Thanks for your help and sharing. I figured it out on my own with trial and error. Thank you.

Hi Mike.

If you are a member of AOS their Orchids magazine, this month has a whole section on LED lighting.

I'll include the link but I'm not sure if it is for members only. Click it and see.

Scroll down the page to the list of articles in this months Orchids. Toward the bottom is 'Growing with LED Lights.'

Growing with LED Lights

I browsed the article yesterday when I received my copy, have not fully read as of yet. From my browsing I ascertained they are talking high-end/high-priced lights in that article. I'll post back after I actually "read" the article.

I currently go cheap and ugly, would move to pretty if the lights/fixtures are priced right.

Bob

I am not a member of AOS and cannot access the magazine. So, I googled the author and found this piece, which covers a lot of technical aspects of LED growlights. I like the discussion of technical terms, such as PAR, PPF and DLI, which more accurately define the light used by plants. I also like how she mentions that cattleyas can require twice as much DLI as phalaenopsis or paphiopedilums do to flower.

For an affordable LED growlight, I recently came across this YouTube video that demos Mars Hydro TS 600W, which has very good reviews on Amazon, for vandas. Like many 2019 LED growlights, it has a warmer glow, unlike the cold fluorescent or blurple that older LED technologies emit. I don’t have a Mars Hydro, but I do own a few growlights from Fluence and HLG that use similar spectra. I find the warm, sun-like glow to be very pleasant.

Last winter, my growlights did a great job helping my jasmines and camellias bloom indoors. I recently bought 20+ cattleyas and dendrobiums, and we will see how they do under the lights this winter.

Thanks everyone!

Right now I have them all under 24 watt eqivalent 65 watts daylight LED lights and they are doing ok. Spiking like crazy. I did go to the Orchid show this past weekend and many home growers there were selling the most beautiful orchids. I asked everyone what lights they use other than greenhouse and they all said cheap LED shop lights and flourescent to boot. Bright white, some daylight.

One did say she uses the grow light full spectrum you pay and arm and a leg for but hers didn't look any better than everyone elses. So I am beginning to wonder if it is just about cost for most rather than if the plants are finicky about what lights they get. I guess some bright light of nay sort is better than none at all.

Mike

Mike,

Check those numbers. A 24 watt LED is somewhere around 150-200 watt regular equivalent. A 65 watt regular equivalent would be @ a 9 watt LED.

The AOS article was fairly technical, but I will look into some of the lights she mentioned in the article to check out pricing.

I'm happy with the results of my cost-effective LED tubes and floods.

Bob

LED's weren't around when I lived in NY. I was happy using CFL's and bloomed my Phals in December and got flowers on my Catts.

They did grow in large windows in my living room with the CFL'S. Maybe the additional window light helped everything along, but I didn't spend a lot of money on those octopus floor lambs or the shop lights.

Did that for many years and was pleased.

Jane