Thinking of growing year-round under lights....

[Orchid Whisperer]

As you can see, 100% under lights does work for many people. If it works for you, why not do it?

Personally, I like my outdoor season with my plants. If I had no choice but to grow indoors 100% of the time, I would likely give away or sell off most of my orchids, maybe keeping only 1 or 2 plants. Different choices for different folks.

[katrina]

I'm with OW in that I like having my orchids outside during the warmer months...even though it comes w/it's share of things that I'd rather not deal with.

For me, having them outside it a break from the time consuming act of watering vs when they are inside. When outside I can just grab the hose and go. And, fertilizing is easier and quicker because I use a dial-set hose end sprayer but when inside I have to use a battery operate sprayer...it's just a lot more time consuming. So, yea, I need the 3-4 month break every year.

Also, the lights heat the house up so much that the a/c would be running non-stop and if I didn't have a/c then the house would be unbearably hot for the humans. And, I only run the lights for 10 hours during the bulk of the winter...starting w/a 12hr run time and bumping up to a 12hr run time in the spring. If I had to keep the orchids inside all summer then I'd have to run them at 14hrs combine that w/the constantly running a/c...well, my electric bill would be astronomical. And the extreme heat of lights combined w/no a/c...could cause problems of it's own. When my orchids first came inside this fall it was cooling down but we hit a patch of a couple of weeks where the outside temps went back up into the 80's and some days near 90...and w/the lights only set to 12 hours and the a/c not on...I actually got some damage on a few leaves of a couple of catts. Extreme heat build up caused cell collapse...almost a total scorch in a few of the leaves. W/no a/c...that might be something you'd want to consider.

It can work for some people but, for me, I wouldn't consider it. I also am of the believe that all plants benefit greatly from the time out in the elements. Rain, fluctuations of temps, humidity (when available), and wind...all good things. But, yes, there are also those less desirable aspects to it...bugs, pesky squirrels, chipmunks, birds, raccoons that like to knock pots around, the list can go on and on. For me the biggest PITA w/growing outdoors is when we are under severe weather alerts that involve high winds and I'm having to run around like a crazy person to get the orchids situated so they don't end up blowing around the neighborhood. I still remember the year Hurricane Ida whipped up through here and sent orchids flying through the air...I never did find about 4 of the smaller ones. Since that storm, I have a routine that requires a good 1-2 hrs to get everything secured and that time + a bit more to get them back into place once the storms have moved along - not convenient. Again though...the break I get through those months is more important to me than the inconveniences and risk associated w/all the plants being outside.

Now that I'm thinking about it...my biggest problem in the summer is the bouts of never ending rain we get...I have to pot up my orchids in set ups that can hopefully deal with that faction but because of that they dry out super fast under the lights...so that's kind of a PITA too. I've often wished I had the Bewitched nose twitch so I could switch things out in the spring and then again when they come back inside in the fall.

One more thing...you'll have to replace your bulbs more frequently if growing inside year round especially if you're running them the higher time frames in the summer.

There are also some orchids that might not bloom well under lights only...Ctsm, many rupics, maybe some of those walkeriana (maybe) but I think most would bloom fine if the time is high enough and the bulbs are good.

I'm not trying to discourage the idea...just throwing out some things you might want to consider. You can always give it a try and see how it goes. It would be a simple enough fix if you find you aren't getting the results you want. Give it a season and if it doesn't work out then you can always go back to putting them outside the next year.

[Leafmite]

Yes, there are definitely going to be cons to this and the heat and cost of lights is definitely one of them. I plan to run a fan over the plants to distribute the heat.
We don't have air conditioning so that's going to save us some money. :|

You make some good points, TheBlazingAugust. If I do this, I will probably grow those in a window with lights supplementing them (and I can always hang a light sideways, too). Many of my leafiest, bushiest plants are also the favorites of mealy bugs and scale and, because they produce fruit or have leaves that are useful in cooking (cinnamon, bay laurel), I do not like to use a systemic on them. When I do use a systemic to save the plant, I forgo the leaves and fruit for two years. I won't miss that part of putting them outside. Indoors, I can use some Diatomaceous earth to prevent ants from moving scale and mealy bugs onto the plants.

Thanks Katrina and Orchid Whisperer. This is definitely a big decision. I have always put all the plants outside for the summer. Last summer, I kept a few window plants indoors and they did well. I still have not completely decided what to do, yet. I am just trying to get some extra information to try to make the decision.

Fig trees. Anyone grow these under lights?
I have two types that are recommended for bonsai culture, Ficus 'Petite Negra' and 'Little Ruby'. Fig 'Petite Negra' has shown some promise for growing under lights. It broke dormancy at the edge of the light range and started making little figs. It had the same conditions as my orchids this summer and it continued to produce and ripen figs. I have them under lights, now. The only fig not going under lights is the 'Violette de Bordeaux'. It wasn't recommended as a bonsai tree and will continue going outside. I am trying dormancy with it this year. It is said to be hardy to zone five so I would plant it in the ground if it wasn't my daughter's tree.

[katrina]

BTW - I didn't mention it but I do have fans running...2 ceiling fans in the room and 3 other fans (oscillating) at various places so all plants are receiving adequate circulation.

If you opt to do it, you've started considering it early enough that if gives you a lot of time to figure out all the details and that's a big bonus.

OW- we actually feed the squirrels! I know, I know...but we enjoy their antics. In all fairness to the squirrels...the chipmunks and raccoons are usually more of the a problem for the orchids around my place, these days anyway. Oh, and the birds...damn things pick off buds and pull the sphagnum off mounts and out of pots. Of course, we feed those too.

[Leafmite]

Thanks jkofferdah for your input. I am using three sets of four foot, four bulb lamps and one two foot, two bulb lamp, all T5HO. I just found some nice LED's advertised and might be adding those for the larger plants to help supplement the window's light.

This is not an easy decision. I have always put the plants outside and felt confident it was the right decision. I would actually rather grow my plants outside in the summer. However, a few factors have come to play:

1) This sounds crazy but thieves have been digging up ornamental grasses and all sorts of other plants from people's yards. I fear that once they realize what I am growing and what the resale value might be, the plants would be an easy target. With ebay, even plants are easy to resell.

2) Mosquitoes. I use mosquito dunks and bits, am careful to empty saucers, check the yard for anyplace that might offer a place for mosquitoes to breed, even check my mini-pond to make certain the goldfish are keeping it clear, but they have become awful. If I forget to spray myself with off, I am covered in bites. I cannot get rid of the mosquitoes because, likely, they are coming from nearby retaining ponds, the park or low-laying water in our city's drainage system. Now that they have been found to carry West Nile, it makes it even more unpleasant to be bitten. Even with the off, I sometimes get bitten. So, caring for the plants when they are outside has become rather unpleasant.

3) The weather. Our weather was once pretty predictable. Now, it is crazy. Cool wet summer or hot dry summer? Cold summer dispersed with nights barely above freezing? Weeks solid of rain? Three very warm weeks followed by two weeks of cold? One never knows. My plants did not really thrive last summer and many are now recovering beautifully under the lights or in the windows.

4) Pests. Many of my plants have been proving sensitive to pesticides like the Bayer 3-in- one and Malathion. Some of the pests are proving resistant (probably because we spray the fruit trees every two weeks, all summer). I had some very healthy Phals and, after putting them outside for the summer, mealy bugs found them. I battled those mealy bugs all summer and finally, when it was time to bring in the plants, had to through them away (they seemed to really thrive after being hit with two doses of systemic). Where were the lady bugs? No idea. I did find lacewing larvae on the cinnamon but that was it.

The cons, of course, will be the heat, buying more lights, replacing the bulbs more frequently, and losing the benefits of the natural sun, rain and breeze. I think the heat will be okay as long as a fan is running. I can set up another window fan to take air out (in the summer, I always have one bringing the air in).

Yeah, I have been doing plenty of research. I have not found any information on growing ficus carica under lights (except for starting cuttings) but people do grow them in windows. The other plants might need a window and supplemental light. The orchids should be fine. Some of them have already proven to me that they hate the lights and they will remain in the window.

[Orchid Whisperer]

katrina, don't get me started on the pesky squirrels.

The number of healthy plants I have had spoiled by squirrels this year . . . Yeah, I have sort of developed a Bill Murray-esque / Caddyshack hatred of the tree rats. Don't let the fuzzy tail fool you - - pure concentrated evil.

[Tindomul]

I guess I would have to try it out to see what I find nice.

[Tetra73]

I have to since I live in NYC. My mini Phals are doing fine in my 40g fish tank terrarium. So, I decided to make a larger enclosure using the same principles for setting up a terrarium.

My low budget grow tent...

I personally do not like those red and blue LED lights. They aren't great for admiring your plants. Depending on the size of your growing area, a t5 fixture may not be enough to get the light down to your plants. Maybe t5ho fixtures but they are not energy efficient and generating too much heat. I used to use them for my planted aquarium.

I am currently using 4 LED light bulbs 100w equivalent to supplement my 6 t8 bulbs. The LED bulbs are mobile and can get very close to the plants if needed. With my tent setup, a fluorescent light fixture won't be able to get the needed light intensity to my orchids. They are good enough for my other plants though.

In terms of the energy cost, I am only seeing few dollars increase on my bill.

---------- Post added 11-18-2016 at 12:06 AM ---------- Previous post was 11-17-2016 at 11:04 PM ----------

Oh about the humidity issue...I don't seem to have that problem. Mist heavily in the morning and by night time, is at 80%. My tent is fully covered with some small gap openings by the side and the front. So there are air exchanges. If I need to reduce the humidity, I can open the gap wider. If I need to increase it, I can mist more and to close the gap smaller.

Watering is easy too. I used a hand pump action sprayer and would just drench the orchid media. Any excess water would be caught by the plants and soil below. They would never drip to the floor. Sometimes, I have water sprays on the bottom of the tent but I generally soak them up once a week. They can also act as another source of humidity. I have a catch plastic lining by the bottom of the tent in order to prevent water from soaking the wood floor.

For pest controls, I put mosquito dunks in all of my water. So, excessive water won't become a breeding ground for fungus gnats.

[rockyfarm]

I've been growing my collection just under lights for a few years, after deciding that the summer move to the greenhouse wasn't helping them after all. In Maine I have a 10' x 12' grow room in the basement and have switched to pairs of 100 watt equivalent LED bulbs in 10.5" reflectors - currently 16 of these. The heat produced works nicely for me: I control it at about 80 degrees in summer and about 75 in winter daytimes, and 65 down to 60 in winter. I blow hot air out and replace it with outdoor air, using a pair of thermostats and timer set at my day/night preferences. This gives me a 15 degree range, day to night. The incoming air runs through a wet pad to keep humidity up. In North Carolina I have a similar grow room but use a heat exchanger to keep fall and spring temperatures in that same range. This circulates air through aluminum duct, releasing excess heat into the rest of the basement, then returning it to the grow room.

[Leafmite]

Thanks, Tetra73 and rockyfarm. I am going to give it try! I will probably need to purchase one more set of shelves and lights for the tall plants but I can worry about that in the spring.

Thank you everyone who has chimed in!