Newbie artificial light questions

[dupree1977]

I posted this in the introduction forum and was told I might get a better response here...

"Here is my current situation: my wife is kicking the plants and I out of the kitchen (best window in the house) to the basement. My mother heard of my plight and purchased two 160w Wonderlite bulbs and assorted other growing paraphernalia for me as an early Christmas present. I am wondering if anyone has used these lights or knows anything about them?

Also, when I make my eventual move to the basement, how long on/off should I leave the lights? 12/12? Also, since it gets colder at night but is still warm under the bulbs, would it matter if I ran the bulbs at night and left them off during the day? (there would be a very small amount of light in the daytime from the pathetic basement windows) Any tips or suggestions for the novice basement grower?"

I'll be using one corner of the basement (for now)--would it help me humidity-wise to put up plastic to partition it off somewhat?

Currently I grow paphs including several seedlings, one phal hybrid, and three onc hybrids. I've been going through the net looking for info on the wonderlite and using the sheets that came with them, but I'd appreciate input from anyone "in the know".

Thanks
Jeff

[FinnBar]

Hi Jeff! welcome to the forum!

i'm not familiar with this bulb,any additional info you could provide would be helpful.
is there a colour temperature 4000K 6500K or ***K something?
how about info on the light output, measured in lumens or lm?


most orchids enjoy a 10-15 F degree drop on the temperature at night, some refuse to flower without it. do you have a thermometer with a max/min memory? most likely the temp drop will only benefit your plants.

at the moment i'm going with a 12hr on/off schedule. personally i wouldn't exceed 14hrs of light.

Antti

[dupree1977]

Antti,
Thanks for the warm welcome!
This is the website from which she ordered the lights:

Wonderlite Indoor Grow Light from OrchidLight.com: Orchid Lights and Orchid Supplies

I spent a long time researching the lights after she gave them to me and I think I found the info you mention, but now I can't remember where I found it! I'll keep looking and let you know.
Thanks
Jeff

Originally Posted by FinnBar

Hi Jeff! welcome to the forum!

i'm not familiar with this bulb,any additional info you could provide would be helpful.
is there a colour temperature 4000K 6500K or ***K something?
how about info on the light output, measured in lumens or lm?


most orchids enjoy a 10-15 F degree drop on the temperature at night, some refuse to flower without it. do you have a thermometer with a max/min memory? most likely the temp drop will only benefit your plants.

at the moment i'm going with a 12hr on/off schedule. personally i wouldn't exceed 14hrs of light.

Antti

[Ross]

I agree with Antti. I am using a 12 on 12 off right now (winter) in basement. It's the only source of light. At mid summer I am up to 14 on and 10 off. My orchidarium cools down at night and plants are fine. I'd do on during day and off at night to assure the cool down lots of 'chids appreciate. If you have all warm-growing then there's nothing wrong with doing as you suggest. But even Phals appreciate a bit of a cool down prior to setting spikes. Sounds like the lights are to be your only source of light (nothing wrong with that) then you want to shoot for color temperature of approx 5000K (should be labelled on lamp) or something called "full spectrum".

[dupree1977]

I found some more info on this light:

Wonderlite


Self-ballasted screw-in mercury vapor R40 flood ligth with special "plant" spectrum made by Westron

Bulb
Wonderlite

Power
(Watt)
160

Max.
lumens
31500

Rated
lumens
3125

Effic.
0.1

PAR
uE/s
56.9

PAReff
uE/s/Watt
0.356

PUR
Total
uE/s
32.1

PUR
Blue
uE/s
14.3

PUR
Red
uE/s
10.3

R/B
0.72

I'm not sure what any of this means, but it came from here:

Aqua Botanic-light bulb comparison

Later tonight I will try to digest all this information. In the meantime, can anyone put this into layman's terms?

[jim blanford]

Hi Dupree,,, If have access to ORCHIDS MAG. for the month of December, there is a great article on growing under lights that might help you check it out. Jim.

[FinnBar]

Jeff,
I don't know what all that info means either.
the manufacturer said good things about the spectrum so let's take his word for it until proven otherwise..

the lumens sound appropriate for the purpose.

about the temperature drop still... i've been giving my Phals a 10 F drop at nights by leaving the window ajar (at the moment it's the only means) and after 2 weeks i'm looking at the first spike growing..

humidity-wise i think you just have to give it a shot,
plastic alone probably doesn't help that much but depending on your conditions maybe it's all you need..

good luck!!

[dupree1977]

I discovered while monitoring temp and humidity levels in the basement and it looks like the basement has about 35% humidity, with a humidifier I should be able to get it somewhere near where I want it.

I've tested the wonderlites too, and I'm trying to decide whether to use one or both.

I guess I just have to jump in and keep my eyes on the plants and see how it goes. If I wait much longer my wife will make me sleep down there with them!

Thanks for all the help and kind words, I'll keep you all posted on my progress!

Originally Posted by FinnBar

Jeff,
I don't know what all that info means either.
the manufacturer said good things about the spectrum so let's take his word for it until proven otherwise..

the lumens sound appropriate for the purpose.

about the temperature drop still... i've been giving my Phals a 10 F drop at nights by leaving the window ajar (at the moment it's the only means) and after 2 weeks i'm looking at the first spike growing..

humidity-wise i think you just have to give it a shot,
plastic alone probably doesn't help that much but depending on your conditions maybe it's all you need..

good luck!!

[FinnBar]

have you considered humidity trays?

also, grouping plants together will help create a microclimate around them. you can also use that as an excuse when your wife wants an explanation after you bring home more orchids...

use as many bulbs as you need to light all the plants with the bulb approx. 12'' above them.
if your bulbs get very hot it might be necessary to hang them higher, leaves should feel cool to touch.
your oncidiums will appreciate more light than others.

[dupree1977]

I finally took the plunge and set everything up. Everything has been in the basement under the lights now for a few weeks and the situation looks very promising.

Last night I noticed that my Ornithophora radicans was not only putting out new roots but also in spike! I had been worried about it for some time.

Initial prognosis for the wonderlite is good (using two about 1 1/2 feet away from the oncidiums, the rest on a lower shelf). Some day when I am not so self-conscious about my set up I will post pics