brand names and light fixtures

[sleepy]

I have read in earlier post that sun blaze systems did not produce as much light intensity as other systems. I am curious if this is a result of the fixture or the bulb the system came with or both. I am looking at getting a bank of 4' four lamp t5 lights. Is there much difference between the tek lights and new wave. I understand I will get what i pay for, just wondering if at some point I am paying for something I do not need. I am looking at growing catts and oncs in my basement with no natural sunlight. I believe I should be able to do this with any of these systems but would like a few opinions from the experts. Thanks

[OrchidSue]

I have grown under T12 and T5 for years, and based on my subjective observations, the bulb has more affect on the intensity than the fixture. For the T5 I am currently using Tek bulbs and they seem to be fine. High output (HO) bulbs will give the highest intensity. I only have 1 token Catt (I grow mostly Phals/Paphs) and it is doing well under T5. I do have some natural light from a window, but not a lot.

Susan

[sleepy]

Thank you, That is sort of what I am after. If you put good bulbs in a so so fixture how close is this to putting good bulbs in a good fixture. I have my set up in a south facing windows, but only had so so growth last winter. I have now had them outside all summer and would like to keep up the good growth and flowering. Would a T8 fixture provide sufficient supplemental light? Almost everyone agrees that t5 lights are worth the cost. And while the initial start up cost is more for t5's than t8's, if the end results are that much better than the cost is worth it. I guess what I am really asking is if t5's are really necessary if you have a good deal of natural lighting. If so is it better to splurge and get the more expensive set up or is this going beyond what is needed. Thanks for the help.

[Ross]

I have used several t5 fixtures and brands over the years and in my opinion you get what you pay for. The reflector has a LOT to do with the light output. Otherwise you could just hang a bulb out there and be done with it. I do just that in my grow window (Excuse the photo quality - it's from my iPhone.)

Over my tank and lighted grow area, I use straight tube fixtures - one is a 4-tube 48" and the other an 8-tube 48". I have tried a couple different brands and settled on the New Wave brand because of their superior German reflectors. I use GE tubes, also because of better light output. I have one 24" 2-tube aquarium fixture in the grow window due to space and I use Giesemann PowerChrome Midday 24" tubes because they are superior in light output and quality to anything else out there. Speaking of getting what you pay for, the Giesemann tubes are $20 each! I just purchased two fixtures and 10 tubes to supplement what I already have and the order was over $400.

I have a thread from over a year ago where I include lumen/foot-candle figures. I measured light output at various distances and used a high quality calibrated meter. Do a search for t5 or foot candles under the lighting thread.

Good luck in your quest. I spent lots of money settling on my setup and would be glad to help you keep costs down by not replicating my mistakes.

[sleepy]

Thank you, Ross and Susan. I have read a lot of your post on lighting Ross and have learned a lot from you and others on this board. I guess I am getting a little cold feet as far as spending the money that i am going to spend. I can easily see spending three to four hundred dollars by the time you pay for the fixture, the bulbs, and the shipping. That is a lot of orchids that could be bought. However, I just did not get the kind of growth and flowers through winter and into spring that I have gotten this summer. So I guess I am most likely going to get the new wave 4 tube 4 foot fixture and get the ge tubes. I believe I will start with a mix of kelvin ratings as this seems to be the consensus. I am just going to have to wait a while to save the money up. But, I would rather save the money up and buy right the first time than spend less money on a inferior setup only to have to spend more money later down the road. I am sure I will be back asking more questions when i make my purchase. Thanks again for all the info.

[OrchidSue]

I think the bottom line is what is best for you, your goals and priorities, what your growing area is like, and your financial resources. To automatically assume that the most expensive is "The Best" is somewhat dangerous. I have found notable exceptions to that rule. For example, in the past I have found T12 bulbs that had significantly higher light output than what was considered "the best" bulbs for literally half the price. In general, yes, you get what you pay for, but I do a lot of product research and my personal priority is to find value for what I am paying for. It does take time and some degree of experimentation, but that's what works best for me. In general, I have found that "middle of the road" is the best way to go and then fine tune as time and experience move forward.

Susan