subject: Growing Orchids Under Artificial Lights [print this page] One of the most important think to bear in mind for orchid growers is the proper quantity of light that every orchid plant demands to grow healthy.
As it happens with any other needs for orchids like the right amount of water, fertilizer and ambiance temperature, the correct quantity of light for your particular orchid is dependant on the specimen you have at home. For this reason, it is very necessary for you to know what orchid species your plant belongs, so that you can take the right care it really requires.
As for light requirements, we can classify orchid species in two kinds: some orchids enjoy the strong rays of the sun. Orchids belonging to this kind use to produce many blooms and frequently. This kind of orchids grow flowers more that leaves, which also use to be yellow and even stunt.
On the other side, a lot of orchid species prefer to grow in shady conditions (like the environment they use to grow in tropical forests). They can grow a fine and healthy plant, but the blooms are small and not as frequent.
Taking all this into account, we will be able to grow our orchid indoors. It is very adequate for most kinds of orchids to sit in the eastern window of our home. That way the orchid will be exposed to the cold rays of the sun in the morning but not to the hard rays of the afternoon sun. It is also important to make sure that our orchids receive about 12 hours light every day.
Anotheroption is using artificial lights inside our house to grow adequately our orchids. In this case, it is advisable the use of fluorescent lights. As the fluorescent light is not very hard, there is no danger for your orchid to be burnt.
In conclusion, bearing in mind all these recommendations plus, asking our orchid supplier for some additional guidelines regarding the specific orchid species we have just bought, will lead us to the right path to properly care and grow our orchid plant inside our house or apartment.
