programable lights

[mdharding56@gmail.com]

Does anyone have experience using programable aquarium lights or other programable lights that can be programmed to ramp up and have adjustable light settings?

[Blueszz]

Originally Posted by mdharding56@gmail.com

Does anyone have experience using programable aquarium lights or other programable lights that can be programmed to ramp up and have adjustable light settings?

Try Chihiros A II Max
That's the light I'm going to purchase this summer to prepare for fall and winter.

I used a bright white one above my birds when they were breeding mid winter. Can't recall wich type it isn't available anymore.

Chihiros is "cheap" and has a good variety of possibilities. Like ramping up/down, adjusting LED colors separately (WRGB II series) and a timer (with the app).
Besides that they emit a ton of light. I wouldn't be surprised if it's enough as a light source for Cattleya.

[estación seca]

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

[Waterdog111]

In answer to your question, yes I have two different types of Seaqura, one is the submersible type, but they are all very adjustable and resonably priced. I like them a lot .
Welcome to the board!

[mdharding56@gmail.com]

Originally Posted by Waterdog111

In answer to your question, yes I have two different types of Seaqura, one is the submersible type, but they are all very adjustable and resonably priced. I like them a lot .
Welcome to the board!

Thank you for your reply. I have been looking at the Seaqura. I'll give them a try.

I am just starting to fix up a corner to grow orchids. Unfortunately, I don't have a good place on the east or west side of my house with natural light so I must use artificial.

[Ray]

Aquarium lighting may not be ideal for plants, as the spectrum has often been adjusted to compensate for absorption by water. A straight plant light is a better choice.

Take a look at botanicalleds.com, the owner designed the lamps specifically for orchid growing using both a PAR meter and spectrophotometer to get things right. They are some of the best "bang for the buck" lights out there.

It is really unnecessary to ramp up the brightness or vary it with the season. The important factor is the Daily Light Integral (DLI), which is the sum of the photons hitting the plant in a day.

As natural sunlight intensity roughly imitates a triangular shape from dawn to noon to dusk, a constant intensity of 50-55% of the peak your plant can tolerate, timed to correspond with the day length, can provide the same DLI.

If your plant gets different seasonal light levels in nature, you can simulate that with the use of a timer.