My light setup, suggestions welcome - Orchid Board

cowboy51278 · #1 03-23-2008, 09:32 AM

I have a small room downstairs in the NE corner of the house that I've been using as my grow room. For the most part there are porches on the E, S, and W sides of the house so any windowsill growing wasn't possible when we moved in here. With the exception of the sitting room at the top of the stairs where my violets and begonias are.......anyhooo.....my grown room is small, and I have the ability to shut the heat down in the room at night so my daytime highs are about 73 and my nighttime lows are about 55-60 depending on how cold it is outside. All the plants are on humidity trays (i used seedling trays lined with stone and egg crate on top) and there is also a humidifier and fan running. My humidity varies on each shelf. The top shelf of my grow area is the warmest and also a bit drier (humidity seems to run about 55-60%), I only run 2 48" t12 bulbs up there. The paphs are thriving up there, along with a few other low light plants. The second shelf as 2 shop lights. one with 2 t12 bulbs and the other with 2 t8 bulbs. Mostly onc on this shelf but there are a few more tossed in as well. Humidity runs about 65-70% at plant height. I was nervous one day when I came home and the gauge said it was about 93%, but the sensor had fallen off a pot it was sitting on and laying right in the tray. My bottom shelf has 4 48" t8 bulbs and I have some benches so i can play around with the height. My high light plants are on the top bench right up against the lights and then as it goes down the plants either get taller or the light requirements get lower. I also have a bench with a lot of my seedlings on it and some more paphs with a coulpe t8 bulbs. Its a pretty diverse bunch so the I put the light at the back side of the table and sorted them out so the low light plants were on the near side away from the bulbs. This is more of a recent grow area as Im quickly running out of room. I need to either put up another big shelving unit or curb my orchid buying until fall when I HOPE I'll have a green house up and running. But being self employed and the economy the way that it is, it may be next spring. But my set up I thought was pretty cheap. The big shelving unit was about $70 along with about $80 into lighting and maybe another $20 or so into lumber. Sorry this got so darn long, but any suggestions or comments are welcome. Im always striving for better conditions for my babies.

Ross · #2 03-23-2008, 09:39 AM

Looks great, Paul. My only suggestion is get some more stands

Grandma M · #3 03-23-2008, 12:22 PM

Paul, this is what I use. It works out well for me in my home. If you need another cart, check out these. Cosco or Sams Club, possibly others such as box stores, sell the unit I have on the far left. I have seen them several places and they are about $80.00 (without the lights)I have found they are so easy to hang lights onto. Just hang the hooks on the wire shelf above. The shelf (comes with 4) is easy to adjust if you need more room for tall plants. They are on castors for easy moving.

The other two units came from Housermanns, they were more expensive, come with two shelves, and the lights come with it. I much prefer the cheap metal ones.

Also pictured is a metal pipe rack, which I built myself, to hang my vandas and other hanging baskets.

All my plants sit on large trays with drain tubes which drain into a bucket which I pump out with a sump pump. You can see the rubbermaid bucket between the two left carts. Under the very bottom trays I use an 'under the bed' tray and I pump it, with a cheap pond pump, into the larger bucket. I'm not as young as I'm sure you are, so I try to make things easy to care for.

Ross · #4 03-23-2008, 12:29 PM

Awsum setup Grandma. I might be headed that way myself since I have an unused t5 fixture.

Orchidophile · #5 03-23-2008, 01:16 PM

If I didn't have crazy cats that like to knock things over (especially things that make loud noises) I would probably have setups like these everywhere. Really great job Paul and G'ma M.

cowboy51278 · #6 03-23-2008, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orchidophile

If I didn't have crazy cats that like to knock things over (especially things that make loud noises) I would probably have setups like these everywhere. Really great job Paul and G'ma M.

i have 2 nutty dogs, a cat, and a ferret running around in the house. 4 very good reasons that my grow room now has a door on it! a certified PET FREE zone.

Pippin · #7 03-24-2008, 01:09 AM

A certified pet free zone, Wow!!!!

Grandma M · #8 03-24-2008, 09:00 AM

I don't have pets unless granchildren count as pets. They all know thay may stand in the doorway and look, but may not go in unless, I go in with them. One little 6 year old loves to stand by the door and view everything. I always get the same response "Grandma Great, you have sooo many pretty flowers".

My kind of 'pets' are the kind that look and then go home.

caseydoll · #9 03-24-2008, 05:55 PM

Very nice setups Paul and Grandma M!

Grandma M, I love your Vanda rack! What a great idea you had.

I also like the way you drain out excess water. I bet that makes watering sooo much easier!

Paul, your grow area looks a lot like mine. I will post pics of mine sometime soon. I love your benches on the bottom shelf. What a fantastic idea! I'm always fiddling around trying to get plants closer to the light too. All your orchids look like they are loving it!