Are my plants getting enough light?

[katfemme89]

What I want to ask is, is there anyone here who can tell me if it looks like my plant setup is giving my phals enough light? I'm definitely not a phal expert, and even less so about the lighting deal. I've read several posts about lighting, but everyone always talks about them in this annoying technical jargon that I can't understand and don't feel like researching for three hours to understand, lol. Even in the beginner posts they do this... so could someone PLEASE explain lighting in layman's terms for me and explain the common terminology used?

I'm including pictures of my setup... I know my setup looks goofy but bear with me... lol.

[shams]

From mu understanding, Phals don't need a lot of light to grow and bloom. That's why they are some of the most common orchids to find. They are easy to grow

I have mine in my living room where the light doesn't get to as easily, since I'm in a townhouse.

[quiltergal]

What direction does your window face, and what kind of light is that? If it's a grow light it should specify on the bulb or the box it came in what the color temp is. Look for something that says say 5000(or some other number)K.

[Ross]

I would say your Phals might appreciate a bit more light - the leaves looks pretty dark green. Let's see, how do we explain this in simple terms? I have two Phals and three Paphs which take essentially the same light as well as some Angraecoids that also want "shade". The books say 500-1000 foot-candles. Without getting technical, this is equivilant of an east window when the sun shines in summer. It looks snowy in the pics I see so I'm guessing northerly more than southerly. Mine are in a screened south-facing bay window at 45 degrees north latitude in Michigan. Even when sun shines during winter (rarely) and the snow reflects the rays into the window I read approx 2000 foot-candles near the window. I have the Paphs and Phals towards the back (farthest from the window) but under t5 compact florescent bulbs and I read 800 foot candles. This is clearly within the recommended range. I know others here grow Phals up to 1500 or even 2000 foot candles, and yes, when the sun shines it strikes the leaves squarely. Here's a picture. Maybe you can compare to your setup.



Another thing to think about, under fairly strong florescent lights, like t5, the plants don't need quite the same peak foot-candles as when in nature or a greenhouse. Think about it, when your lights come on - they come on full strength. When the sun "comes on" it comes on weak with dawn gradually increasing to full stregth somewhere around noon fading to weak again at dusk. Not so with grow lights - they run full strength the whole period. So when in doubt get some stronger lights. The coily ones like I use are just fine if space is limited and offer better opportunities for esthetic placement. While Home Depot lights are "OK", dedicated lights are much better, more efficient, give more light per dollar spent and just as efficient to run. Try 2 to 200 Watt Compact Fluorescent Bulbs : 1000Bulbs.com The Light Bulb Superstore. as a source. I use the 105 watt (that's power consumed, not the equivilant incandescent bulb as HD describes theirs). Hope this was too technical.

I just realized part of the above sounds really confusing "So when in doubt get some stronger lights." What I meant was the little strip light above your plants might be doing you more good than the plants. If it were me, I would just get one, maybe two, 105 watt CF coily bulbs and set them in desk lamps (you can't use the reflectors, but the sockets are standard) and set them near the plants. As you aquire more plants, you'll be set up for them. Just a thought.

[Royal]

I'm with Ross. More light won't hurt. I would pay most of my attention to my plants, though. If they look dark green, they are probably not getting as much light as they would like. Be careful to not introduce too much light all at once. Any changes should be gradual. You'll be able to tell if the new spot (or new light) is making the plant happier, or not so happy. Droopy leaves are also not a good sign. Healthy leaves should be turgid and semi-erect. I have been surprised by how much light most of my orchids can take. But remember, careful with the Phals.

[Becca]

Well not along the lines of light, I thought that the leaves of your phals looked a little on the droopy side, especially the one on the right, but it is also a little hard to see it since it appears to be sitting down inside of a container. Do you know what potting medium you are using? How often are you watering? My phals have long leaves like yours, but they are not droopy so that is why I ask? I hope I haven't come across the wrong way...just trying to help!

[katfemme89]

Thanks you guys for the feedback! I really appreciate all the comments.

K, I'll try to answer the questions in descending order:

They are in an eastern-facing window. It's been cloudy lately, but very glare-y... so they are getting some light, but not all that much. Most of the light comes through in the early morning, right after the sun has burned the mist out of the morning air.

I don't have the box that my flourescent bulb came in, but it was just a regular household flourescent. If my memory serves me correctly, I think I saw the number 5,000 somewhere on the box. So I don't know if that's good or bad, Terri? lol.

Ross, I agree with you about getting more light. I have been seriously considering some of those coily bulbs, not only because they help plants but they are also more energy efficient, which is a plus for a treehugger like me ;-). So I will try to get some of those. The only thing I am a little confused about is how to suspend them? because I don't know if I'll have room for a desk lamp up there.

And yes becca, the leaves on my phals are quite droopy, that's what made me think that possibly this was a light problem. When i first got the one in the center, the leaves were firmer and were also horizontal, but now they are drooping down and resting on the surface below the pot :-P

My watering regimen has come to be significantly less frequent as two of my phals acquired root-rot from my well-meaning but harmful every day watering. I now water every 3-4 days. All of my phals are planted in orchid bark mix with charcoal and coarse perlite. However, I recently potted a new phal with a mix of some sphag and the orchid bark mix.

Once again, thanks so much for the feedback, and I would be most delighted if anyone could give me any further advice. :-) I am your grasshopper!!! lol.

[quiltergal]

Kat, I think you may have over corrected your watering problem. The leaves should not be limp but firm and erect.........sorry. At any rate they have lost turgor pressure which is what keeps them um, err, straight out.... . Pick one and stick it in the kitchen sink and let it soak in plain water for about 20-30minutes. If the leaves perk up some you'll know you've been underwatering. It's such a tough call with phals. I know that once I moved mine from regular pots to clear plastic pots I had a much better handle on what the roots were doing and how moist the media was. If yours are in clay they will dry out much more quickly than plastic. I can generally get away with watering once a week, sometimes twice in really hot weather.

If lack of light were the only issue you would be seeing very dark green leaves but not limp leaves. HTH

[Lagoon]

Kat,

You should consider dropping by your local hardware store and pick up CFL's and a clamp on fixture - Great lights to have. I love the clamp on deal - your able to move these around if you so desire.
It's easy!

[Becca]

Kat,
Did you say when you last re-potted? Perhaps the root system is still in trouble and that is why the leaves are so droopy/not getting enough water. So it could either be, the root system is still bad, or it just isn't getting enough water. It is hard to tell unless you un-pot them and look at the roots.