Constant intensity vs daily cycle
 

I'm not sure my title does this topic justice so allow me to explain. While looking into lights I saw a seller suggest an LED controller for a daily light cycle. By that I mean the intensity slowly ramps up until midday where it stays for a few hours before slowly ramping down. My aquarium light does similar, albeit with sunrise and sunset each condensed to an hour. I can see the benefit this would have for animals, and this seller does sell for the vivarium community, but does anyone know if this has an noticeable impact in plant growth? I'm just curious because any listing of foot candles are given for natural lighting which isn't at full intensity throughout the day.

I think other cultural factors are far more important to orchid growing than light ramping could ever be. Some animals are clearly affected by light ramping but I don't know of any such plants. People have been growing orchids successfully under lights without it for many decades.

To be honest, the cost was prohibitive to me, especially when I can bloom orchids well enough without a controller like that. The vendor gave an example using bromeliads where the midday peak kept them colored up, but wasn't long enough to be too harsh to more shade loving plants. My mind immediately went to "still not paying that much, but I wonder if it would increase flower production without a worry for sunburn or purpling". As you said many other factors are at play and it's easy enough to dim or increase the distance from the light. I just thought it was a fun thought experiment. I might have been very bored today...

I have such a controller and enjoy it a lot. It modulates intensiteit and color. It's not for the plants, not for animals, but for my mood. I love the slow ramp up at sunrise and changing colors at sunset in the show terrarium in my office, but I wouldn't buy it for a growing room or stand.

I agree with ES on this - the benefit, if any is negligible.

A plant must take in “so much” water, nutrition, air and photons to function properly.

If you feed a tiny bit with every watering, or a heavier amount once a week, I doubt you’d see a difference in growth as long as the same mass of fertilizer was provided. I suspect the same is true for light.

There are two ways mimicking the natural rise and fall of light intensity can cost more: the first is the controller to do so, and the second is the purchase of lights that can handle dimming and that have double the photon output of lights used at full power, continuously.

I can say from having my grow cabinet coming up on a year, I don't think it entirely matters when it comes to changing intensity.

Most of what's been in there isn't orchids, but honestly none of the plants seem to mind that the lights turn on and off suddenly during the morning and evening.
The couple of orchids that have been in there don't see to mind either.

It's more about given them the right amount of light, which by that I mean the whole foot-candles or lumens numbers you see a lot, or "shade" or "medium-bright light."