Plants inside for the winter

[JScott]

Here are all my plants nestled inside for the winter. I only have one good window, which is a sliding glass door which faces south, and as you can see, I'm out of space at that window

Those big Catts in 8 inch pots and a couple others you can see kind of behind the racks (they couldn't fit haha) I think are too far from the window to get enough light, so I've been researching growing under artificial light. I have a table in my apartment which I could use for orchids, and I'm leaning toward LEDs. It seems that they've come a long way in the last few years, and some people are having success using them. You guys have any thought?

Just a funny side note, I have found that the most comprehensive and thorough information I can find regarding growing plants under artificial light comes from websites dedicated to growing marijuana indoors But if it works for them, it could work for me too (with orchids, I mean. I'm not about to risk cultivating marijuana, especially considering how harsh the penalties are in Oklahoma lololol)

By the way, this is one of the specific light fixtures I am looking at: Amazon.com : VIPARSPECTRA Reflector-Series 900W LED Grow Light Full Spectrum for Indoor Plants Veg and Flower : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Any thoughts on that?

[Leafmite]

These sites are mostly what comes up for any general queries on plants. Years ago, it was mostly vegetables, especially tomatoes, or African Violets. :|

I went with the fluorescent lights as there just wasn't enough information at the time but I am now experimenting with a few small LED lights.

[Ray]

I like the window setup, but would like to make a couple of comments:

►The plants on the floor should actually be on the other side of the rack, toward the window, so they would get more light.

►Do not buy that LED fixture, as it would not really work well with that setup. It may put out a lot of light, but the plants on other than the top shelf would not benefit from it, as they'd be too shaded by those on the top shelf. Don't forget the inverse-square law as it relates to light intensity: If the fixture is one foot above the plants on the top shelf, and two feet, and three feet above the others, those lower shelves would only receive 1/4th and 1/9th the light intensity, respectively (ignoring the shading effect).

►If that was my setup, I'd purchase a couple of pole lamps like the one pictured below, and outfit them with white LED, outdoor (waterproof), daylight floodlight lamps, and position them so that the plants get an appropriate amount of light, even attaching "clamp lamps" as needed. I have used some CREE 14W versions and been very impressed.

[Roberta]

When I first got into orchids I was living in a condo. I converted the spare bedroom to a "greenhouse" - it got about 4 hours of direct east light, then light became very indirect, not enough to bloom my phals. I did this rig with inexpensive shop lights on stands made from PVC pipe (on timers, 12 hours per day), got plastic tubs with sheets of "egg crate" light diffuser over them to catch the water, on folding tables. Worked quite well.
http://orchidcentral.org/GrowingAreas/indoor.jpg
Higher-light plants wintered in the shower of the spare bathroom under a metal-halide light. http://orchidcentral.org/GrowingAreas/Vandacity.jpg
Lights have improved since I did that... but perhaps some useful ideas.

[JScott]

Originally Posted by Ray

I like the window setup, but would like to make a couple of comments:

►The plants on the floor should actually be on the other side of the rack, toward the window, so they would get more light.

►Do not buy that LED fixture, as it would not really work well with that setup. It may put out a lot of light, but the plants on other than the top shelf would not benefit from it, as they'd be too shaded by those on the top shelf. Don't forget the inverse-square law as it relates to light intensity: If the fixture is one foot above the plants on the top shelf, and two feet, and three feet above the others, those lower shelves would only receive 1/4th and 1/9th the light intensity, respectively (ignoring the shading effect).

I'm not suggesting using that LED fixture with the current setup. I was thinking about using this table I have, placing the fixture above that, and placing the plants on the table in a single layer. The plants which are on the floor are the ones I am planning to move to my light setup, once I get it going. The plants on the racks are fine. I keep them there every winter, and they get enough sun from that big south window, so I don't need to supplement the light for the plants on the racks. It's just that I've run out of room on the racks haha.

I know if I decide to leave it all as is, I'll need to move the plants on the floor in front of the racks so they get enough light, but I'd rather not have plants sitting on the floor if I can help it.

I'm not sure how invested I am in growing plants under lights on a large scale, it's just that I have a few that have gotten too big for my current setup, and I'd like to experiment with them. If it goes well, maybe I will expand later.

Thanks for the tips! I know you are very knowledgeable, and I appreciate you dropping that knowledge on me.

Another idea which has occurred to me is maybe turning the racks sideways (perpendicular to the window rather than parallel) and just adding a third rack.

[Leafmite]

I think people simply misunderstood about the plants/shelf set up. What you currently have is close to how I started.

Before investing in lights, you should decide what your ultimate goal is going to be with the plant collecting/growing. If you intend to collect more orchids or have ever thought about growing fresh greens/strawberries, etc. indoors, it might be worthwhile to go the shelf-route for the additional plants. Shelving units are a great way to grow many plants in a small space (as you already know). The wire ones with the shelves that you can move up or down are nice as lighting units are quite easy to hook under the shelves with S-hooks. For the price you are thinking of shelling out for the LED panel, you could almost buy:

Amazon.com: Alera Complete Wire Shelving Unit with Caster, Black Anthracite: Home & Kitchen

and:

Amazon.com : Hydro farm Fluorescent Grow Light T5 Tube System - 4 x 4 Foot : Patio, Lawn & Garden

This would give you enough space and lighting for this year and you could always buy another lamp if you want to expand your collection. I used S-hooks to tuck the lamps tightly against the shelves to give me the maximum space. I like the fluorescent lights as the light looks pretty natural compared to the LED light I am trying.

If you haven't already seen this post, you can see how I have it all set up:

Bringing the plants inside

It is a little crazy but, with the shelves, I save quite a bit of space. Even plants that normally take full-sun outside do quite well under the T5HO lamps as long as the lamps are close. In between the shelves, for the very tall plants and to supplement the light for my 20 gallon tank, I am using LED lighting. I hope this helps.

[JScott]

Oh hey, Leafmite, I like that. I was simply thinking about accommodating the plants I currently have until I can put them back outside in the spring, but that isn't very forward-thinking. I have some plants which are still young and will continue to get bigger, so your suggestion would allow me to accommodate those plants as well in the future, and best of all, maybe I would have room for another plant or two haha.

The items you linked to on Amazon would total a little more than the fixture I was looking at, but that's still within my budget, and once again would be a better idea long term. Thank you for your help. I have some more research to do now, but this is definitely a better idea than what I had.

[Leafmite]

Good luck!

[kwarren]

Just by chance I read your post about indoor lighting for the winter. Though I'm lucky that I have a 14x20 solarium on the south side of my home, I still have a little experience with artificial lighting which I use for my tender species bonsai trees. But more importantly, I noticed you recently joined Orchid Board and you are here in Oklahoma as I am. I live in Oklahoma City and am Vice President of the Oklahoma Orchid Society. In fact we had our monthly meeting today. As usual every November we have a greenhouse tour at one of our member's home and today we went to a member's home in Chickasha and followed up with a short business meeting while enjoying a pizza dinner provided by our treasury. We have about 50 members and 36 members were with us today for the excursion. I've grown orchids for about 12 years but joined the club just six years ago and am glad I did. Ours is a friendly club and I've learned so much from other members. We have our annual show every Mother's Day weekend at the Will Rogers Garden Building. If you've never come to one of our shows, I encourage you to do so. Besides displays from other clubs in from our tri-state area, we usually have 4 or 5 vendors who sell plants. More importantly, depending on where you live here in Oklahoma, I'd like to invite you to one of our monthly meetings. Our meetings are also in the Will Rogers Garden Building and are held the 3rd Sunday every month. But our November's greenhouse tour is held on the 3rd Saturday as an exception. We do not have a formal meeting in December but will start meetings again in January. So consider yourself invited!

[JScott]

Oh hey I live in Norman and work in OKC, so we're neighbors! I've been to the Oklahoma Orchid Society show a few times, but I've never been to any of your meetings. In addition to my regular job, I'm the manager of a seasonal garden center here in Norman, and it's hard for me to get away to go to your show, because Mothers Day is a big weekend for us, but I've made it a few times. I'll try harder to go next year Maybe it's time I start coming to the meetings. Thank you for the invitation! I'm Jeff, by the way