Halide Light
Orchid Lights – The Correct Spectrum
What's a home horticulturist to do? The window sills are full and a greenhouse out back is not in the budget for years to come. Orchid lights can be a great enhancement to your growing or lighting needs. When the available space and light is at a premium an orchid lighting system is a reasonable answer. That system should include high intensity discharge lights. Most of us out there will focus on the old standby of fluorescent tube lights. The ones that can be found at the big box store called shop lights. These are just right in the work shop to make sure you measure twice and cut once, but for orchids these will not do. HID lights will supply the proper amount of light growing spectrum specific light for maximum results.
There are choices in the marketplace of HID lights. Mental-halide types match up to the sun's color spectrum. These types are best applied for the use of vegetative growth. High pressure sodium lights can be more cost effective and will facilitate increased flowering. However, this light has a limited range in the spectrum. With this limitation these will best function when incorporated with metal halide lights to complement them. The best application of artificial orchid grow lights will be in the form of a combination of lights. Mixing high pressure sodium lamps with metal halide lamps will give the orchid the absolute best lighting.
Caring for orchids indoors with lights does present a challenge, how to get equal coverage to all of the plants. The answer to this is a light mover. Basically this is a railing system in which the light or lights can move or be moved to cover a larger area. The rails come in a variety of lengths; four, six and eight foot. The whole reason behind a light mover system is to supply the maximum amount of proper spectrum light to the greatest number of orchids.
While an HID light mover system and an area of correct size in your home is wonderful, the cost to set this up for your orchids comes into consideration. To cover a grow area of 10x10 you will need the following equipment and supplies:
- 400-1000 wattage metal-halide lamp with ballast ($200-$400)
- High-pressure sodium lamp with ballast ($200-$400)
- Light Mover 8' rail ($150-$300)
- Timers with grounds ($50-$80)
- Large air circulation fans ($70-$160)
- Growing benches 2 ($200-$400)
- Humidifier ($150-$300)
- Light meter ($25-$50)
- Thermometer, minimum-maximum type ($20-$50)
- Humidity gauge ($10-$30)
This does add up and could be done for around a $1000. Also, the lights should be on a separate electrical circuit. While this may seem excessive to some, this could be a long term solution to growing your orchids and increasing the joy in having constant blooming plants in your home. Make your orchids a happy place to thrive and they will return the favor to you many times over.
Marty Lewis
400w metal halide flood light
 Cooper Lighting GT100MH 100W Metal Halide Industrial Grade Security Dusk to Dawn Area Light Sale Price: $99.99  Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product DescriptionMetal halide industrial grade area light has a rugged die cast aluminum housing with powder coated paint. Use where energy efficiency and light color are important. Features include nighttime On daytime Off (twist lock photo control with optional cover for more control), metal guard attaches (without tools) to protect lens and bulb from damage, easy installation: Ez mount bracket and Quick connect wiring system. Fixture operates on standard 120V 60 Hz household current, replacement bulb: 100W M90 medium base ED 17 metal halide, bulb included. cULus listed for wet location use. Features
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 400 Watt Electronic Switchable Ballast Hydroponic Grow Lamp System with Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium HPS Light Bulbs, Cord + Hanger, GYO2002 List Price: Sale Price: $155.00 You save: $44.00 (22%) Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days See Reviews For This Product DescriptionThis 400W hydroponics lighting system represents the best value grow light. Its advanced electronic ballast supports both High Pressure Sodium (HPS) and Metal Halide (MH) bulbs, giving the grower the flexibility to choose the best selection simply by changing the bulb, instead of having to own two separate light systems.MH is used for accelerated vegetative growth, then switch to HPS to encourage flowering, fruiting and budding Input Characteristics Output Characteristics: Rated Voltage:120V Harmonic Distortion Features
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 Sylvania 64490 M400/U 400 499 watt Metal Halide Light Bulb List Price: Sale Price: $17.90 You save: $7.55 (30%) Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product Description400 watt BT37 Mogul Screw (E39) Base 4,000K Clear Universal Burn General Lighting Metal Halide HID Sylvania Light Bulb Features
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 Sylvania 64417 MP100/U/MED 100 149 watt Metal Halide Light Bulb Sale Price: $27.99 Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product Description100 watt E17 Medium Screw (E26) Base 3,000K Clear Universal Burn Open Fixture Rated Metal Halide HID Sylvania Light Bulb Features
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 Sunshine Systems LEDGP45 LED Grow Light 28WT List Price: Sale Price: $123.80 You save: $25.19 (17%) Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product DescriptionThe GlowPanel 45 uses the latest in LED technology to provide your plants with the perfect blend of light suitable for all stages of growth. From seed to flower to fruit. More than four times the output of the original GlowPanel®, the GlowPanel 45® uses only 28 Watts of power and surpasses the output of a 250 Watt HPS. It easily provides five square feet of coverage for your garden. The GlowPanel 45 is a plug and play grow light - it works right out of the box. There is no need for any additional ballasts or reflectors and the GlowPanel 45 comes complete with its own hanging kit. Features
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 Sunshine Systems LEDGP14 LED Grow Light 14WT List Price: Sale Price: $53.00 You save: $6.99 (12%) Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product DescriptionGlowPanel LED grow lights provide your plants with a balanced spectrum of light for healthy & vigorous plant growth. GlowPanels consume 80% less energy than HPS or Metal Halide grow lights and produce virtually no heat. They're great for growing plants and with today's skyrocketing energy costs, they're also good for your wallet. GlowPanels are not only economical, they're environmentally friendly too. Less energy used means less of an impact on the environment. The GlowPanel LED grow light lasts 10 times longer than an HPS or Metal Halide lamp and will operate for up to 50,000 hours without the need for costly replacement bulbs. Because GlowPanels do not contain mercury or other hazardous materials they can be safely recycled after 50,000 hours of use. Features
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 400 Watt 400w Digital Switchable Ballast Grow Light Set Includes HPS, MH Bulbs, Reflector, Power Cord and Hanger, GYO-2002 List Price: Sale Price: $165.00 You save: $34.00 (17%) Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product DescriptionThis 400W hydroponics lighting system represents the best value grow light. Its advanced integrated electronic ballast supports both High Pressure Sodium (HPS) and Metal Halide (MH) bulbs, giving the grower the flexibility to choose the best selection simply by changing the bulb, instead of having to own two separate light systems.MH is used for accelerated vegetative growth, then switch to HPS to encourage flowering, fruiting and buddingQuality light reflector ? Power cord included ? Lamp cord included ? Discreet packaging Reasons to Choose Digital Electronic Ballast: ? Fast startup - reaches full brightness in less than 1/4 the time of most magnetic ballasts ? Completely silent - no more of the humming and buzzing ? Small, compact design - most electronic models weigh less than 10 pounds compared to 44 pounds for magnetic ballasts ? Longer bulb life - lumen output loss over time is dramatically less than with magnetic ballats ? Electronic ballast lights both MH and HPS lamps ? More lumen output - up to 20% more lumen output than regular ballasts ? Heat sink technology - no fans to break down and make noise; fan-cooled ballasts have a higher failure rateLight Fixture Specification: ? Fixture Size: 18.5" x 15" x 4.5" ? Total Weight: 15 LbNote: ? Actual reflector hood may be slightly different from photoElectronic Ballast Parameters: Input Characteristics: Output Characteristics Rated Voltage: 120V Harmonic Distortion: Features
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 Cooper Lighting AL70MH 70W Metal Halide Safety and Security Dusk to Dawn Area Light List Price: Sale Price: $81.24 You save: $48.12 (37%) Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product Description70W, Metal Halide Security Lantern, Automatic Twist Lock Light Sensor, Nighttime On, Daytime Off, True White Light Color Compared To Yellow Light Color From High Pressure Sodium Bulbs, More Energy Efficient Than Mercury Vapor, Corrosion Resistant Die Cast Aluminum Housing Designed For Long Life, For Replacement Bulb Use True Value #827-672. Features
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 Hydrofarm FLC0125D Fluorescent Grow Light System List Price: Sale Price: $103.90 You save: $55.10 (35%) Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product DescriptionCompact Fluorescent Grow Light System Garden indoors year-round. Grow flowers, herbs and much more! Daylight brightness grows healthy plants. Lightweight fixture weighs less than 10 lbs. 21" x 14.5" x 9" high fixture is easy to install. Includes a 125 watt compact fluorescent bulb that will serve a 3' x 3' growing area. Bulb lasts for 10,000 hours. Features
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 150 Watt Metal Halide Light Bulb, Medium Base, Standard Neck, Clear, Universal Burning Position Sale Price: $13.99 Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 3-4 business days See Reviews For This Product DescriptionMetal Halide bulbs require a ballasted fixture and WILL NOT work with standard fixtures. Features
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