Neo_Rokkenjima
Yamadori
Summary: See title.
Hello, everyone. That time of year has come once again, here in the Northeast US of A. That time of year, where those of us who leave their tropicals outside during the warmer months finally bring them indoors, while I do absolutely nothing.
Why is it that I do nothing, you ask? Well, that's because I happen to be possessed of circumstances which allow me to keep my tropicals indoors 24/7, without any real need for grow lights. My trees are very healthy/ thriving under these conditions, and I find that this arrangement is generally superior to keeping them outdoors for any amount of time-- but, this is a topic for another day.
This year, I would like to do something. Because my trees are so healthy, I am sure they would manage to eke out another year of winter survival without serious grow lights. That said, I'd like to make their lives a little easier, and so, I decided to give my trees a gift this Christmas in the form of a grow light. Besides ensuring that their winters are as easy as possible going forwards, I'm really focused on trunk-thickening right now. I hate losing 3-5 months of development every year, with the added risk of possibly losing my trees, because they aren't getting enough sun during wintertime. To that end, I think a grow light has become somewhat necessary for my setup, if I am going to continue forward in this hobby.
Situation: My four, permanently-indoor trees (BRT, ficus, Surinam cherry, and a Fukien) are currently housed on a dedicated 48"x13" bonsai table, which is positioned flush against the interior sill of a large, south-facing window. Space directly to the left or right of this table is highly limited; there is an additional 13"x9" of free space, directly to the left of the table, and that's about it. Some limited compromises could be made to achieve more space, but as you can see I'm on a tight budget in this regard. What I want is a lighting setup that will completely cover this table, while providing my trees the extra energy they will need in order to maintain good health and continue developing throughout the cold season. I am not particular about the type of fixture-- it could be a bar light that requires suspension, a single floor lamp, or multiple lights positioned at different angles. Bonus points if this solution can be re-employed elsewhere, should I eventually decide to expand my tablespace vertically (ie: by converting it into a fixture with multiple shelves.) What I do care about, is that the light itself should be LED and firesafe. I am concerned about creating excessive heat in this space.
I have done the absolute bare minimum of research on this subject. Thusfar, I have looked into Spider Farmer, with particular attention paid to their model SF600 because it is about the perfect size and price. The pros are that the light would just about perfectly cover the space, the price is great, and this is a supplemental lighting situation-- meaning, the light doesn't need to put out insane power, because the plants will still be getting some sun, even during winter. The cons are that I have no idea what I'm doing, no clue if this light is suitable for trees, no clue if it will even do anything for them, etc... I'd also need to figure out a way to suspend the light over the table in question because it is not a shelf setup, but at least I'd have extra cash with which to accomplish that end.
Other factors to consider: The cherry tree is about 6" higher than any other tree that I own, with all of the other trees being of about equal height, pots included. I can always sit the other trees on something to elevate them, but this will affect how the light ought to be positioned.
I sincerely hope that people who are more knowledgeable than me can provide me some recommendations. I am totally clueless on this matter. I'm usually pretty good about learning new things on my own, and making my own decisions, but I'm just not sure if my brain has the space to memorize all of this information about wattage, effective wavelengths, micromole density, etc... In other words, I'm not a light scientist, and not trying to become one.
Hello, everyone. That time of year has come once again, here in the Northeast US of A. That time of year, where those of us who leave their tropicals outside during the warmer months finally bring them indoors, while I do absolutely nothing.
Why is it that I do nothing, you ask? Well, that's because I happen to be possessed of circumstances which allow me to keep my tropicals indoors 24/7, without any real need for grow lights. My trees are very healthy/ thriving under these conditions, and I find that this arrangement is generally superior to keeping them outdoors for any amount of time-- but, this is a topic for another day.
This year, I would like to do something. Because my trees are so healthy, I am sure they would manage to eke out another year of winter survival without serious grow lights. That said, I'd like to make their lives a little easier, and so, I decided to give my trees a gift this Christmas in the form of a grow light. Besides ensuring that their winters are as easy as possible going forwards, I'm really focused on trunk-thickening right now. I hate losing 3-5 months of development every year, with the added risk of possibly losing my trees, because they aren't getting enough sun during wintertime. To that end, I think a grow light has become somewhat necessary for my setup, if I am going to continue forward in this hobby.
Situation: My four, permanently-indoor trees (BRT, ficus, Surinam cherry, and a Fukien) are currently housed on a dedicated 48"x13" bonsai table, which is positioned flush against the interior sill of a large, south-facing window. Space directly to the left or right of this table is highly limited; there is an additional 13"x9" of free space, directly to the left of the table, and that's about it. Some limited compromises could be made to achieve more space, but as you can see I'm on a tight budget in this regard. What I want is a lighting setup that will completely cover this table, while providing my trees the extra energy they will need in order to maintain good health and continue developing throughout the cold season. I am not particular about the type of fixture-- it could be a bar light that requires suspension, a single floor lamp, or multiple lights positioned at different angles. Bonus points if this solution can be re-employed elsewhere, should I eventually decide to expand my tablespace vertically (ie: by converting it into a fixture with multiple shelves.) What I do care about, is that the light itself should be LED and firesafe. I am concerned about creating excessive heat in this space.
I have done the absolute bare minimum of research on this subject. Thusfar, I have looked into Spider Farmer, with particular attention paid to their model SF600 because it is about the perfect size and price. The pros are that the light would just about perfectly cover the space, the price is great, and this is a supplemental lighting situation-- meaning, the light doesn't need to put out insane power, because the plants will still be getting some sun, even during winter. The cons are that I have no idea what I'm doing, no clue if this light is suitable for trees, no clue if it will even do anything for them, etc... I'd also need to figure out a way to suspend the light over the table in question because it is not a shelf setup, but at least I'd have extra cash with which to accomplish that end.
Other factors to consider: The cherry tree is about 6" higher than any other tree that I own, with all of the other trees being of about equal height, pots included. I can always sit the other trees on something to elevate them, but this will affect how the light ought to be positioned.
I sincerely hope that people who are more knowledgeable than me can provide me some recommendations. I am totally clueless on this matter. I'm usually pretty good about learning new things on my own, and making my own decisions, but I'm just not sure if my brain has the space to memorize all of this information about wattage, effective wavelengths, micromole density, etc... In other words, I'm not a light scientist, and not trying to become one.
