Hi,

I dont know how much help I can be, but maybe I can give you a starting point?

My windows don't let much light in ether, and the one that does causes my plant's leaves to get hot to the touch. So, after reading and researching I bought a full spectrum CFL thats equivalent to a 100W light bulb. From what I read thats about 1600 lumans.My one light bulb seems to work good enough for 2 plants. My Phals just seem to LOVE it. They flower like crazy when its on and the leaves are very firm and healthy looking. A light bulb like this cost about $7 from lowes and you can put it in a regular lamp. I have a clamp on lamp that mine goes in. The only problem I've read about the CFLs is that in high humidity like a green house the water in the air can cause the bulb to burn out.

Hope this helps!

For 8 plants you will need two bulbs approximately 24" apart. If you use the next size up CFL 42W (150W eq) you can keep the lamps higher off the plants (24" - 36+") which opens up the area underneath for a more natural presentation. The 'daylight' color rating is 5100K. Anything between 4700K and 6500K is fine depending on what you can find in your local box store. An 'angel' just sent me a couple of 5100K 42W and the color and brightness are about near as ideal as I have seen.

H

You guys are mainly talking about bulbs, so I can use any kind of lamp I want, with those bulbs?
Ideally I would like a clip-on lamp I guess, where did you guys buy yours?

And you leave the lamp on 24/7?

Thanks!

You can get the clamp on lamps at any big box store. Under lights, orchids need 14-16 hours per day.

Brooke

I thought I read a back post by H. that if you have proper cfl's (45 watt and up) that they should be on a 12 hour run? Flourescents need the longer run???

Moby this is a complete list of what you will need:

- CFL's- 42 watt actual or higher- see Howard's specs (link for a good online source below)
- Clamp lamps with the big silver 10-12" dish (see pic below). I prefer the ceramic sockets. Mine are made by "Commercial Electric" and have an 8' cord
- Timer
- Power strip or surge protector- make sure the cord is long enough. Don't use a regular extension cord. get the kind that has a built in breaker
- Something to attach the clamp lamps to- depending on where you want to put them. I like the ceiling or the wall so I get plumber brackets from HD. They are about 35¢ each (see pic below)
- screws and plastic sleeves to screw in the plumber's brackets
- Tape or twist ties - for the cords
- I partially and loosely cover my power cord with a plastic bag if it's close to my grow area. Water and electric don't mix. I cut the bag in 1/2 and tape the plastic to the part that might get water on it. You don't want to put the power strip or cords inside a plastic bag.

Looks more complicated than it is. It's very easy to set up.

Clara
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Here is a link that might be useful: cfl source

Probably what I said was that if one is running decent power CFL then one could cut back on the run time if they had to. The longer run is always correct under lights but some people's budget just won't stand it.
If you are running 125W CFL or any kind of HID light (250W, 400W etc.) then 12hr of light will likely be enough for low and medium light orchids. High light things might still need a 14hr or 16hr run and if the light is being hung high and the average illumination under it is under 2000fc the 16hr run time is still a good idea no matter how big the bulb. The Timer mentioned in Clara's list becomes a very important part of the system when lights are coming on just before dawn and going off well after dusk and need to do it very consistently.

H

hhmm, all this talk of using CFLs have inspired me to try something new--
right now i grow under T8s, but i've been reading some of Howard's responses in this and other topics have sparked my interest to try and set up a few pendant lamps over my desk and keeping my neos there instead

Howard, if i have about 12 neos i want to have out on a large desk, and i am thinking of either hanging pendants from the ceiling or using the artist's lamps with adjustable arms, how many bulbs and how many watts should i get?
and do i need special bulbs, or will i be able to get them from homedepot or whatnot?

Hello, So most of you were successful using the 42W CFL that cost about $7 from a box store? I used it for about a year now with no success re-flowering my orchids. Is it because I have it on for about 7 hours daily? Would it really make a difference if i turn it on daily for about 14 hrs? thanks

yes.

What I like best about this less expencive lighting source is that many times I so buy another lamp and bulb, this has helped so much, I now have 5 lamps set up for about 30 orchids, they are loving it, and I am thinking aboutg another one or two when I move back to school.

I talk myself out of buying more orchids by spending money on more light. It is almost like getting 30 more new orchids each time, because the higher light gives them all a new burst of energy and start growing like mad.

Thanks for the responses. Now, I can take them out of the box and set the cfls up-leo

elvinwei, there isn't any reason that the setup recommended for the original poster can't be used for your neo's. I don't offhand know whether neo's respond to high light levels or not but two 42W on 24" centers is fairly low to moderate intensity. Move the lamps closer together 12" centers and the light gets much brighter. Add a third or fourth light if the desk is long enough and/or you need to light additional plants at that intensity. When all is said and done this is a piddling amount of electricity for the light obtained. But the 14hr to 16hr yardstick still needs to be observed. It takes lots, I mean lots of watts to approach anything near true solar intensity which of course allows you to use typical (8hr - 10+) run times for the lights.

H