LED Lighting Help for Dummies Please!

[emmajs243]

Ok guys, I really am on the hunt for some 4 ft long tube lights for my orchid shelves. I know, there are tons of lighting posts on here tons....My problem is...I am a lighting dummy and although I have read them...I have NO idea what they are saying. Its like a foreign language.

I understand that orchids always get this "foot-candle" or whatever reading and estimates put on their culture sheets but I SERIOUSLY do NOT know what this means...I know its light intensity but how in the world do you get from there to what is on the box of a light?

Basically, is there an overall lighting solution that will work for most orchids? Are there any types of orchids that need less light (other then maybe seedlings and sick plants). I am looking to put them in front of a South window with a sheer curtain to protect them from direct sunlight BUT I live in Idaho so the majority of the year it is glooming and short days and they need some supplemental help.

So can anyone give me their advice on what they use or have had success in or what they think I might have success trying? I am wanting LEDs and it would be great to get them locally just from a hardware store if thats possible and more economical then grow lights. I know Costco has these shop light hanging setups like you would attach to the shelves that come with 2 LED tube lights by Feit Electric? I just don't know how this brand is AND what to look for on the actual light bulb box??

My other issue is all the LED options...Maybe this really isn't AS bad for 4 foot lights? IDK! But the Cool Light, Daylight, Warm Light, like what in the world am I suppose to choose? And what numbers do I pay attention to on the lightbulb box? What should I look for? Does anyone just have a lightbulb they like and have had success with and if so, will you post the link below or give me VERY SIMPLE guidelines in PLAIN terms like your talking to an eight year old?!

Thank you guys so much!

[fooferdoggie]

daylight or 5000k seems the best overall. you can buy the led bulbs for a standard 4' t8 florescent fixture for about 12.00 I just replaced all my shop lights with them. This is a simple way to go Hyperikon LED Vapor Proof Fixture 70W (150W Eq), 7200Lm, 5000K (Crystal White Glow), UL & DLC 4.2, Clear Cover, Waterproof, IP65, 120-277v, Garage lighting, Car Wash, Warehouse, Walk in Freezer, 1-Pack - - Amazon.com

[fooferdoggie]

I have the felts and they have worked fine. I did have one of my 10 fixtures go out after a year.

[emmajs243]

Thank you SO much! I will admit...I was pretty scared to check this post! I was almost certain there were going to only be responses trying to explain complex lighting equations and problems to me that I wouldn't understand and have to sound like even more of a dummy asking questions to figure out!

Thank you SO much for the link! AND especially for letting me know your experience with feits! Like I said, it seemed just so, so. Some people kept reviewing they did burn out after a year but then again, how many people write a review on a lightbulb unless it's for bad reasons!

The shop light setups with tube lights are like on sale for $12 right now at Costco which....I really haven't shopped around a bunch BUT seemed like a darn good deal to me! however! They are only 4000K 4000 Lumens? Whatever that means...but I'm not sure if they are strong enough. I'll have to do some more research on your link and a few others I've found and see if maybe buying the shop light hanging set ups and bulbs are still worth the price, using the bulbs they come with in my kitchen and getting nicer bulbs for the orchids!

At least I have some numbers to work off of! Thank you SOOOO much for keeping it simple! Oh! And the lights on that link look amazing!!! Maybe I'll buy one to start and continue buying them one at a time every few months! All my shelves aren't even filled with orchids yet so that might just work!

---------- Post added at 06:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:08 PM ----------

Oh AND! I find your username absolutely hilarious and quite fun to say! How did you even come up with it??!

[marylandmike]

How many hours a day do you run the lights in winter vs summer? thanks, Mike

[Dollythehun]

Remember, standard florescents do generate heat.

[fooferdoggie]

I don't know about the 4k but I am sure they would work. hard to say if they will work great.

[estación seca]

Go to a nearby hydroponics shop and ask away. If starting from scratch I would skip other options and go with LED. Fluorescent tubes need to be changed every 9-12 months to maintain light output, while LEDs last much longer. LEDs use less electricity. For most people, considering initial fixture cost plus electricity plus fluorescent tube changes, LEDs wind up ahead before long.

[emmajs243]

Thanks guys! good to know on the 4000K bulbs! I'll stick to the higher range! I definitely at least have some options to work with now and try out so thank you everyone who has helped me with that!

And ES, I definitely am planning to stick with LEDs! I had a "growing up" moment a few months back when I was sitting in Home Depot's aisle shopping for lights and suddenly saw the average annual price cost of LEDs versus regular bulbs! Idk how I am nearly thirty and just now having this realization but normal light bulbs cost a ton per year! It's absolutely silly when comparing with LEDs! SO I swapped me entire house to LEDs and HOPEFULY I'll start saving some money! But I definitely wanted my grow lights to be LEDs for the same reason! Thank you for enforcing that LEDs are a good option however! Nice to know I got ONE lighting choice correct on my own! 😉

[Orchidtinkerer]

Originally Posted by emmajs243

I had a "growing up" moment a few months back when I was sitting in Home Depot's aisle shopping for lights and suddenly saw the average annual price cost of LEDs versus regular bulbs! Idk how I am nearly thirty and just now having this realization but normal light bulbs cost a ton per year! It's absolutely silly when comparing with LEDs! SO I swapped me entire house to LEDs and HOPEFULY I'll start saving some money!

Yes Led's use 1/12 of what incandescent lights used to use. So a 300 dollar bill could easily be 1/12 of that which is 25 dollars or 275 dollars saving per year. I saw the potential as soon as they came out but I remember in the early days my led's were badly made and did not last more than a year - that annoyed me. Wasn't long before Ikea started mass producing cheap led's and I still haven't replaced a single one of those yet.

The hydroponic stores here do not have the best Led's or the best prices yet. It is still a new market, but more and more great lights are coming out every year.

I recently discovered one with warm white and white light led's combined which is what I have read is the best to use. white light seems to encourage root growth, red or warm white seems to encourage flowering but I have not noticed a great difference, both will get orchids to flower or produce roots. I'd like to think both together has produced the best results but it is hard to say.

Full spectrum (either 6000k white or 3000k warm white or anything between) beats fluorescent lights producing nicer growth, using about half the electricity and certainly beats red+blue only led lights.

Edit: thinking about my grow spaces one with warm white + white light has made one of my up till then struggling vanda's produce the most amount of roots in my care to date but at the time I was attributing it to a slight increase I made in the lighting hours. It is very hard to pinpoint what changes we make has the biggest results. If I were to pick just between warm white and white I would lean towards the white light since that produces good roots growth and good roots = best results long term. Under warm white the orchids flower more but eventually they run out of energy and then sulk so a combo of both is best, otherwise I would recommend white led over warm white since yes we want our orchids to flower but sunshine can always help, 80% of the year our orchids won't be flowering and will need the right light to just grow.