Artificial Lights For Orchids
Light is a very important part of growing most types of orchids. Like most plants, proper illumination is needed for them to make their food through photosynthesis. The presence of the right temperature, moisture level, and a sufficient amount of fertilizer, will not be enough to make sure orchids bloom in the absence of substantial illumination. If the proper amount of natural sunlight is not available, orchid lights can be purchased on the Internet or at a garden center. Keep in mind that most orchids bloom once each year. If your plant does not yield flowers for a long time, instead of disposing off your orchid, the first step is to find out if there is enough light. Growers define light levels as either low, medium or high. They use this categorization to make light levels easier to understand. An example of the application of this principle is that the Vanda orchid favors high light, while the Phalaenopsis orchid needs low light. To measure the intensity of light, foot-candles are used as the measuring standard. A foot-candle or fc is the amount of illumination a two foot-diameter sphere would receive from a candle in its center. During the summer, as much as ten thousand fc of light are present, where an indoor light bulb placed near a window will only have about 100 fc.
The three light groups are explained by how much fc a category has. Low light groups have one thousand two-hundred to two thousand foot-candles or fc. Some samples of orchids that prefer this light group are Phalaenopsis or the moth orchid, and Paphiodilum or the slipper orchid. On the other hand, medium light groups have about two thousand to three thousand fc. Miltonia and Cattleya orchids prefer this light group. Lastly, the high light groups have three thousand or more foot-candles. Vanda and Brassavola are some orchids that prefer this type of light groups among others. If you’re curious, fancy light meters are available at garden centers, or on the Internet, which show how much light your orchid receives, although cultivating these plants does not require that much precision. Instead, just place your hand about half a foot above the leaves in the orchid light. A dark shadow on the plant will indicate high light. A soft shadow indicates medium light and the almost faint shadow means low light levels which are too low for orchid growing. Doing tests like these over the course of the day is advisable as the intensity of light varies throughout the day.
The proper amount of illumination can also be tested just by investigating the color of the leaves. A common misconception is that thick, dark green leaves are a good and healthy sign, but in reality, your plant is implying that it needs more lighting. Elongated leaves indicate that the plant is trying to find and reach out for more sunlight. On the contrary, if you put your orchid under direct sunlight, it might get burned. A clear indication of maximum light in orchids is the presence of a red tinge. This means the plant is receiving the maximum amount of illumination that it can take. Aside from light intensity, another important factor in caring for your orchid is the duration of the light. It is a good idea to give your plants five to ten hours of light at its required intensity. At home, or when not enough natural light is present, you can always use artificial light to supplement natural light. It is perfectly possible to even grow your orchids with no natural light at all by using orchid lights, which are specialized light bulbs.
Charles Perkins is an orchid expert. For more information on orchid lights, visit http://www.orchidgrowingsolutions.com.






