Light - how to achieve best lightning

[Rema]

Hello there fellow geeks!
After reading Brigitte's thread http://www.orchidgeeks.com/forum/gen...hid-geeks.html I got to thinking how something similar has happened to me, of course on a much smaller scale, but since joining this forum I have learned about and loved more and more all my orchids. I now own phals, oncidiums, catleyas, phaius, cymbidium, laelia, many dens and maybe even a paph( Is this an orchid? ).
I do thank you all experienced growers and fellow newbies for helping me learn and sharing so many wonderful pictures, advices, news, etc.
I still have so much to learn, and I haven't had the best of times finding the things I need for my orchids, such as proper mediums, vases, etc; and one of my greatest doubts lately is about correct lightning.
I would appreciate it so much if any of you geeks could point me to any reading material, thread, website, article, etc; to help me figure out how to better care for my orchids since I have no artificial lights and no equipment to measure light (or humidity for that matter), I think I need some good "rule of thumb".
Many thanks in advance!

PS. I do have lots of space with natural light, and I'm not yet looking for any artificial light set-up, I just need to know how much of my natural light should each of my orchids be exposed to and how do I figure out based on the plants' responses if it is getting enough light to flower properly. :-)

[orchids4me]

Do you have a local hydroponics store or a nursery in your area? They usually have like the T5 lights at hydro stores for sure so npo shipping charges if you find them local.
And for supplies

rePotme Orchid Supplies - Orchid Mix - Orchid Pots - Orchid Care - Orchid Fertilizer

www.calwesttropical.com

[orchids4me]

I see you're not in the states try this

The Orchid Mall - Everything in Orchids

Click on vendors and supplies then click on the country you are from and it should give you a list of vendors out your way
Good luck

[Jlie]

If you have an SLR camera it can help you determine your foot candles. This thread was useful to me:
Measuring light levels with an SLR camera

And more supply suggestions: a local petstore can carry fir barks chips, coco bark chips, coco fiber, cork mounts in the reptiles section. They also have vivariums and lights. A fish/aquatics/pets store will carry grow lights and fixtures. If you have any bonsai specialists, they might carry bonsai pumice and other nice mediums. And you can make your own pots with plastic cups, just burn holes into them.

I hope some of this helps.

[Rema]

This is what I've been trying to do. Whatever few supplies I've been able to find were in local petshops, however it is not often and the quality is not always good. I'd love to be able to buy from repotme.com, maybe next time I come to the US, but so far I have to do with whatever I can find here.