My light stand: fluorescent and LEDs

[leslie123]

I've had this stand for a year now. The top shelf, which has 3 fluorescent T5 fixtures (6 bulbs, 2 warm and 4 cool) has been up for a year. The second, with a 16' string of LED lights, has been up for about 2 months. I'm not following the rules very well. The light is on from 6:00 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. I keep intending to give them a shorter photoperiod for winter, but it hasn't happened yet because I like looking at them. I mist them 1-3x a day depending upon the species and water requirements. I also squirt the top roots daily and have a cool mist humidifier running 24/7 because humidity is low in the house and everything dries out so fast. I need to work on the conditions, then maybe I'll get more blooms, but I am pleased that so far they're all alive and seem happy. I've only lost one so far, and that was a mounted plant that fell from the shelf and was eaten by my rascal Chihuahua.

It's about time to set up one of the other shelves. I have to decide whether to use fluorescent or LED.

[Ray]

Most orchids originate from tropical to subtropical regions, where there is little change in day length, if at all, through the year. Don't worry about it.

Granted, it's hard to tell from the photo, but it sure doesn't look like your LED rope is nearly bright enough for plants. You'll need about the same wattage of LEDs as you have in the 6 T5 bulbs, combined.

[leslie123]

The LEDs on the bottom are definitely not as bright as the fluorescent shelf. I'm growing African violets and stereptocarpus and low light orchids down there. Stuff that wasn't handling the brighter light on the upper shelf. That's a good point, though. I need another of each shelf! High and low light. And more orchids to go on them, of course!

[TamiP]

Just lovely!

[Optimist]

I have a similar set up but it has lights and is also in a window, On average it gets 1500 foot candles on a non-gloomy day. I have my AVs off to the side because I am afraid that when I mist the water will land on the leaves. So far so good.

[Azmahhh]

I have similar fixtures. really beautiful plants!

Did the denphal and cattleya bloom exclusively under these lights? I have heard different opinions and I’m unsure. I love denphals!

Thanks!

[leslie123]

Originally Posted by Azmahhh

I have similar fixtures. really beautiful plants!

Did the denphal and cattleya bloom exclusively under these lights? I have heard different opinions and I’m unsure. I love denphals!

Thanks!

The catts have bloomed exclusively under these lights. And enough of them have bloomed, through the past year, that I know it's not a case of me purchasing a ready-to-spike plant.

The white dendrobium on the right side (Dendrobium Hiroshi Tokunaga) does occasionally get some light from the window, but not a lot. It's an east window, about 2 feet away, and I live in the Pacific NW so we get a lot of rain from September until May.

The purple denphal ("Dendrobium Mini Purple") is new - I got it at the Seattle Orchid Show about 2 months ago. At the time, there were two spikes. Since then, two more spikes have popped up, but prior culture is responsible for that.

There is enough light to grow nepenthes (tropical pitcher plants) and drosera (sundews) successfully, and both require high light. The drosera is getting enough light to produce nice dew and flowers growing half-way down from the bulbs. There's enough light to cause purple coloring on the leaves of some of the catts. The little light meter on my phone reads from 2,500-10,500 lx. The meter overall confuses me because when I switch it to foot candles, it doesn't come anywhere near what Andy's Orchids suggests for shade, medium, and bright, but the orchids are doing okay. I've had to move the shade-loving orchids down to the second shelf, where the the African violets and streptocarpus are getting enough light to bloom.

I do leave the lights on 16 hours a day. Sometimes 19 hours a day.