Flourescent Lights

[edytka]

I rely need some help
Im totaly confuse on the flourescent lights
Im growing phals , oncidiums and few cattalays in a greenhouse. They have great air movement ( fans) and good level of humidity , but i have been stock on the flourescent lighting. I got 4 bulbs of t5 24w 2700k
i was reading reviews online and people said my orchids wont grow under those...
I placed the light 12 inches away from the orchids. Is anybody growing under t5 ?

[Ray]

They will likely be fine, especially as you're using the T5 as a supplemental source.


Ray Barkalow
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[Paphluvr]

Why do you need fluorescent lights if you're growing in a greenhouse?

[silken]

Many people in our society use T5's exclusively. They are great source of light. However the ones we use are 6400k rather than 2700k so that could make a difference.

They are often doubled up or in banks of 4 for some very high light plants.

People have been using the old regular T12 lights for years to grow all kinds of plants. And the High Output (HO) lights are said to produce about twice as much as one T12.

I grow in a greenhouse too but supplement with these because in winter, the roof is covered with snow and days are very short, so I need extra light.

SunBlaster Lighting - Fluorescent lighting for home, garden and business.

Here is a link with a bit of info on T5's and kelvin ratings.

[Purple_phal_gal13]

I grow my orchid indoors and I'm using almost 100% CFL type lighting. And I have some of the same species you do. I do however have several bulbs going in different light ranges. From 2400 to 6500 and some daylights thrown in there. With a good mix of light, you can grow probably anything under flourescent lights.

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[Dante1709]

2700 K alone probably won't be sufficient for foliage,root and general growth of the plant. Maybe if you mixed it in with some 5000K - 6500K (labelled "Daylight") bulbs, then you can probably grow them perfectly fine and induce blooming much better than just daylight bulbs.

Since you are growing in a greenhouse, and the sun is typically around 5700-6500 K you might be fine..

You could always just buy some Daylight bulbs, and place them into your fixture (as long as they are T5's, the same size and don't pass the maximum wattage limit). Keep the leftover bulbs as replacements.

[Ray]

The color temperature in fluorescent bulbs is not directly comparable to black-body radiation, like from the sun. it is a corrected color temperature (CCT) - "corrected" to make the human eye perceive it as being similar to the black-body temperature.

That's why plant light bulbs are preferred, as the phosphors are selected to provide more of what the plant needs and less focused on your perception of the light.

The 6400°K color temperature of the sun, by the way, is only at noon, on a clear day, and has enhanced blue due to back-scatter from the sky. Early and late in the day, it's more like 4300°, and any cloudiness will affect it too.

[edytka]

Thank you guys for the iInformation , it was rely helpfull. Im new to the orchid hobby , however i am in love . so i quess I could grow under those T5 which made me feel a lot better.