Is it possible to over illuminate an orchid with LED light?

[Laserbeak]

I was thinking, the reason low light plants die when exposed to full sun or traditional grow lights is that they can't handle the other wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation that these lights throw at them, especially in the ultraviolet and infrared. However, LED lights produce only one wavelength per LED, one that is suited especially for plant growth. What happens when an orchid that is supposed to get low light gets more LED light than it requires? Can it tolerate it?

[bethmarie]

I grow by east facing windows supplemented with LEDs. A couple of times, I've had a plant's leaves go mostly purple-y red, like they do when they're at the edge of their light tolerance. In those cases, I've distanced the plant or light and not seen any damage to the plants.
Only been using LEDs for a year, so my experience is limited. I'll be very interested to see other answers to this question.

[sbrofio]

I used a LED light (6400K and 4000 lumen) all the last autumn and winter. Because all the plants were on the same plane, some grew up too slim and others had some little burn on the leaves. For examples my Schomburgkia superbiens needed more light while Chysis and Bulbophyllum some less. Now I'm projecting an orchidarium totally in glass. Measures will be 1 m (3.3 feet) large, 60 cm (24 inches) width and 1.5 m (4.9 feet) tall. I'll use some home made LED light as long as the orchidarium (1m /3.3 feet). They will be: 2 lights at 6400K, 2 at 8000K and 2 at 10000K. in total there will be more/less 10000 lumen. I'll put stronglight plants (Vanda, Arachnante, Ansellia, Cattleya, Laelia and others) in top, then going down, less "light-hungry"plants. In the bottom I'll put 5/6 cm (3 inches) of pure water with pump to move it and I'll use the same water for raining system and (but I'm not sure yet) a little waterfall

[Ray]

Of course you can overdo it.

Light impingement = energy input. Too much energy - at any wavelength - can overwhelm the capabilities of the tissues to use and/or dissipate the excess, so burning will occur.

[Magnus A]

Yes of course!

Why should you not be able to supply the orchid with more than enough light energy with LEDs?

I know that you got an answer above BUT I am interesting in how you though before you asked the question!

And no, modern LEDs do not produce only one wavelenght of the light spectrum! They operate in a similar fasion as fluorescent light.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by Magnus A

And no, modern LEDs do not produce only one wavelenght of the light spectrum! They operate in a similar fasion as fluorescent light.

Magnus - you're forgetting colored LED chips - they tend to be quite narrow in their spectral output, as that's a property of the semiconductors used to make them.

It is the white LEDs that provide several peaks.