winter light question

[boxerfan]

I know Summer hasn't officially started here in the Northern Hemisphere yet, but I have a question about getting enough light for my plants in the Winter. Right now they spend their days outside in a shaded area getting indirect Sun. Since two are growing new leaves and one is preparing for its second flowering, I assume this is a satisfactory arrangement. In the Winter, which only runs from December to February here, I can't put them outside due to temperature and the best light I have inside is from a SW facing window. Installing fluorescent lighting is not an option at this time. How do others deal with reduced natural light in Winter? Thanks, Lisa

[mayres]

Hi Lisa - Your question is something I am in a quandry over as well. Without a greenhouse the only option I can determine is supplemental lighting in the form of HID or HO Fluorescent. Neither of these options is cheap. Challenge with HID is heat output - which you could use to heat your room too if you don't get too many watts. My favorite option that I am exploring at the moment is the HO Fluorescent one - Can produce nearly 2000 fc for a two foot by 4 foot area. Cheapest fixtures plus tubes I have seen is about $250 not counting shipping. To equip my whole setup with this would take three of these - yikes! If you come across anything better keep us informed. Though expensive it is still a lot cheaper than buyer a greenhouse. mike

[kmarch]

Don't go spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars on lighting unless you're growing in your basement or a converted closet.

boxer, your south-west window might do fine but there's no way to tell because I don't know what kind of plants you're growing or what kind of light yu get inyoru window. Is there a sheer? How many hours of direct sun in the window? Typically a south-west window would be good for high light plants. If you are growing medium to low light plants, you'll need a sheer or something to cut the intensity.

In the US, south windows are usually high-light environments, but the light can be direct and burn and south windows can be hot too and so not good for cool and some intermediate growing orchids; east and west windows are usually medium-to-high areas with east windows usually cooler than west windows because they haven't had the day to heat up so I wouldn't put a cool-intermediate orchid in a west window; and north windows are usually low light.

You can see the different components of orchid environment are interdependent. While higher in light, south windows are usually also higher in heat and lower in humidity. East windows, especially if they open can offer some nice morning humidity. North windows, along with being low light can also be cooler.

[jerrymeola]

Your light levels outside in the winter are not much better than in your home.

I measure the light regularly and summer in Florida at noon is 11,000 foot candles and in December at noon 4500 foot candles.

Do not worry the plants have survived this cycle for thousands of years. The slow growth to match the light and then go wild in the spring.

I am going to Maine next month and was surprised the last time I went as to the great abundance of wild flowers and garden flowers. It is a result of having only a 3 month blooming period - the flowers can not wait. plants adapt.

[mayres]

If you are blessed to have a home with lots of large windows facing the correct directions and can keep the room that they are in a temperature that the orchids will like throughout the winter (actually in my case more like 7 months) I would agree with Jerry and Kevin. In my case I do not. I don't have my orchids in a basement, but there is not appropriate places in my home for a hundred orchids to flourish with natural daylight and temps either. This means supplemental light and an area divided from the remainder of my home where I can increase the temperature some without heating my entire home at great cost. I have no doubt that I can keep them alive without supplemental light, but my desire is to see them fluorish year round if possible - our goal! mike

[PhalPal]

boxerfan - I have 15 phals living happily indoors with me and by all rules should not be doing as well as they are. I am blessed with large south facing windows but my plants are so far from them a light meter only shows they are getting 50 footcandles of light. (the windows are tinted) Phals like 1,000-1,500 footcandles.
Makes no sense but they grow like mad, makes me wonder about the accuracy of light meters. I think your plants will do well in your SW window, fairly close to the glass if possible. South Carolina doesn't get hard, hot sun in the winter and it sounds perfect for your orchids.

[Vivienne]

PhalPhal - I've decided that the problem is the tinting. My atrium has tinted skylights. Recently did readings standing in the direct path of the sun and the highest it got was 1000fc. 3" to either side is was like 300fc. (see my Masdevallia guidance or assitance Post)
Nevertheless, I have Phals, Oncs, Catts and more all thriving AND blooming. I've given up trying to figure it out. It works, the orchids are happy and I'm happier.

[PhalPal]

Vivienne - What brought me to this forum was a question about tinted windows and light meters. I wanted to start growing mini-cyms outdoors and really needed to know just how hot it got out on my patio so I got a meter. Horrors! when I saw that my indoor phals were getting virtually NO light. Two 6X8 foot southern windows and 50 fc's? Tinted windows! But...my plants are growing roots, leaves and flowers so what gives? I have stopped trying to figure it out and I'm going by results, not meters!

[Vivienne]

LOL - sounds just like me. I used my digital camera to do the readings and Jerry plus a few others were helping me with settings, etc. I felt like the village idiot cuz my readings were all LOADS less than 1000fc. My paph corner was around 50fc. Then I added Catts to my collection and really thought they'd never get enough light. I just couldn't figure it out. But again, all plants are happy and growing or blooming. I'm flat out convinced it's the tinting. And thank goodness for the tinting... it would be an oven in the atrium without it.

[vanda]

My experience (although not as extensive as many in ths forum) is that most orchids are more tolerant to light variation between summer and winter as long as there isn't too much direct sunlight that will burn the leaves.

[boxerfan]

Thanks all. I've been reading books, culture sheets, webpages and, of course, this forum and trying desperately to provide the best environment for my 'chids. I guess the bottom line is to give them the best that I can and remember that they haven't been reading all of this information, so they might well be happy with what I have to offer. Lisa