Need some Clarification, please
 

first posting...
**i'll try to keep this as short as possible**
Hello
i have read most of the other postings, that i thought might help me answer some on my confusion over growing indoors under lights ( i live in a poorly lite basement suite)
and yes, money/ cost of buying lights is an issue.

i have grown orchids ( mostly cool to warm) ones in the past, with little success, which i do believe i now know why.
i find the winter months in the lower mainland of BC, to be very wet and somewhat dark, thus i am trying to grow some orchids again,
i recently went to an orchid show, here in Langley, BC. and bought several healthy affordable orchids.
I asked a lot of questions, and got several different answers to the same question, which was..
Will these cool growing orchids grow under 2, Philips F40T12/ Plant & Aquarium (40w) ? ( these are 48' tubes)
most sellers said, "why yes, ofcourse, just keep the base "leafs" close to the lights ( 3" to 5" ) by base leaves i mean, the leaves of a phal, and let the flowers stems go up past the light.
So with that short life story told, lets get down to the "nitty-gritty"..

so what i have read so far about growing orchids under lights is that, 2, Philips F40T12/ Plant & Aquarium (40w) don't do squat..

so now i have gotten myself all "tangled up" in words like "Kelvin Temperature (K), Color Temperature (CT),Color Rendering Index (CRI) and on and on"

so let me tell you what i have and what i am thinking of buying ( affordability wise)

I have:
-48" T12 lighting box for 2 tubes
-3 Philips Daylight 42w, which i believe has 82 CRI and 6500K each, CT unknown(?) each bulb $ 13
I don't have:
- light metre reader, and no camera

what i was thinking of purchasing either/or:
- 2, T5 Sunblaster 24" ( although i think i need three, but at 29 bones a piece+tax, that's not in my budget) $ 87 plus tax
- 8, CFL 13w Sunblasters, CRI 80, 6500K, LM 800, at 32 bones in total ( fixtures not included) so add 15 to 20 bones $ 55 ruffly
-4, CFL 26w Sunblasters, CRI 80, 6500K, LM 1400 , at 43 bones in total ( fixtures not included) so add 15 to 20 bones $ 65 ruffly

i have materials for reflecting the light and i am good at fabrication and wiring.

Can i mix the Daylights, with the CFL Sunblaster's, and hope for the best?
what would you do?

the pix i have added, is how i am set-up now.
thank you

Whew! That's a lot to take in. I'm no expert, but here's my two cents:

For color (K), try to get as close to 5000K as possible. You don't need "Full Spectrum" bulbs, just close to 5000K. You can compromise with a mix of cool and warm bulbs (3500K and 6500K). Some will disagree with me and say that color is the MOST important thing to consider. All I can say is "daylight" or "sunlight" bulbs @ 5000K AND a mix of just cool white and warm white have worked for me in the past.

Other than that, I'd go with the highest intensity lamp you can get. T5's are the brightest/watt, then T8's, then T12's. T5's can be hard to find at hardware stores (at least in your preferred size and considering bulb availability). Most places have lots of T8's bulbs and fixtures. These will give you more light (and heat) than the T12's, which will work but you need the plants really close.

As Royal said, whew! Firstly welcome (if I haven't said this already). Second as for lighting, that's a whole different world (as I am sure you have found.) You can literally grow and bloom most orchids under almost any lights you can imagine. The problem is, the conditions might not be something you care to deal with (distance from lights, etc.) As for Kelvin - that refers to the whiteness or yellownish of the bulbs. The higher the number - the more it is designed for growth of leaves. The yellower it is the more it is designed for flowering. Most orchid growers opt for a medium range (5000-6000 Kelvin) because we need both functions and 5000-5500K approximates the colors temperture at the equator at noon.

A year ago I was in the same predicament. Had some orchids growing outside and then winter came and I brought them inside. Needed to add some light but didn't want to spend alot. Bought a folding table 3' x 6' that fit neatly into a corner of a spare room. Added three T12, 48" 2-bulb fixtures mounted from ceiling on chains spaced across the table. Used a cool and a hot T12 bulb in each fixture. Phals grew leaves, spiked and flowered fine all winter until it was time to go back outside. Cost for lighting about $50.

Charlie