Bay window set up

[Rid]

Originally Posted by Mountaineer370

I can't really tell from the photo how close to the window that rack is, or whether it would be possible to move it even closer. This is just a thought, but would it be possible to turn it around? It seems like all three levels would get better light exposure that way. (But you also will want to consider how thermal-efficient that window is and whether it is cold near it, or whether it lets in direct sunlight, which some plants would have to be protected against.)

The other thing I wanted to mention -- and I get that maybe your wife would not be keen on having supplemental plant lighting in that location. I wasn't happy about the idea either, but I ended up with some very attractive lights that have made all the difference in the happiness of my plants.

https://smile.amazon.com/Verilux-Her...768572&sr=8-11

I got two of these and set one up on either end of my long table, and a third one for the plants in my bedroom window, all on timers. I used to have a hard time getting blooms. Now everything blooms. Yes, these lamps are a bit pricey, and there are more budget-friendly options, if you don't mind the look of plastic:

https://smile.amazon.com/Balanced-Sp...768748&sr=8-10

I mention this because not all of us are in the position to be able to -- or want to -- hang the traditional strips of plant lights from the ceiling. One nice thing about this style is they are totally portable and could be used for other things like a reading lamp. Now, I imagine this would not be a practical solution for many people's large collections, but for those of us with a small number of orchids looking for something easy and aesthetically pleasing, it's something to consider.

I don't know. Paphs are supposed to need even less light than Phals, but I finally rehomed all of my Paphs because they just wouldn't ever bloom for me. I now have only Phals (gave up on Catts and Oncidiums a long time ago). But my Phals are really going to town since I got the floor lamps

thanks for the info, i appreciate it. Those are attractive lights and might be what I need. I'm going to give it some time to see how the plants respond to moving in from the outside. I've moved everything up to the top two levels of the stand for now. My Cymbidium and Nobile dendrobium have gone to a west window in the unfinished basement to chill out for a little while.


Ridley

[Rid]

I get this much sun on the bottom level for about 4.5 hours. Would this be enough sun for high light orchids?

[Ray]

Originally Posted by Rid

I get this much sun on the bottom level for about 4.5 hours. Would this be enough sun for high light orchids?

It's better to judge by the shadow, not the appearance of the light beam:

Place or hold a piece of white paper approximately where the plant will be.

Hold your hand about one foot in front of the paper so it casts a shadow.

If the shadow has crisply-defined edges, it indicates fairly high light levels. Depending upon how long the location gets that light, it's probably good for vandaceous plants to cattleyas.

The opposite end of the range, where a shadow is barely discernible, is good for low-light plants like phals.

A bit more definition is probably good for paphs, while a clear-but-fuzzy shadow might be fine for oncids.

[Dollythehun]

Where do you live? In the Midwest, we have few sunny winter days. I had that much sun [I]somedays[I]. It was never enough to bloom my mini catts.

[Rid]

I'm in Georgia -

It's pretty sunny here in the winter i guess.

the pictures show how much light I'm getting on the bottom tier of a three tier stand. the upper levels get full sun (although a similar duration of time).

Would a low light Orchid like Paphiopedilum possibly work with the partial sun shown in the pictures?

[Roberta]

Welcome! We'd love for you to introduce yourself in the Introductions thread, more will see your post than buried in an old thread.