2 foot grow light recommendation?

[catherinecarney]

Hi all--

Please excuse the newbie question. I have searched the lighting threads and couldn't find the info I was looking for, so thought I had better ask.

I have a 2 foot wide space on either side of my dining room window and was wondering what T-5 fixtures would be best? I am on a budget (aren't we all), so I am looking for a decent quality lighting solution that won't break the bank. I have noticed that it's tough (at least for me) to find lighting that will fit in this rather tight space....

Home Depot sells a 2' T-5 grow light that's supposed to output 2000 lumens and runs less than $50 for the fixture. I gather this might be on the low side for cattleyas, but might be high enough for phals?

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Catherine

[Oscarman]

Is this for suplimental lighting - sounds like you will have natural light from the window? Depending on the amount of light coming from the window, you choice could be a 2' fixture with 2 or 4 tubes. Seems that in the US it is much easier to get a hold of T5 fixtures with muliple lights in them. Here it just seems to be individual strips and the odd multiple unit for $$$.

[catherinecarney]

Thanks for the reply.

Sorry, I didn't describe the setup clearly. The window in the room faces north--it gets reasonable light given the orientation, but not enough (probably) for most plants. The shelves I plan to put in will sit on either side of the window (2 feet wide on either side).

The way the window wall works is that there is built-in cabinetry below and around the window--so a 2 foot wide cabinet on either side and a window seat (with storage) below the window. The cabinets each host a 20gallon high paludarium (perfect size for the space) and I wanted to put a shelf and plant light above each tank to take advantage of the warmth and humidity they generate.

The aquarium lights generate a reasonable amount of heat when they're on (about 14-16 hours a day), creating a warmer "microclimate" in that part of the room that would give a wider day/night temperature range and overall warmer and more humid conditions than the rest of the house.

Since this is in a "public" room (good grief, that sounds pretentious), I hope to be able to create a display area that is functional and reasonable in appearance without spending gobs and gobs of money....

[naoki]

Catherine, I'm satisfied with
Amazon.com: EnviroGro FLT24 2-Foot Four Tube T5 Fluorescent Grow Light System: Patio, Lawn & Garden

Is the HomeDepot fixture T5HO? If it has 1 bulb, and the output is 2000 lumen, it probably is T5HO. If it has 2 bulbs and the total output is 2000, it is probably normal output version. Our home depot had only 8' (=4' + 4') T5HO, and others were T5NO. For phals, the normal output version should work, and it is more energy efficient than T5HO. Make sure that it has a decent reflector. I don't have much experience with Cattleya, but one of my rupicolous Laelia is (almost) blooming under 4-bulb T5HO in a grow tent (so no natural light at all). So T5HO is probably better for Cattleya. But if you can grow them outside in the summer time, they may not need strong light in the winter.

I think I'm paying about $3-400 in electricity per year with 4' 4-bulb T5HO + 28W Red&Blue LED + fan etc (15 hours/day). So with 2' 4-bulb T5HO, you are looking at $100-200 per year.

I grow Phals under Sunshine System 28W Red&Blue LED, which has lower maintenance cost, and they grow and bloom well. It covers 2'x2' area. But some people don't like purplish color. Just in case you are more interested in saving money than appearance, here is the link:
Amazon.com: Sunshine Systems LEDGP45 GlowPanel 28 Watt 45 LED Grow Light: Patio, Lawn & Garden

[catherinecarney]

Hi Naoki--

Thank you for the information--it's the kind of feedback I'm looking for!

The Home Depot T5 fixture is available on-line only, so it's something you have to dig through their website to find. One of the other threads on Orchidboard mentioned it and provided a link which is how I found it. If I remember correctly, it's a dual bulb system, so not HO....

I'll look at the 2 systems you mentioned and see what they look like. I'm fortunate in my proposed setting to have the option of either hanging mount or wall mount, but given that this is the dining room it helps if the fixtures are relatively unobtrusive and the light is approaching daylight.

I hadn't even thought about the electricity cost. Thank you for that information and making me think about system efficiency!

Catherine