Quote:
Originally Posted by mexorchid
Thanks everybody for your input!
Naoki, very much like your table 
Joseia, do you also find your MH light is using a very lot of electricity? What kind of reflector are you using?
A lot of heat wouldn't be bad because the orchids are standing on a heated platform filled with hydroton and water. I guess with more heat from the top there will just be more evaporation? I already have a fan and could mount it a bit closer to the light.
Good tip with the water sprays on the bulb, haven't thought of that!!! |
I actually have not noticed a big increase in our electricity bills. But that could be because I changed most of our indoor house lights to more energy efficient LEDs around the time I started using the MH light. I am using a cheap open reflector, but f I were buying now, I would by one that could be enclosed with a glass cover below the bulb to ensure that no water could ever reach the bulb. If you do this, you might have to look at venting the heat that will build up inside an enclosed reflector.
I think the heat the light puts out works very well for me. Under the lights, the temperature around the orchids is about 6 degrees higher than ambient room temperature. I run a humidifier near the plants with a fan, and when the MH light goes off, the temperature drops nicely and I end up seeing a day/night temperature change from 82 to 73.
Yes, the plants definitely dry out faster under the MH light, I had to increase my watering frequency by one day to make up for the heat and increased evaporation.
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