LED lighting question

[skipper]

I have been thinking about growing a few of my Phals. under lights. I have some species that like high humidity and I am toying with the idea of a fish tank with lights. I can add some type of device to raise the humidity. My question is what color LED should I use? I have seen some with white and red bulbs, and some with blue and red bulbs. I am new to this and I find that the more I read the less I seem to understand this. Am I correct in picking LED lights? Any help will be great. Thanks

Dale

[kmarch]

The lighting shouldn't be the only question you ask. You also need to consider air movement. In an aquarium there will be very little and most (all?) orchids need good fresh air circulating. You'll need to consider how to do this in an enclosed space.

Not all orchids are tropical, some require varied or cooler temperatures. You'll have to carefully consider what kinds of orchids will do well in your temps, lighting and humidity.

[vanda_obsession]

Like Kmarch said, you gotta consider what they need, individually. Like a phal wont need as much like as like say, a den. I have mine under LED light panels for the 2nd year now (only during winter) and I noticed in the first year they were too close to the lights and all my leaves turned purple... This year I moved the lights up a shelf and so far so good. I have 3 phals spiking so they are happy it seems! I also have tiny wire caged fans that run on them, and I have them also sitting in humidity trays. The aquarium thing is a good idea but I would still have my little fans running in the tank.

[skipper]

Thanks for the response. I plan on having a small fan running all the time, for the reasons you mentioned. The two plants that I am thinking about for the tank are Phal.violacea and Phal. bellina. The main problem that I have is humidity in the winter months. I have them on humidity trays now, but I was trying to come up with a better solution. The LED lights may be to bright for them, I don't know. This is a work in progress. Thanks

Dale

[Neil]

Ive been thinking this also, buying a 20gal tank with lights. is the air circulation required for movement or Oxygen requirement. What about adding plants that support and Orchid environment.

[skipper]

Neil, there is alot going on with a tank. The fan in the tank is for air movement. Oxygen is not of much use to the plants, as they use CO2 and then give off Oxygen for us to use. Adding other plants to the tank could be very interesting. There are some videos on U-Tube that show some very nice set ups. I just purchased a 7w LED light for more light on the cloudy days here in the north east. I bought a full spectrum bulb, and not the blue/red bulbs that are also for sale. I will be using it for Phals. We will see how that works out.

[Neil]

So movement of Air to keep things mixed up so theirs no pockets of O2 etc..

[rcb]

I've been debating getting an LED light system lately too. I do have a T5 light fixture, but as I seem to acquire more warm growing orchids, I need more light for the wintertime.

A question for anyone though. I see now they have white grow panels. Does anyone know how they compare to the red/blue panels?

I think there was an article in orchids mag recently, but I cant find it now, comparing red/blue to white, and if I remember correctly, the author actually thought the white was better.

There is a system I'm looking at, that I can actually afford, but it is white, 5600K.

Opinions?

[vanda_obsession]

I bought cheap red/blue panels off ebay last year to start. Two were made in the US (Paid $40 each), one was made in China... of course the one from china is now in the 'go to dumpster' pile (paid $10 for it, so it's not that huge of a loss). I noticed last year while using them during winter the leaves turned purple on me, so I moved them down a shelf and so far no purple leaves yet. I read that the red/blue are just a more concentrated form of light the plants get from the sun. I wouldn't mind trying a white panel but for now the two panels work perfectly for my potted guys. I do have my vandas in baskets that obviously have roots that are too long, but they also need high levels of light... and I'm wondering how well they did if I somehow managed to get a white panel hung from the ceiling down onto them? I'll have to do some reading on the white LED's.

[vanda_obsession]

... heres the info I was going to include in my above post but wasn't for sure because it had been so long that I didn't want to post information that I was wrong on.. I did a google search on 'benefits of LED plant lighting" and found several good articles..

"The color of the light a plant receives is more important than the intensity. LED plant lights can be manufactured to produce the colors of light that most encourage plant growth. Light in the blue spectrum is ideal for encouraging vegetative plant growth. Light in the red spectrum is ideal for encouraging flowering in plants."

"Blue light promotes stem and foliage growth. A predominantly blue spectrum is good for strengthening seedlings and encouraging compact, leafy development."

"When your plants have matured, it's time for a red shift. Red light triggers plant hormones that increase budding and flowering. Red light also encourages vertical growth."

"The pigment responsible for absorbing light and fueling photosynthesis, chlorophyll, is visibly green; it reflects green and yellow light rather than absorbing it."

[Brooke]

Renee check the AOS mag from a couple of months ago. Going from memory (dangerous)
I think it was Jerry Fischer at OrchidWeb who did the article and preferred the all white bulbs.

Brooke

[katrina]

Brooke -- your memory is better than you think. It was Jerry Fischer and it was the Nov AOS mag. He likes the white...which are a full spectrum diode...better than the red/blue combos.

His theory is that the full spectrums are better for the plants than the red and blue only. If I remember correctly, he's done some testing on the different LEDs against other lighting and the results all favored the full spectrum LEDs. If I remembered that correctly. I also remember something about Phrag kovachii blooming better w/better color under the fs diodes.

He also comments on something called blue light syndrome (from the blue diodes) that can affect people over 50...damaging the eyes. I don't remember all the details of the blue light syndrome thing though.

The article was excellent...IMO. If I ever opt to go w/the LEDs I will go the full spectrum route. Not only because of all that he discussed but also because I don't like the look of the red/blue (purple) glow the red/blue combos emit.

[1joyceh]

I agree with you Katrina. I have just started experimenting with LED's...so far I see problems with parsley in the clone machine, which has red/blue over it...the leaves are reacting strangely, discoloring and curling...never happened with fluorescent...I have a red over a christmas cactus and a white over a euphorbia, the euphorbia looks great, the cactus, looks good and has small buds seems stalled....
oh...thanks for the info on over 50...will have to look into that...geez..

[rcb]

thanks everyone.

I found the article and gave it a quick read over again this morning.

I think I'm going to order a panel. I've got to do something, as my under lights area is way too overcrowded, and you know what that leads to.

Brooke and Kat - you do know you two are the ones responsible for me needing more light right? silly warm growing bulbos that grow and keep getting bigger each year....

[Brooke]

Well Renee quit growing them so good - it isn't mine or Kat's fault you are having such success

Brooke

[katrina]

Originally Posted by Brooke

Well Renee quit growing them so good - it isn't mine or Kat's fault you are having such success

Brooke

Sorry Brooke...but I've been sneaking down there and growing them for her so I guess it is my fault.

[hera]

If anyone wants to know who supplies Orchids Ltd I have the websight. I ordered from him directly in august. I recommend the broad spectrum instead of the all red/blue panels. I've been pleased with the results so far.

[vanda_obsession]

I have been wanting to try the white LED's and see what a difference they can make. The thing I hate about my red/blue panels is that when the lights are on and you want to look at the leaves, you gotta pull them out from under them because the leaves will be a purple/black color from the those red/blue lights. the 'glow' doesn't bother me, but I'm sure the purple glow from my window spikes neighbors attention that I am growing something else other than orchids! lol

[rcb]

Ladies, ladies, ladies

I'm pretty sure I'm getting one.

I left the link open on the computer before I went to work yesterday, and told my hubby what it was.

Also told him, with that I can make a spot inside the house for the warmest growers, like some of the bulbos, and the brassavolas, and a few ctsm still growing, and then I'd be able to lower the temps down on the patio grow space, and since I use space heaters to keep that area warm, wow think of the electricity we would save.

He rolled his eyes at me, but since I've got a major milestone b-day this week, and christmas coming, I'm pretty sure he ordered it. Well, lets put it this way, he better have ordered it.


Hera, didnt see your post till after I got home last night. thanks for offering, can you send me the link for next time?