New member in a light challenged home

[herr alexandre]

Thanks very much for your Welcome garland. This is actually my first ever foray into joining an online board. Very positive so far.

[Oscarman]

Have you seen the Sun Blaster line of fluorescents? They have a 2' T5 HO unit and also CFL bulbs offering 6500K, which I believe screw into a standard socket.

[herr alexandre]

Thanks, Dave. I had never heard of Sun Blaster but just looked them up online. I think some sort of CFL will be the way to go. I just have to figure out what wattage I need for my space. Thanks for the suggestion.

[Tetouan]

Hi Alexandre,
I think u will need at least an 105 to 125 w cfl bulb per square meter, and you can choose the full spectrum lamp apropriated for growing and bloom stages, like this setup here Hanging Full Spectrum Light w/125W CFL - FarmTek

pay attention the apropriate reflector its so important, maybe more than the wattage of the lamp!

[herr alexandre]

Thanks everyone for your help. My new setup is a mixture of 23 and 20 watt GE CFL bulbs at 5000K. I have them in clamp lamps which are hooked to tension rods in my window frame. I am also using the Hydrofarm G17000 light meter. At first I thought I was reading it wrong. It's amazing how little light the bulbs give off compared to real sunlight. But it's what I've got and I may just have to add additional lamps. Tetouan, I also see what you mean about reflectors. Maybe that will help even more than extra lamps.

[Rowangreen]

I think if you've got some daylight, then a little extra can make a big difference. I've never really been able to keep plants alive in my kitchen. But I'm now growing orchids and some other plants in there with a (I think...) 20w daylight bulb left on all day in the ceiling, plus a 45w bulb that goes on for a few hours in the evening. Both bulbs are around 6500K: you should try and get some of those if you can: K is the light temperature/colour and 6500 is supposed to be closer to natural light.

Anyway... it's really too early to say if my light is enough to flower all my orchids. Those that need light and can take the higher temps I'm trying in my South-facing livingroom. I'm not growing catleyas. I've had one phal re-flower in the kitchen! I think I may be a little short of light still in there. But I do have growth!

[Rowangreen]

Another note: with a small lamp you are going to get a big difference in how much light there is according to distance. Think of the light rays coming out and spreading out: close to it they'll all be close together, but as they get further away the gaps get bigger. So the actual light is spread thinner. You don't get that effect with sunlight because the sun is so huge! So all the light we get off it is coming straight (and/or at different angles) so we don't get noticeable spreading.

So... plants will get more light close to the bulbs, but you also have to be careful about heat, even with cfl's. Try the light meter in different positions...

[herr alexandre]

Thanks Rowangreen,
It amazes me how quickly the light level changes by just moved an inch down or to the side. Buying the light meter has helped me to understand this much better already. Thank you for your advice.

[Tetouan]

Originally Posted by Rowangreen

Another note: with a small lamp you are going to get a big difference in how much light there is according to distance. Think of the light rays coming out and spreading out: close to it they'll all be close together, but as they get further away the gaps get bigger. So the actual light is spread thinner. You don't get that effect with sunlight because the sun is so huge! So all the light we get off it is coming straight (and/or at different angles) so we don't get noticeable spreading.

So... plants will get more light close to the bulbs, but you also have to be careful about heat, even with cfl's. Try the light meter in different positions...

Hi herr Alex, another tip I used to follow: you can put the palm of your hand close to the lamp and slightly goind down till you stop feeling any heat, its a good distance to your plants. Depending on bulbs that distance can be 2cm.

[rosslyn1037]

Hi, I also have the same problem. I live in a condo that only has north-facing windows. However, the windows are huge, from ceiling to floor, so lots of light does come in the livingroom, which is where my orchids are. I have three Phals sitting right in front of the windows and they seem to be quite alright with that. One of my Phals is a growing machine! I've had that one for 1.5 years and it has put out 4 new leaves with another one on the way, and has bloomed for me and it is starting to bud again. So obviously it is getting enough light, without any artificial light right over it. My other two orchids are recent purchases, so one is recovering from repotting, and the other one is starting to lose the blooms it had when I purchased it. Here is a photo of the new buds coming.