not sure what site it was now, but the info is definitely out there.

Now, as for the bulbs!

I just got a handy-schmandy little cheap digital incident light meter in the mail yesterday.

I took both T5 fixtures off my 50gal planted tank, put them directly next to each other-- that's 4x 48" 54watt 6500k bulbs, 6-8 months old-- and took some measurements. Granted this thing doesn't measure PAR, and the readings are probably rough, but here's my preliminary scientifical findings:

0" -- 3400fc (right up against the splash guard)
6" -- 1300fc
12" -- 750fc
18" -- 480fc
24" -- 360fc

My T5s are Oddysea fixtures, which is a cheap brand and I've heard they're not as bright as others. I'd be interested to compare these readings against other lights.