Plant lighting for beginners

[GrimLore]

I had someone ask me about winter lighting for bonsai so I wanted to get some information together to help them out.

I am experimenting with a Full Spectrum LED panel in an Exo Terra terrarium right now - it works but for the record makes the plants look purple/brown as if they are dead So far it is easy enough to shut it off and water but a bit stressful at first. They also run HOT so an enclosure makes it a bit tricky. I am however putting a silicone trivet on it when it gets here and using it for a heat mat for seeds. Much to experiment with Overall though LED I find they use a little more electricity then I thought and that color

Grimmy

 

[GrimLore]

I am experimenting with a Full Spectrum LED panel in an Exo Terra terrarium right now - it works but for the record makes the plants look purple/brown as if they are dead

Thirteen Days into it. Started the four types of groundcovers to fill it in as shown earlier, tiny then but doing very good, rooted and robust. First picture is with that LED panel on, as I mentioned, looks rough -



However when I shut off the LED panel it looks to be doing great -



I expect the ground covers to fill in the base and grow up the sides and figs in there. At that growth rate I am pretty certain it won't take long

Grimmy

 

[Zoomie]

Thirteen Days into it. Started the four types of groundcovers to fill it in as shown earlier, tiny then but doing very good, rooted and robust. First picture is with that LED panel on, as I mentioned, looks rough -

View attachment 166950

However when I shut off the LED panel it looks to be doing great -

View attachment 166951



I expect the ground covers to fill in the base and grow up the sides and figs in there. At that growth rate I am pretty certain it won't take long

Grimmy

Everything is looking pretty darned happy in there so far. Impressive for that LED light.

 

[GrimLore]

Everything is looking pretty darned happy in there so far. Impressive for that LED light.

I agree, and thank you for the play opportunity, here it is day 1 only 13 days ago -



I am very pleased with the growth and health of those end season cuttings, was pretty certain I would have to try several attempts. So far they all took!

Grimmy

 

[Zoomie]

Here’s my average temps and humidity on the light rack. I think the memory is about 96 hours of trailing time.

Top one of attached to the top shelf and the bottom is attached to the bottom.

 

[my nellie]

I have a question... will you help me please.
Do plants growing under lights need a completely dark period per day?

I have a small aquarium which I use as a greenhouse for my orchids. There is one Sylvania Grolux lamp set up and a small pc fan and it is positioned in front of a balcony glass door.
I read that plants growing indoors under lights need at least 16 hours of lighting and I have adjusted the timer accordingly from 18:00 pm to 10:00 am
As the aquarium is positioned in front of the glass door the plants are never in completely dark condition.

Thank you in advance.

 

[GrimLore]

I have a small aquarium which I use as a greenhouse for my orchids.

I am going to tag @Leo in N E Illinois for you He is an expert on Orchid growing and will have the best advice to offer.

Grimmy

 

[my nellie]

Much obliged @GrimLore !

 

[GrimLore]

Do plants growing under lights need a completely dark period per day?

Leo must be busy or missed this. I base my lighting during Winter months on Greenhouse methods. All of my plant areas have different humidity but I keep the air movement and temperature constant. All of them get 16 hours of lower intensity T8 Full Spectrum light except for a separate experiment I am working on.

Not getting into the science of it but simply stated a dark or darker period is needed for many plants. As for Orchids here they get simple window light and see normal night darkness and do fine. If I wanted to force more growth I would light them but they don't seem to need it. Simply stated ours here do good with a period of darkness, not necessarily "deep black darkness" as evening lights in the room as well as Moon light occur.

As Sandy stated in another thread simply set your timers to go on and off in a way that allows 8 hours off during the night hours.

Grimmy

 

[my nellie]

Grimmy @GrimLore thank you once again for your time and help.
I have made some research on the internet and I have taken notes on the highlights of all the articles and info I have come across.
Since I have spent some time on this effort I intend to create a thread and post my notes

 

[Zoomie]

A reminder to everyone that the type and quality of the bulbs you use can make a monumental difference.

Here are light measurements taken on my cheap bulbs after a few weeks of normal use (13 hours per day) and a set of reasonably priced mid-grade t5ho bulbs.

First picture is x 10 so 101800 Lux. Second picture is x 100 (too brute to measure at x 10) so 262,000 Lux with the new bulbs, compared to the original bulbs just a few weeks old. 250 percent increase in Lux is serious business!

 

[TrunkTickler]

Great info in this thread, I'm looking at picking up some COB LEDs I have a question about spectrum, should I be looking at the high blue side of the spectrum, I was thinking closer to the plants response curve the better, these are the spectrums I'm looking at:
I was going to pick 4000K as it has high peaks in both the blue and red spectrum with a high overall spectral intensity. But should I be looking at higher temps for more blue light, in the 5000 - 6500K range?

Cheers,
Connor

 

[eb84327]

i picked up a viparspectra v300.
pulls around 130 watts.
does a 2x2 space
at "18 it is recorded well over 400 ppfd
cost around $80 off amazon.

warning: if you pick up one of these give your trees a week or so with it hanging "30+ to adjust to before lowering to "18. i didnt. I burnt a few leaves.

 

[eb84327]

Great info in this thread, I'm looking at picking up some COB LEDs I have a question about spectrum, should I be looking at the high blue side of the spectrum, I was thinking closer to the plants response curve the better, these are the spectrums I'm looking at:
I was going to pick 4000K as it has high peaks in both the blue and red spectrum with a high overall spectral intensity. But should I be looking at higher temps for more blue light, in the 5000 - 6500K range?

Cheers,
Connor View attachment 223788

lots of people forget about green and i would choose the 4000k. i personaly have seen some test that show green does affect photosynthesis. I will see if i can find the video. they test hlg 135. they are awesome boards from what i hear and can be purchased in a wide range.

 

[rollwithak]

Here’s my average temps and humidity on the light rack. I think the memory is about 96 hours of trailing time.

Top one of attached to the top shelf and the bottom is attached to the bottom.

View attachment 166983

Get that humidity up!!!! Perhaps think about buying a humidifier!

Not to advertise any one brand but I've heard good things about this one for up to a 500 sq. ft space

https://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-HCM350W-Germ-Humidifier-White/dp/B002QAYJPO/ref=as_li_ss_tl?creativeASIN=B002QAYJPO&imprToken=i1tyBSW9wcIhU6GUm3xdCg&slotNum=3&keywords=Evaporative+Humidifier&qid=1554574302&s=gateway&sr=8-4&linkCode=w61&tag=urbanorganicyield-20&linkId=cfa7d64d467f1604a9e9b0c92f62830f&language=en_US

 

[Newbonsai13]

They are not cheap - just inexpensive. All of the lights you see in my pictures are that same light. They toss a little over 1K Lumen of Full Spectrum light and we have been using them for years. They produce so little heat the plants can and do grow right into them if you allow it. I am adding shelves to the blank walls and adding ten more this Summer when the plants and Tortoise are outside so I can move his table for access...

Grimmy

are these sold on amazon? are they the "under the cabinet" lights?

 

[Carol 83]

are these sold on amazon? are they the "under the cabinet" lights?

Unfortunately, you won't be getting an answer. RIP Grimmy

 

[rollwithak]

are these sold on amazon? are they the "under the cabinet" lights?

Hey dude. Check these ones out. They have different color too for different growth cycles. I have tested out their PAR as well and they are putting out sufficient energy for growing seeds and sustaining plants.

https://www.amazon.com/Barrina-Equivalent-Spectrum-Reflector-Linkable/dp/B07QWV1THV

Good Luck!

 

[Bonsai Nut]

First picture is x 10 so 101800 Lux. Second picture is x 100 (too brute to measure at x 10) so 262,000 Lux with the new bulbs, compared to the original bulbs just a few weeks old. 250 percent increase in Lux is serious business!

Old thread... but I wanted to point out your math is off by a factor of ten Your first reading is 10K Lux. Second reading is 26K Lux. FWIW indirect, bright daylight is about 10K-25K Lux. Direct sunlight is about 30K+. Direct sunlight on a tropical coral reef at the brightest time of year is about 100K Lux.

 

[badatusernames]

I went a bit bananas last winter and part of that involved lighting

I think these are fairly cheap T5 strips I mounted beneath a bookshelf and plugged into a cheap manual timer. I figure it'll keep the tropicals happy.