SANSI C21GL-DE26 - 5 weeks later
 

I just came back from a 5 weeks trip, and put around 30 plants in a terrarium before leaving.

Having never used grow lights before, I chose something affordable and with good reviews on Amazon: the SANSI C21GL-DE26.

For ~18€ (21$) with free shipping and a power consumption estimated at 8€/year, I think it's an incredible deal.

It is on for 8 hours per day, which seems to be the sweet spot between low light Phal and high light Vandaceous.

All of the plants have new roots. New leaves range from gorgeous light green to really nice purplish.

Unfortunately they were not watered appropriately and there's been quite a few leaves/spikes losses, so growth isn't spectacular; but I'm really looking forward to seeing how it looks in a few months.

Now I feel like a dumbass for not having bought a grow light years ago :roll:

The plants look fantastic! Once you've sorted out watering frequency it'll be your own little plant paradise. :) I've actually been looking to buy some more lights. I have some on one shelf for the Neofinetia collection in the winter, but the weather has been so horrible and gray and dull that I want some on additional shelves. I was thinking about getting the same light as you, but led strips are more practical on shelving units. I'll probably be getting some Sanlight flex 20, which cost about 4 times more for the same ppfd output, but are 90cm long.

Is that being used for supplemental light only, or is that the sole light source?

Thanks! They do look nice, I'm really impressed by that light.

For now it will be more functional than a true paradise, but at some point I will turn it into a proper little slice of jungle.
Most regular Phal will outgrow the tank in a few years, but it will be big enough to fit all of the "mini" ones.

To give some context, the light is roughly 50cm away from the orchids, and the terrarium is 90cm long.
Definitely not as handy as LED strips, but the bulb is pretty potent.


It is the only light source!

This is super-useful info, thanks! I'm about to try out some lights to make my catts happier, and I'm glad to hear that you had such good luck!

Yes, and no!

All plants are sending new roots, but Vanda seem to get the best results; Phal are not growing enough leaves for my taste.

Following information given in this thread : Day Length
, I moved the tank near a South facing window, and bumped the light from 8 to 12h to get a better photoperiod.

The light itself is good, but I've no prior experience in using LEDs so take that with a pinch (handful) of salt.

I absolutely love Sansi, with the caveat that I haven't tried other brands. The only thing I've come across is that oddly enough the regular edison socket types seem to actually have a much higher tolerance for humidity and mineral buildup than the supposedly higher rated panel. Also the 15 watt is a bit too tight of a beam for my likes.

It's true that it's a huge drawback when choosing bulb VS bar.

But with some tweaking I could easily fit a pretty good range of plants under a single light.

Would it be possible to see your lighting setup? I'm in the process of setting up a grow tent and am chasing ideas for lighting. Thanks.

Well most certainly my good sir.

The LED bulb itself is at around 1.7m (5.5 feet or something), the terrarium is 90 (35.5 inches) x 45 cm.

As you can see it's bright enough for the Angraecum nearby, so it's totally possible to stretch the setup on the sides.

Sorry for the lack of picture definition, my phone's lens is broken.