LED Lighting Help for Dummies Please!
Login
User Name
Password   


Registration is FREE. Click to become a member of OrchidBoard community
(You're NOT logged in)

menu menu

Sponsor
Donate Now
and become
Forum Supporter.

LED Lighting Help for Dummies Please!
Many perks!
<...more...>


Sponsor
 

Google


Fauna Top Sites
LOG IN/REGISTER TO CLOSE THIS ADVERTISEMENT
  #11  
Old 10-20-2020, 03:09 PM
estación seca's Avatar
estación seca estación seca is online now
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Jun 2015
Zone: 9b
Location: Phoenix AZ - Lower Sonoran Desert
Posts: 17,755
LED Lighting Help for Dummies Please! Male
Default

Color temperature is a measurement of how artificial light appears to a human eye. It is meaningless for describing the effect on plants. Plants experience light differently than we do.

By a random accident 6000K color temperature fluorescent lights work well for growing plants; that's because the combination of elements used in the tubes to generate that light just happen to emit photons in a spectrum good for growing plants.

6000K LEDs tend to emit different wavelengths than 6000K fluorescent tubes. The 6000K number is meaningless.
__________________
May the bridges I've burned light my way.

Weather forecast for my neighborhood
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 10-24-2020, 09:13 AM
thefish1337 thefish1337 is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 400
LED Lighting Help for Dummies Please!
Default

I have LEDs that are 4000k mixed with deep red diodes (a horticultural spectrum), I also have 3000k and 4000k without added red. No way to say which is better without a controlled experiment. LEDs with spectrum higher than 4K have way more blue than you ever need and are extremely harsh on the eyes IMO. Many new lights are coming out with UV, far-red, added red some of it is real some of it is untested.

Deep red 660-700 nm supposedly increases the efficiency of photosynthesis in combination with white light Emmerson Effect

far-red has variable effects depending on the plants you chose, it increases the yields of lettuces but can negatively impact the morphology in other plants without increasing yield.


None of these experimental or horticultural spectrum have been tested on orchids so be weary of extraordinary claims:
Quote:
It has been noted that there is considerable misunderstanding over the effect of light quality on plant growth. Many manufacturers claim significantly increased plant growth due to light quality (high YPF). The YPF curve indicates that orange and red photons between 600 and 630 nm can result in 20 to 30% more photosynthesis than blue or cyan photons between 400 and 540 nm. [8][9] But the YPF curve was developed from short-term measurements made on single leaves in low light. More recent longer-term studies with whole plants in higher light indicate that light quality may have a smaller effect on plant growth rate than light quantity. Blue light, while not delivering as many photons per joule, encourages leaf growth and affects other outcomes.[8][10]
Wikipedia

The single most important thing to growing your orchids well under LEDs is making sure they get enough light

Last edited by thefish1337; 10-24-2020 at 11:05 AM..
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 10-28-2020, 04:35 PM
marylandmike marylandmike is offline
Member
 

Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 38
LED Lighting Help for Dummies Please!
Default

How many hours a day do you run the lights in winter vs summer? thanks, Mike
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 01-12-2021, 09:46 AM
ElleBlyth ElleBlyth is offline
Jr. Member
 

Join Date: Jan 2021
Posts: 1
LED Lighting Help for Dummies Please!
Default

Hello...i would like to add to your knowledge in terms to timing. that is too much lighting time. 12 hours is generally max amount, so you need to give up some time in the morning or evening. I have no idea whether an Acadian Cycle is important to coral or if it is just the total amount of light they get each day. A good compromise might be some moonlights that allow you to see what is going on, but is like night to the sea creatures.

pcb online ordering

Last edited by ElleBlyth; 01-20-2021 at 03:20 PM..
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 01-12-2021, 03:44 PM
SADE2020 SADE2020 is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Dec 2020
Location: Palma de Mallorca
Posts: 1,012
LED Lighting Help for Dummies Please! Female
Default

Lumen, Lux ..too complicated.

LED's by WATTS ... 12W = 1,000 Lumen
You want your plants min 6-7 inches under +16W (Phals) to 30W(Cattleyas)..

To get to 30W you can add 3 10w Leds for example.
Reply With Quote
  #16  
Old 01-12-2021, 04:05 PM
camille1585's Avatar
camille1585 camille1585 is offline
Administrator
 

Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: middle of the Netherlands
Posts: 13,683
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by SADE2020 View Post
Lumen, Lux ..too complicated.

LED's by WATTS ... 12W = 1,000 Lumen
You want your plants min 6-7 inches under +16W (Phals) to 30W(Cattleyas)..

To get to 30W you can add 3 10w Leds for example.
That's far too black and white, IMO. The problem with that is that the efficiency is really dependent on the light source, and even within a light family (LED for instance), you can have a wide range of efficiencies at converting electrical power into lumens.

There are good reasons why Lux, footcandles, and PPFD are used to quantify light in relation to plants. All these are measures of the light actually hitting the plant when measured at plant level, independent of the light source characteristics (including the sun!). These are far more meaningful measures than electrical output of a unit.
__________________
Camille

Completely orchid obsessed and loving every minute of it....

My Orchid Photos
Reply With Quote
Post Thanks / Like - 1 Likes
Likes wisdomseeker liked this post
  #17  
Old 01-12-2021, 05:02 PM
SADE2020 SADE2020 is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Dec 2020
Location: Palma de Mallorca
Posts: 1,012
LED Lighting Help for Dummies Please! Female
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by camille1585 View Post
That's far too black and white, IMO. The problem with that is that the efficiency is really dependent on the light source, and even within a light family (LED for instance), you can have a wide range of efficiencies at converting electrical power into lumens.

There are good reasons why Lux, footcandles, and PPFD are used to quantify light in relation to plants. All these are measures of the light actually hitting the plant when measured at plant level, independent of the light source characteristics (including the sun!). These are far more meaningful measures than electrical output of a unit.
That is true! Distance form the light sources, temperature as well, quality over quantity, you are totally right. But it is also like the Coke formula...when comes to measurement Light Intensity or by Genus and adjusting to all different needs, it is complicated. I didn't mean to sound careless.

PD: I think at the end they (our plants) are smarter than us and adjust to what we provide.

Cheers!
Reply With Quote
  #18  
Old 01-13-2021, 08:05 AM
Ray's Avatar
Ray Ray is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: May 2005
Member of:AOS
Location: Oak Island NC
Posts: 14,790
LED Lighting Help for Dummies Please! Male
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by SADE2020 View Post
I think at the end they (our plants) are smarter than us and adjust to what we provide.
Yes, plants will adjust, but whether that's acceptable or not depends upon the type of grower you are - one who grows plants that "tolerate" what they are given, or one who works to provide what they need.
__________________
Ray Barkalow, Orchid Iconoclast
FIRSTRAYS.COM
Try Kelpak - you won't be sorry!
Reply With Quote
  #19  
Old 01-13-2021, 08:21 AM
camille1585's Avatar
camille1585 camille1585 is offline
Administrator
 

Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: middle of the Netherlands
Posts: 13,683
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ray View Post
Yes, plants will adjust, but whether that's acceptable or not depends upon the type of grower you are - one who grows plants that "tolerate" what they are given, or one who works to provide what they need.
I completely agree with this. I fell in the former group until recently, and my plants had to deal with the natural light they were getting in the winter. My windows may all face south, but winter in the Netherlands is often cloudy, on top of the very short days. I was still thinking they were growing and blooming fine, but in the fall I finally went the 'provide what they need' route, and I have to say that I have never seen so much growth happening in the winter until this year! I'll be curious to see how they will bloom this year.
__________________
Camille

Completely orchid obsessed and loving every minute of it....

My Orchid Photos
Reply With Quote
Post Thanks / Like - 1 Likes
Likes Fuerte Rav liked this post
  #20  
Old 04-21-2021, 09:22 AM
Alukard Alukard is offline
Jr. Member
 

Join Date: Apr 2021
Posts: 1
LED Lighting Help for Dummies Please!
Default

These plants bloom in strong light, therefore LED lights are the best choice! I'm no expert when it comes to this, but my wife is. She's saying that you should start with a 'poorer' light and then increase its brightness. An easy option would be to buy LED strips, this way, all your orchids would get the same amount of light with not so much effort. I know that's what she used at first, and then bought some more 'professional' LED lights from litelume.com . Also, please pay attention to their leaves! Their color will always tell you if they're getting too much light. Oh, and you'll learn this in no time, trust me.

Last edited by Alukard; 04-21-2021 at 01:36 PM..
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Tags
light, lighting, lights, orchids, success


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
To increase lighting or not? Plethodoncinereus Growing Under Lights 4 01-31-2017 06:03 PM
Various interesting links about lighting. DavidCampen Growing Under Lights 12 02-23-2013 02:15 PM
A lighting quandary........ Ambrose Growing Under Lights 7 11-25-2010 11:32 AM
What Lighting for Indoor Orchid Garden? seashells1990 Growing Under Lights 5 04-08-2010 06:38 PM
What Lighting for orchids? seashells1990 Beginner Discussion 9 03-02-2010 04:19 PM

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 12:50 AM.

© 2007 OrchidBoard.com
Search Engine Optimisation provided by DragonByte SEO v2.0.37 (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
Feedback Buttons provided by Advanced Post Thanks / Like (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.

Clubs vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.