Lumex, Footcandle, Shade, semishade, and Co...

[terryros]

I haven't tried anything more light-requiring than Cattleya alliance but they grow and are blooming for me under T12 fluorescent wide-spectrum lights and many others have this experience. I grow the Catts closer to the lights than Phals or Paphs and I get Phrags closer to the lights as well. My Catts never get close to 2000 FC in intensity but they get 11-14 hours per day of steady 800-1,000 and grow fine.

[Ross]

Originally Posted by terryros

I haven't tried anything more light-requiring than Cattleya alliance but they grow and are blooming for me under T12 fluorescent wide-spectrum lights and many others have this experience. I grow the Catts closer to the lights than Phals or Paphs and I get Phrags closer to the lights as well. My Catts never get close to 2000 FC in intensity but they get 11-14 hours per day of steady 800-1,000 and grow fine.

That's exactly why this thread is dangerous to newbies.! Sorry I knew perfectly well that many grow high light plants under t12s and t8s. I also knew that those folks have the plants pretty close to the bulbs. Ramon's intent is still valid, however, in that you should be able to measure Foot-candles (or whatever) at the leaf surface, no matter the type of bulb. I believe he is after a list of absolute Foot-candle needs by plant group or species.

[kavanaru]

Originally Posted by Ross

Ramon's intent is still valid, however, in that you should be able to measure Foot-candles (or whatever) at the leaf surface, no matter the type of bulb. I believe he is after a list of absolute Foot-candle needs by plant group or species.

Hi Ross, the idea is not a list of absolut Fc needs by plant group or species, but a compilation of what is given already in different sources and the own experience OB Members have.

I mentioned at the beginning of the thread, that there is several ways to measure light intensity, that there is confusion with semi-shade, shade, full sun, etc, and teh idea of the trhead is to clarify this rather vague information. If someone can measure Fc/Lux that's excellent and make everything easier, if someone cannot do it, but read someone has success with 500Fc, that's a start point to search what exactly is 500Fc and how much light that could be. We have bodaciousbonsai's thread who give a clear example: "400-500Fc at 4' below a 54 watt ho t5 unit 8 bulbs system" Anybody, can then have a better idea of what 500Fc means (and that's much better than saying semi-shade)

you normally find in the bibliography and the web: use this for A use this for B use this for C. I think that's the dangerous information, as it is always given as absolut unique source of true. What most people need, especially when growing orchids, is a "Use this for A as it works for me under this conditions, but use that for A, as it works for thi sother guy at these other conditions". That's exactly the information I wan to compile here: what is given in the bibliography and the web, and what is your own experience.

You all give this information here in OB in different threads, why not compiling it in one? If this is bad, as I said the whole OB is bad, because you provide the information anyway...

as I said guys, this are my two cents, and still think is a good way to clarify the light issue for everybody...

[s.kallima]

I think it would be great to have a thread like Ramon started, a compilation of information about light "requirements" for species, think of it almost as a database, and another seperate thread (there are already many...) to argue about it !
I can tell you as a newbie myself, that I find it a bit annoying to see every single thread starting with an idea of compiling information (ie. species in S/H, light requirements...) turning into pro and con argumentation. It is good to argue, but maybe doing it in a seprate thread would help !

Ramon never said we have to provide exactely this or that amount of fc., he is trying to compile what is already available and if possible add the personnal experiences OB members have in order to help newbies.
You think newbies will jump into conclusions as soon as they read 1500 fc. for Masdevallia in this thread ? ...but what is the first thing you can read on an AOS culture sheet for Masdevallia ? And other websites will tell you : medium shade for Masdevallia... doesn't help much a newbie!

Some people will always jump into conclusions too fast no matter how many precautions you take when you talk or write... they make mistakes, they learn from it (hopefully...)

The initial idea of organizing the info very clearly is great (there are hundreds of other threads for reading long stories about orchids culture)
fc., species, source of info
and people can add their results at measuring the light with their installations. ie. type of artificial light, surroundings (windows or not, facing which direction), distance of leaves from bulbs, fc. (or lux) measured, species grown of course ... just make it short so we can read it fast!
Maybe Ramon you could restart a "database thread", and an "arguing thread"...

Please excuse my english (second language) and hopefully you will understand that I am not for censuring members opinions !