Orchids are wonderful plants that, when provided with the proper growing requirements, produce some of the most spectacular flowers imaginable. One of the orchids' crucial requirements is the right amount of light. Many people don't have the right natural conditions in their homes, so it may be necessary to install some orchid lights.
Generally speaking, orchids thrive with a full 12 hour day of light and some even do better with up to 16 hours.  Light intensity is important too, with most orchids doing best with bright light but not direct sunlight. Given those somewhat restrictive guidelines, to grow a lot of orchids or a wide variety of them, some type of artificial lighting is necessary.
What are the best artificial lights for orchids? Like so many questions regarding these beautiful plants the answer is "it depends". The following are the pros and cons of the most readily available lights for orchids, with the disclaimer that this is for general orchid care. Specific orchid species may have different requirements.
Incandescent lights are generally not the best choice. They are too warm, so you risk actually burning the orchid plants. They are also inefficient and do not last very long.  But there is one application for incandescent bulbs, and that is that they give off "warm" light - the yellow/orange/red part of the spectrum - and they can be used as a supplement for cool fluorescents that only emit the blue end of the spectrum.
Fluorescent lights are a very good choice for most orchid lighting applications. They burn cool so there is no risk of burning the plants. They are efficient and long lasting, but they do lose intensity over time and should be replaced after 1 1/2 -2 years of use. Also, they give off the most intense light right in the middle of the tube as opposed to the ends, so keep that in mind when placing your plants. The basic fluorescent bulbs do lack the warmer end of the light spectrum, but you can find full spectrum or "daylight" fluorescent bulbs, and they are the best choice.
For some orchid species that require high-intensity light it may be necessary to step up to a High Intensity Discharge or HID light. These come in high pressure sodium bulbs or metal halide bulbs. The advantage here is that they emit a high-intensity light, but the primary disadvantage is the cost. HID lights are significantly more expensive than other options. Unless you are very serious about growing orchids as a hobby, the HID lights are probably overkill for someone who just wants to keep a few plants in their home.
As one advances in the hobby and gets into more elaborate lighting setups, there are other options available, but for the casual grower or basic houseplant keeper, the aforementioned are the best considerations.
Generally speaking, orchids thrive with a full 12 hour day of light and some even do better with up to 16 hours.  Light intensity is important too, with most orchids doing best with bright light but not direct sunlight. Given those somewhat restrictive guidelines, to grow a lot of orchids or a wide variety of them, some type of artificial lighting is necessary.
What are the best artificial lights for orchids? Like so many questions regarding these beautiful plants the answer is "it depends". The following are the pros and cons of the most readily available lights for orchids, with the disclaimer that this is for general orchid care. Specific orchid species may have different requirements.
Incandescent lights are generally not the best choice. They are too warm, so you risk actually burning the orchid plants. They are also inefficient and do not last very long.  But there is one application for incandescent bulbs, and that is that they give off "warm" light - the yellow/orange/red part of the spectrum - and they can be used as a supplement for cool fluorescents that only emit the blue end of the spectrum.
Fluorescent lights are a very good choice for most orchid lighting applications. They burn cool so there is no risk of burning the plants. They are efficient and long lasting, but they do lose intensity over time and should be replaced after 1 1/2 -2 years of use. Also, they give off the most intense light right in the middle of the tube as opposed to the ends, so keep that in mind when placing your plants. The basic fluorescent bulbs do lack the warmer end of the light spectrum, but you can find full spectrum or "daylight" fluorescent bulbs, and they are the best choice.
For some orchid species that require high-intensity light it may be necessary to step up to a High Intensity Discharge or HID light. These come in high pressure sodium bulbs or metal halide bulbs. The advantage here is that they emit a high-intensity light, but the primary disadvantage is the cost. HID lights are significantly more expensive than other options. Unless you are very serious about growing orchids as a hobby, the HID lights are probably overkill for someone who just wants to keep a few plants in their home.
As one advances in the hobby and gets into more elaborate lighting setups, there are other options available, but for the casual grower or basic houseplant keeper, the aforementioned are the best considerations.
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