N30 Camera Light Metering & Your Orchids From The Bulletin of The Vancouver Orchid Society, December

1994 via. the Mary's Peak Orchid Society Newsletter, February 1995 For those interested in measuring the light in their growing area, there was a posting on measuring footcandles using the light meter in a camera. The information was originally given in the May 1968 AOS bulletin, but it might be useful to repeat it for all of us whose orchid history doesn't go back that far. The procedure is as follows: 1. Set you film speed at 100 ASA (or 50 ASA, or 25 ASA - see point 4). 2. Set you exposure time to 1/125thof a second. 3. Place your camera on your plant bench, point the lens at the light source, and note the f-stop. 4. Use the chart below to read off the foot-candles. If you have a lot of light, you may need to adjust the film speed to 50 or even 25 ASA and repeat the process. Foot-candles 100 ASA 16 32 64 128 250 500 1000 2000 4000

f-stop 1.4 2 2.8 4 5.6 8 11 16 22

50 ASA 32 64 128 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000

25 ASA 64 128 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000 16000

GROWING ORCHIDS IN THE HOME PART 1 (by Peter Holmes) This is the first in a series of articles about growing orchids in the home. As space is limited, I am going to concentrate on problems and ideas directly related to home growing. For general plant and culture information, please refer to the books and periodicals in a library. The Oregon Orchid Society booklet, Your First Orchids and How to Grow Them, and Rebecca Northen's book, Home Orchid Growing, for example, are excellent. Windowsill Culture - Your growing area needs to receive sufficient light, be free from cold or hot draughts (such as from a heating vent) and not be close to an artificial light source such as house lighting or street lamps, as these may inhibit blooming in some plants. Without sufficient light, your orchids may bloom for you the first year in your care but not after. If you already have an area where house plants such as African violets grow and bloom well, then you can include orchids in your collection successfully. Most orchids require filtered sunlight to do well, the amount of shading required depends on the time of the year, direction of sun and type of orchid. In the summer, morning sun through an East window is beneficial. A West window can be hot, so shade carefully. In the winter, a Southern exposure is best. It is possible to grow some of the cooler growing orchids such as Odontoglossums and plain-leaved Paphiopedilums in a North window but only if it is large and unobscured by trees, etc. Such plants require relatively little light. For orchids in East, South or West windows, shade enough so that the leaves are never more than slightly warm to the touch, otherwise they may burn. Movable shade in the form of sheer curtains or blinds is best so that it may be adjusted to admit more light on dull days. If the correct amount of light is reaching your plants, they will be a medium to light green color, rather than dark green. A reddish tinge in the leaves indicates that the light level is the maximum permissible without risking leaf burn. Please note that it takes a while for the leaves to respond to different light levels, whereas a burn can happen in a few hours. Also, plants that are grown in full winter sun should be watched

carefully in the spring as the sun gains strength. I once grew a group of orchids on a 3-tier bench sloping toward the sliding glass patio door with two layers of sheer curtain protecting the less light demanding plants and 1 layer for the others. The whole bench was within 3 feet of the window for the best light but no leaves were allowed to touch the glass in the winter for fear of freezing. By using benches in this manner, quite a few plants can fit into a small space. One problem of growing indoors is often the lack of space so try to obtain plants that will be small in size when mature. Orchids to Grow Indoors - The most popular orchids for indoors are Cattleya, Paphiopedilum and Phalaenopsis, although many other plants can be grown. Try to avoid the large florists' Cattleyas because of space and the difficulty of blooming them consistently. Cattleya hybrids with Sophronitis (So.) and/or Laelia (Slc., Lc., Pot.) are often smaller plants that bloom well. Slc. Hazel Boyd is a good example. Similarly, the white and pink Phaleonopsis often develop into large plants. It might be better to grow hybrids with Phal. violacea, marine, etc. in the background. In Paphiopedilums, the species niveum, concolour, bellatulum, etc. are all small and have been used to create many lovely hybrids. Rebecca Northen's book Miniature orchids gives many examples of plants to grow in a limited space. It is possible to grow larger plants such as Cymbidiums indoors during cold weather and summer them outside but be sure you want to donate all that space to just one plant! You could grow many miniatures in the same area ! The next installment will talk about setting up your growing area.

GROWING ORCHIDS IN THE HOME PART 2 (by Peter Holmes) This is the second in a series of articles about growing orchids in the home. As space is limited, I am going to concentrate on problems and ideas directly related to home growing. For general plant and culture information, please refer to the books and periodicals in a library. The Oregon Orchid Society booklet, Your First Orchids and How to Grow Them, and Rebecca Northen's book, Home Orchid Growing, for example, are excellent. The indoor growing area should receive sufficient light as mentioned last month, and should not be where warm air from a radiator or heater vent reaches the plants. Cold draughts are to be avoided also, although fresh air, when the outside temperature is high enough, is good for your plants. Warm growers such as Phalaenopsis don't like temperatures much below 70F during the day, whereas Odontoglossums will be happy with 60-65F and lots of fresh air. It is tricky trying to accommodate a mixed collection of cool, intermediate and warm growers in the same area so beginners are advised to stick to one group best suited to their conditions. Later, you may find other areas of your home, such as the basement, are suitable for cooler plants for example. A Max/Min Thermometer, available from nurseries for about $30, is useful as it registers the high and low temperatures for a given period so you can adjust your ventilation and heating as required. All orchids, other plants and humans (!) are healthier with a temperature drop of about 10F at night and, indeed, this change in temperature is essential for blooms to develop in many orchids. Humidity is often a problem in the home in the winter and. again, it is healthier for all concerned if the relative humidity is kept at approximately 50% during the day. With the temperature drop at night, the relative humidity rises to about 60% which is good for plants. A Hygrometer may be purchased to help you determine the humidity in your home. Cheap ones are not that accurate but will give some indication. If the humidity is too low there are several ways to raise it in the growing area. One is to group plants including ferns and other house plants together as they transpire water during their growing process thereby increasing humidity. Plants may be stood in trays filled to a depth of about 2" with gravel. Red lava rock is excellent as it is somewhat porous drawing up the water which you put into the tray so that its level is just under the stones' surface. The porosity of the rock and its many surfaces allows the water to evaporate up around the plants. Never let the plants stand in the water as the roots may rot in time. Standing plants on inverted pots in a tray filled with water is not very effective because the surface area open to the air is greatly reduced without the stones. You may find that after watering your plants, the level in the trays rises above the stones. Use a plastic baster to draw out the excess water, rather than moving all your plants to tip the water from the tray. Trays can be simple plastic seedling flats without holes, 11" x 22", and available from nurseries for about $1.30. For added strength, put one flat with holes inside one without holes, then add the stones. If you decide to use decorative white stones, these can be cleaned from time to time with ordinary bleach which is then rinsed off carefully.

Misting your plants adds temporary humidity but be careful not to let drops of water form which may run down into the new growths of your plants and cause rot. Mist early in the day to ensure the foliage is dry by nightfall. Misting is probably best avoided on thin leaved orchids if the humidity is over 50%. Plants with good root systems can absorb all the moisture they need through their roots, provided the compost they are growing in is kept evenly moist. This is best achieved by using a moisture retentive mix containing peat moss and/or pumice or lava rock. Whereas in a greenhouse with its higher humidity it is acceptable to let plant roots dry out for a short time, it is stressful for plants grown in the home. Try to keep them damp, not wet and not dry during their growing period. They may be allowed to dry out more at the end of their growth cycle to encourage flowering. More about watering and feeding plants grown indoors next month. GROWING ORCHIDS IN THE HOME PART 3 (by Peter Holmes) As your plants will be growing quicker in the brighter light of summer than during the winter, feeding should be adjusted accordingly as they will not be able to assimilate food during dull winter days. High nitrogen formula such as 30-10-10 (N being the first number) is needed for plants grown in fir bark although, if you use a mix where bark is 50% or less, a balanced formula, ie. 20-20-20 is better. Check the label of the fertilizer you use to ensure that it contains trace elements such as iron preferably in a chelated form which is readily available to the plants. Fish fertilizer should not be used exclusively as it has to undergo several changes over a period of time in order to be assimilated by the plants. Powdered fertilizers are fine but be careful not to feed too much at once. Little and often is best, about 1/8th of a teaspoon per gallon for four out of five waterings, the fifth can be plain water. This rate of application will not harm the root tips of your plants. During the winter you may feed two out of five waterings unless you supplement the daylight with artificial light. This use of lights can greatly reduce the problem of trying to grow orchids indoors during the winter. Even on sunny days the day length is too short to help the plants grow well. Artificial light is an excellent way to encourage your plants to grow all the year. It is a way to grow seedlings on to maturity much quicker and as most orchids grown in the home come originally from the tropics, it is a way of duplicating their natural day length. Fluorescent lights are the most commonly used although Grow-Lux markets floodlights which are useful if you only have a few plants. Unless your window faces south and gets the winter sun, it might be a good idea to try a 4 ft. fluorescent light fixture over your plants. The only problem is that the light level drops quickly the further the plants are from the tubes so the light should be placed to within a few inches of the plants. I grew cattleyas and phalaenopsis successfully for several years using two light units side by side with two tubes in each over my plants. I built a structure especially for them and had three levels of lights giving me a 4 ft. x 4 ft. growing area at each level. The three levels also created three temperature ranges for the plants, so cooler growing odontoglossums, etc. grew on the floor level, the rest on the upper two. The use of lights is a very viable way of growing orchids and I have been lucky enough to win several trophies and gained two AOS flower quality awards for plants I have exhibited. Lights can be fitted into any area where there are no windows, or in places which are little used such as basements. My present setup is in an enclosed room where I can control the temperature and humidity. The secret of using lights, especially where they are the only light source, is in choosing the right kinds of tubes. First, 2 ft. tube units are too small and don't give of sufficient light for sustained growth although they may be used to display plants in bloom for a short while. It is best to stick with the 4 ft. length unless you really are going to illuminate a large area in which case the 8 ft. length may be better. Tubes give of the most light towards their centers and less at the ends so the 8 ft. tube does give a larger effective growing area. If you use 4 ft tubes, use at least two side by side, although 4 is better for a total of 160 Watts. The double light units can be spaced 6 inches apart to broaden the effective growing area to about 4 ft. x 4 ft. If you are going to grow mostly cattleyas and other orchids requiring brighter light, it would be better to use six tubes or 3 double units side by side to give enough light. If you buy units without reflectors they are cheaper and you can make reflectors from tin foil which works well. I will get into details of what tubes to use and how to set up the light garden next month. Peter Holmes

GROWING ORCHIDS IN THE HOME PART 4 (by Peter Holmes) Types of Fluorescent Lights and Their Uses First, some discussion on the light spectrum and how it affects plant growth. Plants need a balanced light for best growth, that means, they require BLUE light (wavelength approx. 430 nanometers) and RED light (650 nanometers). They also need FAR-RED light (710 nanometers) to initiate budding and flowering. Plants grown in a predominantly BLUE light such as that emitted by COOL-WHITE tubes will be short, stocky plants that do not bloom well, if at all. Plants grown under the RED light of INCANDESCENT bulbs will be tall and spindly. An artificial light source that contains both the BLUE and RED parts of the spectrum will produce the most natural growth. The first successful source was a combination of COOL-WHITE (CW) tubes and INCANDESCENT bulbs mounted in the same fixture. 2-15 watt bulbs can be used with 2-40 watt CW tubes to provide a balanced light. Use clear incandescent bulbs for the best light transmission. The problem with this setup is that INCANDESCENT bulbs are very inefficient users of electricity which produce lots of heat instead of light, and this heat can burn plant leaves. The light is also localized in the area of the bulb so some plants receive more of the RED part of the spectrum than others. Therefore, several companies have produced "plant-growth" tubes which can be used by themselves, are cooler and less liable to burn leaves and are more efficient. They are all variations of regular tubes with different coatings inside the glass to alter the spectrum of light emitted. However, what is little known is that there are many other tubes available from specialist lighting stores (such as Albrite Lighting in Burnaby) that can be used by themselves or in combination to produce the spectrum required by plants. All tubes have their name printed on the end of the glass, or it may be abbreviated ie. COOL- WHITE (CW). These names are standard throughout the industry. So we have WARM-WHITE (WW), WARM-WHITE DELUXE (WWX), COOL-WHITE DELUXE (CWX), NATURAL (N), DAYLIGHT (D), GRO-LUX (GL) and INCANDESCENT/FLUORESCENT (I/F). The chart below shows the relative outputs of different parts of the spectrum for each tube (courtesy of GTE Sylvania Bulletin 0.262) BAND NANOMETERS CW WW D W CWX WWX N I/F GL % % % % % % % % % ULTRA VIOLET 380 1.7 1.5 2.1 1.9 2.1 1.8 2.1 0.7 1.42 VIOLET 380 - 430 7.6 5.2 9.6 6.4 7.8 5.3 7.6 2.3 9.75 BLUE 430 - 490 21.0 13.1 28.0 16.0 18.8 11.8 16.7 7.5 27.3 GREEN 490 - 560 24.8 20.6 27.4 23.2 24.0 23.8 20.9 20.1 14.1 YELLOW 560 - 590 18.4 23.5 14.5 21.1 11. 9 15.4 12.0 13.4 1.43 ORANGE 590 - 630 17.9 24.3 13.2 21.1 16.6 20.5 17.5 21.8 6.1 RED 630 - 700 8.6 11.8 5.2 10.3 18.8 21.4 23.2 34.2 39.9 TOTAL - 100% ON ALL The chart omits the FAR-RED part of the spectrum (730 nanometers) but most of the tubes having a large percentage of RED will have some FAR-RED as well (ie. CWX, WWX and WW). The Incandescent/fluorescent tube duplicates almost exactly the color of regular INCANDESCENT bulbs and is an excellent source of RED and FAR-RED for plant growth. It is also useful in domestic lighting situations for those who would like to combine the efficiency of tubes with the "look" of INCANDESCENT bulbs. Some of these tubes are quite a bit cheaper than "plant-growth" tubes which may be a consideration if you are using many lights in a large area. Also, I find that GROLUX tubes bother my eyes a little and tend to alter leaf and flower colors too much. Some people prefer the GRO LUX "look", so I will leave the choice up to you. I have used combinations of CW and WWL, CW and I/F and CW and GL WIDE SPECTRUM and all have worked well. CWL and N may be used by themselves. The important thing is to have sufficient BLUE and RED light so the plants will grow strongly, it does not have to be of equal amount. You must have some FAR-RED

for flower production. Regular GRO-LUX tubes are deficient in this respect but GL WIDE SPECTRUM tubes are fine. Peter Holmes

GROWING ORCHIDS IN THE HOME PART 5 (by Peter Holmes) More on Fluorescent Lights and Their Uses Other tubes similar in color and performance to GRO-LUX Wide Spectrum Include AGRO-LITE amd GRO and SHO. They all appear pink to the eye and alter to some extents red and blue colors. Another group of lamps emits a white, wide spectrum light looking very similar to daylight, these include VITA-LITE and TRU-BLOOM. But they are hard to come by unless ordered from the U.S. As they do look "white" to our eyes, they emit a fairly high percentage of light in the part of the spectrum little used by plants. The human eye sees mostly light from the orange/green part of the spectrum at around 550 nanometers so lights that look the brightest to us may have little of the parts of the spectrum required for plant growth (blue and red). Most people are familiar with the foot-candle (ft/cs) meter which measures light intensity. This instrument, however, is measuring the orange/green light that we see, not the parts of the spectrum required by the plants. If you take a reading at say, 6 inches, from a pair of 4 ft GRO-LUX tubes and compare it to a reading of 2 cool-whites, the cool-whites will measure appreciably higher. This does not mean that the output from the GRO-LUX tubes is weak overall, it is only weak in orange/green light as seen by the foot-candle meter. From a plant's point of view, the GRO-LUX is brighter. A foot-candle meter can be very useful in finding out where the brightest spots are in your growing area so you can position your light loving plants accordingly. Please do not be put off by the apparent light requirement of some orchids as quoted in the literature, eg. Cattleyas requiring 2000 ft/cs, Phalaenopsis 1000 ft/cs, etc. These are approximate MAXIMUMS that the plants can take in sustained sun. It is quite normal even this far North of the equator to have 60% or higher shade over a greenhouse in the summer. This means that plants may receive 3000 ft/cs or more for short periods when the sun is overhead in the summer but the figure drops drastically as the sun lowers during the day and is much lower in the spring and fall. You may only be able to manage say 600 ft/cs or less with your fluorescent tubes but the light is sustained all day long, all year long, which is why plants do well. Orchids in greenhouses have to be grown "hard" here in the summer to make up for dull winter days of little light. We don't have this problem under lights. It is important when using artificial light to ensure that as much light as possible reaches your plants. The first thing to remember is that tubes wear out slowly and should be replaced long before they go black at the ends. I would suggest every year or 18 months. It is a good idea not to change all the tubes at once, rather do them one at a time a couple of weeks apart. This reduces the stress on the plants as new tubes are brighter than rated output for about 100 hours. You can date your tubes with a felt-tip pen on the end of the glass. Reflectors are a good idea. I make mine out of heavy tinfoil, simply fold it over once for strength, cut off about 3 ft 10 inches and insert between the tubes and light unit, then fold down as required. Considerable light is lost front and back of the unit otherwise. My units were hung on chains from the ceiling using large hooks. In this manner, the units could be raised easily for watering the plants underneath. Alternatively, you can leave the unit where it is, and have the plants on a trolley with wheels to be pulled out as required. If you use a pump sprayer of the type used for insecticides etc., the wand will fit in nicely under the light if you only have a few plants. Peter Holmes

GROWING ORCHIDS IN THE HOME PART 6 (by Peter Holmes) More on Growing Under Lights Seedling flats without holes or cat-litter boxes (better check with your catfirst! ) can be used to stand your plants in. You can use stones in the flats and fill the flats with water to just under the stones surface to increase humidity. Most plants should be as close to the tubes as possible without actually touching them, otherwise leaves will burn. Check them frequently as the plants do grow! Plants requiring less light may be positioned at the ends of the tubes where the light is less intense. Short plants may be stood on inverted pots to reach the light. If you have two 4 ft. light units end to end, try overlapping the ends about 4", then you can get the same light level over a distance of 6 to 7 ft. If you are using 4 tubes or more in parallel, which yields a stronger light, you may find you can increase the distance between tubes and plants a bit to allow for flower spikes to extend properly. This increase in distance may also be necessary to prevent plant leaves from turning too red from the light intensity. A reddish tinge in the leaves is about right, although some of my odontoglossum plants have scarlet leaves and still grow well. The catch is that light under these conditions is not accompanied by heat (if the leaves are not touching the tubes) which would be the case with sun in a greenhouse. It is heat that burns. Burning is the next stage after reddening of the leaves although of course leaves will burn very quickly in sunlight before any reddening may be apparent. Another indicator that your plants are receiving sufficient light is if a sweet sticky substance oozes from the plant leaves, bulbs, flower stems, etc. This is particularly noticeable on cattleyas. This substance is sugar which is produced by the plant during growth and flowering. Only a certain amount is needed by the plant, the rest escapes through the leaf and pseudo bulb surfaces. This sugar is unfortunately an attraction to a variety of pests especially aphids so be on your guard! If your plants have reddish leaves and some sugar is evident, then blooms are almost sure to follow. The plant's flower spike may be quite long (often the case with odontoglossums) so you have two alternatives: Raise the light out of the way of the extending flower spike or lower the plant. This latter idea seems the best as otherwise all the plants in your collection under the light unit will receive greatly diminished light. Spikes can take three months or longer to develop and your other plants will not grow so fast during this time If you lower the soon-to-bloom plant, it will still have the buds close to the light and this will aid their development. It is not advisable to move the plant to another locality or put the plant in a window as this will almost certainly cause damage to the buds. They may even drop off! This lack of vertical space is one of the problems of growing under fluorescent lights. Three solutions are: 1. Grow only those plants which have their blooms close to their foliage ie. some paphs, most miniature cattleyas, some peals, etc. 2. Use 4 or more tubes side by side to greatly increase light intensity and grow plants that don't need much light ie. odonts, paphs, peals, etc. These plants can then be grown a foot or more from the tubes giving room for the flowers to develop. Longer spikes can be trained on a piece of wire to grow sideways in a graceful curve rather than straight up towards the lights. If you use 6 tubes side by side, you could have about a 2 ft. gap between plants and tubes. 3. You could use alternative forms of lighting such as High Intensity Discharge eg. Metal-Halide lights which can be mounted high above the plants. Peter Holmes GROWING ORCHIDS IN THE HOME PART 7 (by Peter Holmes) Still More on Growing Under Lights DAYLENGTH. We now come to another potential problem area for artificial light growers and that is the subject of day length. People with greenhouses grow their plants strongly during the long days of summer but in the winter, when many of their orchids are producing flowers, their plant growth has slowed down considerably. The plants are blooming from strength gained during sunny weather. Any plant in a growth phase rather than a flowering one tends to grow softly and this soft foliage can burn easily when the sun gains intensity in the spring. Many enterprising greenhouse owners use artificial lights to lengthen the winter days, give more light to their plants, which then grow more strongly and bloom better. So the greenhouse owner and the indoor light gardener can

alter day length at will. However, some orchids are affected by day length and need short days to initiate buds. If you keep your days 14 hours long using lights, these plants may not bloom. Cattleya labiata is one orchid species which needs days of 12 hours or less to bloom and many of its hybrids follow the habits of their ancestor. Commercial cut-flower growers can control blooming of many orchids by either lengthening days using artificial means (not much light is requi red) or by shortening days if need be by covering plants with a black cloth. Pointsettas are bloomed in this manner for Christmas. So if you have in your collection an orchid requiring short days and your lights are on too long or if your grow lights are switched off but a table lamp is switched on near the plants, they will not bloom. Perhaps the best method to prevent this problem is to avoid these plants unless you are willing to cover them every night for about a month when their growths are made up so they get 10 hour days. The reason for mentioning this is that if you do have an orchid which won't bloom and you see from old spikes that it did bloom before somewhere else, day length may be the problem. To control day length and switch your lights on and off consistently, it is best to use a time switch. Simple ones plug into a wall socket and have an outlet for your light unit plug. If you have many light units, you can use different day lengths for different units if they are in separate parts of the house and try to entice hard to bloom plants by moving them to your 'short-day' area. For optimum growth during the summer, I would recommend a day length of 16 hours for mature plants and seedlings. Seedlings can stay on 16 hours all the year to speed up their growth. I can bloom odontoglossum seedlings one year out of flask this way. Be careful though not to overdo the blooming of small seedlings as it can weaken them. If the plant is strong with good roots, it does not set it back if you take off all buds except one and cut it off as soon as you can see the bloom. I have noticed with odonts that plants with spikes cut off as they emerge from the sheath don't usually start a new growth again until after the time it takes to grow the spike and bloom if the spike is left on. I have experimented with 18 hour days on several hundred seedlings but noticed that they suffered from this, looking pale and dehydrated rather quickly despite care with watering feeding, etc. Feed your seedlings dilute fertilizer regularly as they need it to develop large bulbs. It is a lovely sight to see the first shiny bulbs develop on a new group of seedlings! For mature plants and seedlings if you wish, you can go down by perhaps 1 hour per month to 12 hour days during the winter. I noticed that with phals and odonts, many plants bloom consistently on 16 hour days with no problem so I believe you can get excellent growth and blooms by this method. It is best to experiment. I believe some plants spike on shortening days, some on lengthening days, you can try going from 16 hour days down to 12 hours in one go, keep them at that for a couple of weeks, then go to 14 hours for a couple of weeks, then back to 12 hours for 2 or 3 months of the winter. Peter Holmes GROWING ORCHIDS IN THE HOME PARTS 8 & 9 (by Peter Holmes) ...And Still More on Growing Under Lights The altering of day length, as mentioned in the last article should only be done with caution as it may encourage some 'difficult' plants to bloom but may inhibit blooming in others. Some artificial light growers adjust their day length to follow that of the natural day length in their area, but as far North as we are, I believe it is better to keep 12 hours as the absolute minimum for most plants. Another caution is to not alter the light quantity or quality drastically when plants are in bud, ie. don't suddenly change all your tubes for new ones, or fit different types of tubes as the flower buds may blast. Change tubes one at a time, a couple of weeks apart so the plants have time to adjust. When moving a plant for any reason, always return it to the same position relative to the light source especially if the buds are just opening, otherwise the flowers might be deformed. It is tempting to turn the plant around if the flowers have opened, facing the tubes, but resist until the flowers are fully opened and hardened. It may actually be advisable to remove plants then as lightcoloured flowers will sometimes take on a "blushed" appearance, darker flowers may fade if they are left under the light unit, too close to the tubes. After all the flowers have opened properly, it is nice to display the orchid in the home, somewhere fairly cool. The blooms will last much longer this way. Plants that have finished blooming may be rested by putting them back under the lights, at the same angle to the light, but at the end of the tubes if there is room. The rest period depends on the

particular plant, watch for signs of new growth. Many hybrids don't rest and may even have new growths coming with the old blooms still out on the plant. FEEDING - Some people advocate using a "blossom- booster" fertilizer, ie. 0-20-10 or similar during budding and blooming but I have not noticed any particular improvement in flower quality or quantity by doing so. Fertilizers need to be of a balanced ratio, ie. 20-20-20 to be best assimilated by plants. A high nitrogen 30-20-20 is only required when using large quantities of fir bark which actually consumes quantities of nitrogen during its decomposition. This happens with your bark mulch in the garden as well. After blooming and when the plants are growing again, you can resume your regular feeding program. If you are doing everything correctly you may get multiple growths on your plants, especially on miniature cattleyas, and your pseudo bulbs should be larger than last time. Incidentally, the act of removing flower spikes just out of the sheath to prevent a plant from blooming may encourage multiple new growths to start. The plant puts its stored energy into vegetative growth perhaps out of frustration! In the case of monopodials, like phalaenopsis, the leaves should be bigger, unless already full-sized and reasonably hard, not soft and flacid. Plants grown this way should have more and bigger blooms next time around. By studying descriptions of awarded odont alliance plants which I have divisions or mericlones of, I have found that I can equal the flower size and quantity of the awarded plant in nearly every instance by using artificial light as the sole source of illumination, so the system does work. To achieve these results or to grow orchids which demand very high light levels such as some dendrobiums and vandas requires alternative sources of light to the fluorescent tube otherwise sparse blooming will result. I am referring to the use of Metal Halide or High Pressure Sodium lights which are both High Intensity Discharge units. These lights are similar to fluorescent lights in that they require a ballast to power them. Different ballasts are required for Metal Halides and Sodium lights. Obviously the ballast for a 1000 W light is larger than that for a 400 W. So you have to determine which size and type of light you require for your own situation. METAL HALIDE OR SODIUM? - Metal Halide bulbs come clear or coated so actually there are three choices. The clear MH produces a light close to that of the summer sun and its spectrum contains far-blue, blue, red and far-red light. Coated MH bulbs give a light similar to that of the sun in fall or winter with a reddish tinge. The coating reduces the light output of the bulb, reduces the blue output and increases the orange. The Sodium light has very little blue, its output mainly coming in the green, yellow, orange and red parts of the spectrum. This produces a distinctly yellow/orange light. It is generally felt that if you have no natural light reaching your growing area, the clear MH gives the best result for growth. Either MH clear or Sodium may be used as supplemental lighting in a greenhouse with good results. As nearly all my orchids came originally from high elevations near the equator, I have had best results for growing and blooming by using MH clear lights in the 1000W size. Once I experimented by using a clear 1000W for 8 months, then switched to a coated bulb, but noticed after a time that growths were making up earlier and were smaller than anticipated. Please note that many orchid hybrids finish growths in about nine months. As a result, a collection of 1000 or more plants will have orchids in various stages of development from just starting new growths to being in spike. So it is not really possible to juggle the light spectrums for best results which may be done with say geraniums or roses which are all at the same growth stage. Obviously for an orchid to bloom well, it needs an abundance of stored food and this can only be obtained from light at the optimum level for the plant. The clear MH makes the leaves of many plants turn red from the light intensity. Sugar is also evident. SIZE OF LIGHT - One 1000W MH or Sodium light will illuminate a 10 ft X 10 ft area although this can go to 12 ft X 12 ft for less light demanding plants. The bulbs transmit more light sideways than down (bulbs must be mounted vertically) so the growing area should be enclosed, the walls painted a flat white or covered with tin-foil or Foylon. Foylon is a strong coated cotton which can be easily stapled, cut or stitched. The MH light itself may be positioned safely above head height in the centre of the growing area. The ballast and capacitor should be mounted in an electrical box and may be positioned up to 10 ft from the light. This means it can be outside the growing area if required. The ballast does give off heat which may be useful in a greenhouse. There are 400V flowing from ballast to bulb so the whole setup should be wired and grounded correctly. A 400W bulb can cover a 5 ft X 5 ft growing area. It should be noted however, that the 1000W bulb gives off more than 2 1/2 times the light of the 400W so think big - go for the larger size and buy more plants! You will require industrial-type time switches to operate the lights, the simple plug-in types mentioned in an earlier article will not do as they are only two-pin and don't have the current carrying capacity.

This may all sound expensive, but you will get so much more useable light for your power consumption than with fluorescent tubes that it is worth the initial cost. The nicest thing is that the MH bulb is up out of the way and you can see, work on and water your plants without cumbersome fluorescent light units being in the way. In a greenhouse, the MH light can be mounted in a reflector to shine the light down to the plants. The whole unit can be left in place all year, even when not in use and won't be in the way. MH and even fluorescent lights should not be switched on and off like ordinary light bulbs as this greatly reduces their life. MH's must be allowed to cool off for 30 minutes before restarting as it is easier on the bulb. I have found the MH light to be a wonderful grower of orchids. I have grown cattleyas, paphs, odonts, brassias, oncidiums, masdevallias, pleurothalids, etc. with success. The plants grow strongly all year just as, I am sure, they do in nature, near the equator where there are no short winter days. Peter Holmes GROWING ORCHIDS IN THE HOME PART 10 (by Peter Holmes) Wrapping It All Up My present setup is a 15 ft X 15 ft area in the basement which had not been used for anything previously. It is completely enclosed and covered with Foylon to bench level. Two 1000W MH clear lights are mounted, 4 ft apart in the centre about 6" above head height. The ballast boxes are mounted outside the room as they produce too much heat. I have noted that the latest CGE ballasts are much quieter than the old ones. As the 2 bulbs give off a lot of heat, I have an extractor fan mounted in the outside wall at lamp height. Another fan blows air in at ankle height. Both fans are reversible and were obtained from Canadian Tire for about $60 each. I use three fans to circulate the air around the room, these run 24 hours a day. There are two inexpensive humidifiers to be used when required. The benches are mostly 42" high although as there is a large rock in the room, some benches are higher. As the benches are this high, there is room for two trolleys to be used in the open area to house shorter plants such as seedlings and masdevallias. These trolleys can be pushed under the main benches if anyone wants to get into the room! The closest plants are 2 ft from the bulbs. As the light from MH travels sideways, the reflected light from the Foylon adds to that reaching the plants directly from the bulbs. A tiered bench arrangement would be better but is rather impractical in this particular room. The plants are all in seedling flats, one with holes inside one without with spacers in between to allow water to drain better. Watering is accomplished by a submersible pump in a 14 gallon garbage can (Rubber maid - won't split). I have to top up with warm water sometimes in the winter, otherwise the water would chill the plants. My mix is moisture-retentive so I water about every 7 to 10 days with very dilute fertilizer - balanced 20-20-20 or similar. I use a 6-6-6 fish fertilizer sometimes, it is believed that organic fertilizers contain trace substances not found in 'chemical' fertilizers. The lights are on 14 hours and are controlled by 2 time switches. In this manner, if it gets too warm in the summer, even with the fans going, I can have one light on for 7 hours, then the other one on for the same time which keeps the heat down. It is essential not to let my cool growing plants dry out in the summer as they dessicate fast, hence the need for a moisture-retentive mix containing perlite, some peat, styrofoam granules, pumice, charcoal and sometimes aquarium gravel. Some plants are mounted on tree fern and require daily attention, whether they get it is another story! One result of the use of MH clear lights which are strong in blue light and perhaps a bit low in red, is that the leaves of my plants are shorter than 'normal' but much harder and more resistant to fungal attacks. However, because of the consistent light level, it is essential to feed and water equally consistently for best results otherwise the plants do suffer and can get fungal problems. The light from MH 1000's is very strong so it is best not to look at them directly. When they are new, they give off a fair bit of UV light so I have found it easier on the eyes to use sunglasses if I am going to be near them for long. As the lights age, they do become softer in color, then they are not so much of a problem.

It is lovely on a dull, wet day in December, to enter the plant room and see all the odonts, masdevallias, etc. in bloom, basking in their tropical sun. Somehow then, all the hard work and experimentation and the frustration seems worth it. It is even moregratifying to gain AOS awards on plants grown in an area which never receives any natural light! I do hope this series of articles has inspired you to try growing indoors, to try orchids if you have not already. You may find your own solutions to your own growing problems, but if you have gained some ideas from these articles then I am very pleased to have been of some help. Good luck! Peter Holmes

Catoctin Orchid Society Newsletter Excerpts

Basement Orchid Culture Under Lights -- April 1995
by John Burleson The following article relates the decision, design, and implementation processes experienced by a new orchid hobbyist faced with the often inevitable situation of having too many plants and not enough windowsills. His solution, as well as variations on the theme that have been implemented by other Catoctin Orchid Society members, provides an less expensive alternative to traditional greenhouse solutions. I've only been involved in the orchid growing hobby for ten months. In that time, our collection of Phalaenopsis orchids has vastly exceeded what would fit onto any windowsill. Not having time, winter quickly approaching, we decided to construct a temporary structure in our basement. After much thought, confusion and anxiety, we came up with what we felt would be a suitable design for our plants. First we framed up an 8 by 12 foot area using standard 2x4 studs. In one end we constructed an opening and installed a 36 inch wide storm door. We then covered the inside of the room with 6 mil plastic sheeting. For fresh air and cross ventilation, a standard variable speed bathroom exhaust fan was installed in the end of the structureopposite the storm door and ducted to the outside using dryer vent hose. By slightly opening the window in the storm door, fresh air from the house could be drawn through and vented outside along with the increased humidity acquired along the way. This also helps maintain a slight negative pressure in the room, which keeps the humidity out of your house. The throughput can be regulated by varying the speed of the exhaust fan. Air circulation within the room was achieved by installing a moisture resistant 42 inch ceiling fan in the center of the room. This would help to keep the air temperature and humidity evenly distributed among the plants. This is especially important when growing under lights as dry areas are sure to develop.

Waterproof benches were constructed using pressure treated lumber, fiberglass, and powder coated expanded metal. After installation around the perimeter of the room, they were plumbed into a drainage system in order to simplify the watering process. Humidity is provided by a Hermidifier 500 installed under one of the benches. It is quite capable of maintaining humidity levels as high as 90 percent regardless of the throughput created by the exhaust fan. We are using a humidity level of approximately 80 percent, which is considered by some to be slightly high. For lighting, we are using Metal Halide fixtures incorporating Osram and Tungsram, HQI technology lamps. Fixtures utilizing these lamps must be properly designed so as to properly ventilate the lamp and associated components, while protecting the user from ultraviolet radiation. This format was chosen because of it's extremely high output, energy efficiency, compact size, and large selection of color temperature lamps to choose from for our experiments. We have had good results with lamps ranging from 4,000 to 6,000 degrees Kelvin. The most difficult aspect of this project was in applying the correct intensities. Since the majority of light measuring instruments are sensitive only to a narrow band of the electromagnetic spectrum, around 550 nanometers, the published values become inaccurate under artificial light. In fact, because of wave spectral distribution variances, it will change from lamp type to lamp type. So far, we have only tested Phals and a few mini Catts under these lights and are impressed by the results. The leaf color, flower quality, constant blooming and multiple spiking have been quite impressive. Please remember, I'm only a beginner sharing my experiences. I'm not a highly acclaimed expert on orchid growing. I therefore recommend that you thoroughly research any ideas from this or any other article before incorporating them into your culture regime.

http://www.geocities.com:0080/RainForest/4112/burleson.html http://spray.egroups.com/message/orchidslovers/55

Growing Orchids Under P. L. Lights (http://www.orchidweb.com/PLlite.htm) Orchid plants have been grown under high pressure sodium lamps for many years. The recent development of the Phillips SonAgro bulb, which is 13% higher in the blue spectrum and 7% brighter, has made orchid culture under these lights even more rewarding, producing better growth and more frequent flowering. It is important to remember that foot-candles as stated in books for growing orchids in greenhouses is generally measured at peak sun hours usually during noontime. This does not take into account low light levels received in the early morning or afternoon. Under sodium fixtures, light is constant throughout the day and the additional hours of this constant light add up and provide adequate light to grow the plants properly. Much of the light that is critical to the plant, i.e., far red light, is not measurable in terms of foot-candles. Foot-candles are a measurement of light based on the equivalent of one candle at one foot distance from the measuring device. This is based on visible light. Orchids growing under sodium light will actually grow under fewer foot-candles than orchids grown in daylight measurements. The P.L. lights model best suited for orchid growing is the 430 watt model, utilizing the Phillips 430 watt SonAgro bulb. There are three different styles of reflectors: a wide angle reflector for low mounting situations (3-4 feet), a medium reflector for midrange mounting(5-7 feet), and a deep reflector for higher mounting (8-9 feet). The typical growing area one of these lights will cover is about 8' x 8' if lower light plants are placed on the perimeter. A key factor in determining the area that will be covered by these lights is the amount of reflective surfaces at the perimeter. If these lights are mounted in a basement area at the 7-8 foot mounting height, and if none of the walls are reflective, the areas receiving adequate light will be reduced to 6' x 6'. Placing white plastic on the ceiling and all sides of the room will increase the light level by as much as 30% and keep the humidity at a higher level. We recommend that if you are going to grow under lights in the basement, you place your growing area in a corner of the room or along one of the concrete walls. This will act as a heat sink and keep the temperatures from going too far into the extreme. The walls should be painted with a vapor seal type paint to keep humidity from working its way out of the concrete block. (Humidity can cause chips of the block to freeze and pop out.) It is recommended that either the outside of the block be covered with Styrofoam to a level about 1 foot below ground, or the inside layer of the block be treated with vapor seal paint or covered in plastic. Because humidity rises, another area of concern is where the wooden plate meets the concrete block around the ceiling area of the basement. This area typically is colder and the warm humid air will rise and condense against the plate and cause eventual rotting. We recommend that this area be insulated and sealed off with plastic. 2" closed cell foam glued against the plate will protect it from moisture and keep the cold temperatures out.

Constructing a Growing Area

An important thing to consider is the utility of the area. When you water your plants, where will the water go? Will humidity damage anything? How can I reflect the light back into the plants where it is most needed? Again we recommend you cover the ceiling with white plastic, and either paint the walls white, or simply drop a white plastic curtain from the ceiling to floor level.

When it comes to water and drainage, there are many ways of getting around that problem. You can either grow your plants on humidity trays with water collecting underneath as you water the plants, or on benches with custom drip guards that drain into a large bucket or barrel that could be pumped out as needed. Of course, the easiest solution is to build this area over a floor drain. Temperature fluctuations will be regulated by: 1. the average temperature in your basement 2. the heat given off by the high pressure sodium light 3. any heat or cooling vents in the room These lights will give off 1200 BTU's an hour, and should raise an 8' x 8' room up to the high 70's to mid 80's for a daytime temperature. Night temperatures should fall to whatever the normal basement temperatures are. In the hot summer months, the basement is an excellent area, as it is cooler than the outside and the humidity is higher as well. Depending on the kind of plants you are growing, the ideal temperatures generally range from 60-64 degree nights and 73-83 degree days. We recommend an oscillating fan be mounted in the room to keep the air moving. This will help prevent fungi, mold, and bacteria from developing on the plants. It will bring more oxygen and carbon dioxide past the leaves for better growth. If your temperatures run too warm in this area, we recommend that you simply open the door to the rest of the basement, or install a reversing exhaust fan through a window to the outside that will exhaust the heat out from the basement during warm spells or bring in cool air from the outside at night. These lights can be mounted to a track or to your floor joists utilizing 2 metric bolts that slide into a T-track on the top of your light fixture. These bolts are secured by utilizing simple pipe strap as you would find at the hardware store. Screw the pipe strap into the floor joists on either side and run the metric bolt through one of the perforated holes in the pipe strap. If preferred, you can order track which can be mounted to the joists and the light can be mounted to the track utilizing track clips. The track comes in lengths up to 20' and can be used with U-track joints, extending the track as long as necessary. We recommend you consider the size of the room that you wish to build, and remember that usually orchid collections tend to grow both in plant size and number of plants. Plan a size 1&1/3 to 2 times the size you think you need. Allow yourself the ability to expand from the beginning. One light will cover 8' x' 8' area, and two lights will cover approximately 10' x 12' area. Spaces larger than that we run through the computer to determine mounting height and distance between lights and walls in order to calculate adequate illumination. Most light setups with P.L. lights operate at 400-500 foot-candles. This is adequate for most plants to grow properly. Plants requiring higher light can be placed in the center of the growing area or up on tiers closer to the lights from 3' -5' away. Low to medium light plants can be placed at the perimeters.

Benching
Tiered, wire mesh benches can be purchased through different suppliers. You can also make your own out of redwood, cedar, or treated wood. Use a 2 x 4 frame with a plywood bottom lined with plastic and filled with lava rock as an extra humidifier. When constructing this bench we recommend you install a valve to allow drainage of excess water and to allow cleaning and flushing out every so often. Above this frame you should install either 2' x 4' plastic lighting grids as used for fluorescent lighting, or a wire bench mesh. You can also simply use 1" x 2" slats spaced 1" apart to allow adequate drainage and support for your plants. Remember that when building your bench, the human reach is about 3', so don't build your benches any wider. 2-3' is an excellent size. A 6' wide bench in the center can be reached from both sides. Consider the movement you will be making in this area and lay it out accordingly. Custom rolling benches are available for larger growing setups.

Utilizing High Pressure Sodium Fixtures in the Hobby Greenhouse

P.L. Lights High Pressure Sodium Fixtures are an excellent source of light to extend winter daylight hours

and provide light during periods of heavy cloud cover. Growth continues uninterrupted and flowering is faster with higher bud count. The fixture draws 450 watts total or 4.2 amps at 120 volts, 2.2 amps at 240 volts. They are available in three reflector styles: wide angle, medium, and deep. All can be wired with cord for 120 volts or 240 volts. Light with medium reflector, no cord or plug.....................$245.00 Light with medium reflector, wired with cord and plug.....$255.00 Light with deep OR wide reflector, no cord or plug..........$250.00 Light with deep OR wide reflector, wired w/ cord & plug.$260.00 Replacement bulbs................................................ ...............$40.00 Shipping charges anywhere in the continental U.S............$25.00 Picked up at our greenhouse, shipping charge..................$15.00 For Alaska and Hawaii, we will provide shipping quotes. These lights, available in all voltages and phases, can be shipped to any destination in the world. Foreign customers will be responsible for customs fees. Any questions on these systems, be sure to call or write. Orchids Limited will be glad to work with you in developing your growing area. Simple growing setups that take no longer than 15 minutes to discuss over the phone will be provided at no extra charge. More complex operations are billed at a consultation fee of $90.00/hour for hobbyists.

House Plants - Artificial Light

Adapted from Agdex 285/20-8.

Light is needed by a plant for using nutrients and manufacturing food. It has a great influence on chlorophyll production, growth rate, leaf size, and flower and seed production. One of the common problems encountered by the indoor gardener is poor light availability, particularly in apartments with limited window space or during winter when light intensity is low. Artificial lights are useful when natural window light is insufficient. They make it possible to grow healthy plants in any spot in the home: bookshelves, a heated garage, an empty closet or even an attic. The use of lamps encourages compact, luxuriant growth and regular blooming. As a supplementary light source, even a small portable reading lamp will improve plant health. It can be turned on for one or two hours at dawn and dusk to increase day length, especially in winter. Plants growing in a dim corner will visibly improve if they receive four to six hours of artificial illumination from an overhead light. Only when a plant's entire fight requirements are being met by artificial sources must special lighting provisions be made. Plants absorb red and blue light, both are used to control photosynthesis and various aspects of plant growth. Red fight (6000 to 7000 angstroms) mainly controls maturation, and flower and seed production; it is particularly important to flowering plants. Used alone, red light will make plants grow tall and spindly. Blue light (4000 to 5000 angstroms) chiefly controls leaf development; plants grown under blue light alone tend to be short and stocky, with thick stems, dark green leaves and few flowers. Ultraviolet rays are used only in small quantities and can easily damage plants. Incandescent lights (the round bulbs normally used in the home) can supplement natural daylight for foliage plants with low light requirements, but they do not provide enough light to meet and needs of flowering plants. They give off a large amount of red light and infrared radiation, most of which becomes heat. This causes cooling problems and burning of leaves. Because the fight source is concentrated in a small area, light distribution is likewise restricted to a small area. Fluorescent lights have a higher light efficiency than incandescent lights. emitting two and a half times as much light per watt. Fluorescent tubes vary in red-blue output. A combination of cool white and warm white is recommended for use on house plants. Most house plants can be grown under fluorescent lamps alone, although it is a common practice to mix incandescent and fluorescent light in the ratio of two or three florescent lamp watts to one incandescent lamp watt. This provides the proper light quality without excessive heat. Daylight, warm white, and natural white tubes can also be combined in various ratios to provide a suitable quality for plant growth. Gro-Lux, PlantGro and other brands of agricultural fluorescent lamps are specially designed to provide a balance of red and

blue light suited for plant growth. However, it is the quantity and brightness of light that is most important, not the quality of the light. A reflector, such as a mirror or white sheet of paper placed under the plants, will improve efficiency by reflecting light back onto plants. As a rough guide, tubes should be arranged to provide approximately 175 to 225 watts of light per square metre of growing space. Lights are usually placed 30 to 45 cm above the tops of the plants. However since distance from a light source directly affects light intensity, this will vary according to individual plant requirements. If a large area is to be illuminated, it is better to use one long tube rather than two short tubes placed end to end; this avoids a dark spot in the centre, because intensity decreases near the ends of the tubes. Lights should be kept clean for maximum brightness, and discarded as they wear out (after about one year). Commercial light systems are now available at varying cost. They usually include a reflector, a trolley with adjustable shelves, two 40-watt fluorescent lamps, and sometimes one 25-watt incandescent bulb. These can be connected to regular electrical outlets in most cases. These special units are not necessary. Lamps can be purchased alone and fitted into the design of your home, as long as they provide sufficient fight intensity. A photometric light meter will help to determine correct placement of plants in relation to fight sources. Automatic timers are also available; they can be connected them to the lights to switch them on and off at regular intervals. The intensity and duration of illumination required vary from plant to plant. Older, mature plants need less light than young, active ones; flowering plants have high light requirements 6000 to 10,000 lux most foliage plants need from 1000 to 6000 lux; variegated and colored foliage plants need more; for root cuttings, 1000 to 2000 lux is sufficient; flowering bulbs need 500 to 1000 lux. Experimentation is the only sure method to determine the best solution for each plant. If plants are not receiving enough light, they begin to grow tall and spindly as if stretching towards the light, and foliage becomes pale green. Such plants should be placed nearer the light source, or given a longer exposure period. If too much light is problem, bleaching of leaf and flower color occurs, and may lead to browning and shrivelling. Leaves are small and overly compact, and may curl under at the edges. Too much light inhibits flowering in species such as poinsettias, orchids and chrysanthemums. Most plants thrive with 14 to 18 hours of light per day when placed 30 to 40 cm below the lamps. Adjustments should be made according to individual requirements. Growing habits of many plants are directly affected by day length; this phenomenon is know as photoperiodism. Some plants will not flower unless exposed to 12 to 14 hours of light each day for a certain number of days. These are known as long day plants and include calceolaris, many garden annual and begonias. Short day plants must have more than 12 hours of complete darkness each night to allow bud development; kalanchoe, poinsettia and chrysanthemum are examples. A third group is termed indifferent; they will flower as long as they receive sufficient light. This group includes African violets, tomatoes and impatiens. The light intensity required to trigger photoperiodic responses in plants is very low and in some cases less than 10 footcandles. Care for plants grown under artificial light is the same as for regular house plants. Your success depends on the attention you give them. Proper growing media, temperature, humidity and ventilation must be provided. Watering and fertilizing schedules may require stepping up to keep pace with the steady, active growth encouraged by increased light. It is important to remember that plants don't receive natural rest kept under constant light. After flowering, most plants should be placed in a moderately-lit area, and given less water and no fertilizer to encourage dormancy. Apart from this, experience is your best guide. Last Revised/Reviewed August 27, 1996 http://www.agric.gov.ab.ca/crops/hort/houseplants/lights.html ++++++++++

Indoor cultivation
a ) Hobbyist 1. Natural light. - The climatic conditions may mean that the plants you wish to grow cannot be grown easily outdoors without protection. A windbreak or courtyard may be required for wind shelter. More severe environmental conditions may require a cover over the enclosed area. Glass provides the best light transmission and also the best heat gain or loss. Do not use green fibreglass for a roof covering as this will inhibit plant growth. Try to control large fluctuations in temperature and humidity and remember that good ventilation is essential for plant growth.

2. Fluorescent lighting. - works OK with cool white but try for the gro-lux, tri-phosphor or tru-lite tubes. To be effective fluorescent lighting has to be very close to the plant leaves because the light energy from artificial light drops off very quickly as the distance from the light source increases. Some plants that have low light requirement can be grown successfully under fluorescent lighting. Seedlings and cuttings can be grown and raised using fluorescent lighting. 3. Incandescent lights produce more heat than light suitable for most plants so are generally not used. There are some gro-light bulbs that are available which have a blue coating on the globe. 4. Mercury vapour lights have been popular with those people who can buy factory demolition materials. Mercury vapour lights in factories are usually called hi-bays and have a parabolic reflector to provide even light at about five metres away ( 16 feet ). Some people have replaced the reflectors and grown plants using these lights but have had to breed plants that can use the low light temperature. The mercury vapour hi-bays generally have the light fitting attached to the control box. If a suitable ignitor is fitted inside the control box of a 400 watt hi-bay then it can be used for normal 400 watt metal halide lamps. There are retrofit metal halide globes that can be used with unmodified hi-bay 400 watt mercury vapour control equipment but these globes are nearly twice the price of a normal metal halide globe. 5. High Pressure Sodium and SON-T type lights have been used to extend the daylight hours in the winter and spring in countries like Holland. These lights are becoming popular with indoor hobbyists. These sodium type lights tend to produce light at the red/yellow end of the light spectrum and some plants can " stretch " and become " stalky " when these lights are used exclusively for growing plants indoors. 6. Metal Halide lamps are probably the most efficient to use indoors because they provide the type of high energy light source which most plants require for growth. The hobby indoor gardener will tend to use either a 400 watt version or a 1000 watt version. Depending upon the plants to be grown as a very rough rule of thumb a 400 watt metal halide lamp with a china hat type reflector will provide enough light for a growing area 120 cm x 120 cm ( 4 foot x 4 foot ) A 1000 watt metal halide lamp with a china hat type reflector will provide a growiing area 150 cm x 150 cm ( 5 foot x 5 foot ) The light from the high performance lights contains rays that can cause eye problems similar to the effects of " welding flash " and " snow blindness " When in a growroom wear safety and protective eyeware. High pressure sodium ( HPS ) and metal halide ( MH ) lighting systems are high performance units and because of the control mechanisms when switched on they draw an inductive current which can cause problems with normal domestic timers and electrical circuits. Before buying or using any type of indoor lighting get professional electrical advice to make sure that what you plan to use is safe for your particular situation. REMEMBER THAT ELECTRICITY WATER AND HUMANS CONNECTED TOGETHER IS A FATAL COMBINATION. ( The other consideration is that in the event of an insurance claim if the lights or their installation or operation was not disclosed to your insurance company then any claims on your insurance policy may be denied before setting up growing lights indoors check your insurance policy ). b) Commercial indoor cultivation. -------------------------------If the commercial grower has to provide a structure in order to grow plants then the capital cost of the structure and its running costs must be paid for by the increased price the grower can obtain for the end produce. It may be that the grower cultivating indoors or under cover may be able to supply plants when none are available locally or the grower may be able to sell his plants before the same plants grown outdoors are ready. The cost of providing artificial lighting as well as a structure means that the financial and marketing considerations have to be correct otherwise the grower goes broke very quickly. As soon as you start to grow plants inside a structure the following areas have to be considered. Light control Heat control

Humidity control Air movement Pest and disease control Pollination ( for flowering and fruiting plants ) Cultivation and harvesting systems Nutrient and water systems The notes on this page are to give you a quick summary of some of matters to consider if you intend to grow plants indoors or under some sort of covering. http://www.olis.net.au/soladome/indoor.html

LIGHT Most plants, including orchids, require light to perform photosynthesis. There are many kinds of orchids and each has a different lighting requirement due to where they live in their natural habitat. Some are exposed to a bright tropical sun while others live deep within shady forests. You need to learn what types of orchids you have and try to provide them with the same lighting levels they would normally receive in nature. Light is measured in a unit called a footcandle (fc). A footcandle is equivalent amount of light that is produced by a candle at the distance of one foot. To give you an idea of light levels, on a clear sunny summer day at noon, the light in the sun would be over 10,000 fc. At the same time of day on a overcast winter day, the light level may be less than 500 fc. You most likely will not be able to tell the true light level in an area because the human eye is too efficient at adjusting your vision to a broad range of light levels and can be fooled by the type of light present. For example, a grocery store may appear brightly illuminated with florescent lights, but in reality, the light level may be as little as 500 fc. To determine the light level in the location you want to grow your orchids, you will need a light meter that will give you readings in footcandle units and is capable of measuring bright light up to at least 5,000 footcandles. You can also determine the light levels at a location by using the built-in light meter of a SLR-type camera using a special table: SLR CAMERA LIGHT MEASURING TABLE IF you do not have a light meter or any other way of measuring light levels, here is a very rough rule of thumb you might follow: Full Sun: Direct sunlight that's unobstructed for six to eight hours a day. Partial Sun: About four hours of direct sun a day or lightly shaded sunlight all day. Partial Shade: About two hours or less of sunlight a day. Filtered Sun or No direct sun, but some filtered light. Broken Shade: Dense Shade: No direct sun at all. - - TOO LITTLE LIGHT - How do I know if I am not getting enough light? If your orchid is showing any of these signs, chances are it is not getting enough light. 1. Dark green leaves with no luster to them. The roots system is fine.

2. Each new growth is smaller than the last growth. 3. Your orchid is floppy and very weak looking. 4. It has not bloomed or it has very few blooms. How can I increase my light? You need to move your orchids into a better light source, a different window, open the curtains, remove objects that maybe shading the window such as a tree or awning. Be very careful when introducing you orchid (or any plant, for that matter) to more light because a plant that has been in poor light for any length of time will have very delicate leaves that can burn easily. Move your plant to a higher light level gradually over several days. If you notice the plant leaves burning (they will turn brown and be very dry), move the plant further away from the light source or provide some shading for a week or two until the plant gets used to the increased light. If you are growing your orchids under electric lights: 1. Reduce the distance between the light and the plant. NOTE: If you are using incandescent lamps, be careful not to place the plants too close to the hot light. 2. Move the plant toward the center of the light. 3. You should operate your lights 14 to 16 hours a day. 4. Make sure the bulbs are not over a year old, older bulbs tend to give out less light. 5. Use a special "grow light" in your fixture.

- - TOO MUCH LIGHT - How do I know if I am getting to much light? There are several ways you can tell if your orchid is getting too much light: 1. The leaves are showing burn spots. The spots can be yellow or brown dry patches on the leaves. They could also be rough and slightly raised. 2. The leaves feel hot to the touch. Leaves should be cool to the touch. 3. The leaves start turning black and dropping off. A plant exposed to too much sunlight will eventually die. 4. The plant's growth is stunted and the leaves start to turn yellow. 5. On some orchids, the color is bleached out of the leaves. How can I reduce the amount of light? This is easier to control than not enough light. 1. Move the plant away from the hot sun. Remember that the sun coming thru a window and maybe intensified by the glass. 2. Afternoon sun is also much "hotter" (brighter) than the morning sun, so move the plant to a East-facing window. 3. Place shear curtains in front of the windows. 4. Provide shade if growing out doors. A plant that may be fine in the spring but could get burned as the sun moves higher in the sky toward summer. If you are growing under lights, you usually don't run into this problem unless you leave your lights on all the time or the lights are too close to the plants.

Typical lighting requirements for the most commonly sold orchids: Phalaenopsis Paphiopedilums Miltonia Odontoglossums Cattleyas 1000-1500 fc 1000-3000 fc 1000-3000 fc 1500-2000 fc 1500-3500 fc Never exposed to direct sun light. Expose to only early morning sun. Keep in diffused light. Expose only to morning or evening sun. Give plenty of light without burning their leaves.

Vanda Oncidiums Dendrobiums Cymbidiums

1500-4000 fc 1500-4000 fc 1500-4000 fc 7000-8000 fc

They like strong light, full morning sun. Same as above. Same as above.

Give as much light as possible without burning the leaves. Provide lower light (2000-3000 fc) when flower spike appears. NOTE: there are species in these genera that may require different light levels.

How to measure your lighting level using a SLR camera

(table data reproduced by permission from Jochim Saul HTML by Greg Brother) f-stop f/1.4 f/2 f/2.8 f/4 f/5.6 f/8 f/11 f/16 f/22 E 1/4 0.5 1 2 4 8 16 32 64 125 X 1/8 1 2 4 8 16 32 64 125 250 P 1/15 2 4 8 16 32 64 125 250 500 O 1/30 4 8 16 32 64 125 250 500 1000 S 1/60 8 16 32 64 125 250 500 1000 2000 U 1/125 16 32 64 125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 R 1/250 32 64 125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000 E 1/500 64 125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000 16000 T 125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000 16000 32000 I 1/1000 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000 16000 32000 64000 M 1/2000 Light Intensity in Footcandles (fc)

~~ INSTRUCTIONS ~~
1. Set the film speed of your camera to 100 ASA/ISO. 2. Place a sheet of white paper in the location where you want to perform the measurement. Position the paper so it will receive highest light intensity possible. 3. Point your camera to the paper and get close enough to it so that the white paper fills the entire view finder. NOTE: You don't need to focus your camera. 4. Read the f-stop/exposure time values on your camera. 5. Using the table above, find the corresponding light intensity in footcandles. For example: If the f-stop is f/11 and you get an exposure time of 1/125 sec, this would mean there is a light intensity of about 1000 fc.

Typical Lighting Requirements For Orchids

Brassavola Brassia Cattleyas Cymbidiums Cymbidiums in bloom Dendrobiums Epidendrum Laelia Ludisia 2000-4000 fc 2000-3500 fc 1500-3500 fc 7000-8000 fc 1500-3000 fc 1500-4000 fc 1500-3500 fc 2000-3500 fc 1000-2000 fc Masdevallia Miltonia Oncidiums Odontoglossums Paphiopedilums Phalaenopsis Phragmipedium Sophronitis Vanda 1000-2500 fc 1000-3000 fc 1500-2000 fc 1500-2000 fc 1000-3000 fc 1000-1500 fc 2500-3500 fc 1500-3500 fc 1500-4000 fc