Orchid Light
There are a few things that are absolutely essential to healthy orchids and the appropriate amount of light is high on the list. Orchid light is necessary for the production of flowers. If you get this part wrong, you will never have a blooming orchid. But don’t worry, there is nothing hard about it and we will give you information on all the basics right here.
The light needs may vary according to which species of orchid you have, but there are some general rules which can be applied to all types of orchids. One of the easiest things to remember is that if your orchid has soft, wide leaves, it will need an area with more shade than an orchid which has long, slim leaves. The latter will do best with a good amount of light throughout the day.
Most orchids can be given either artificial or natural light as long as they get the correct amount of light. Usually, if you have your orchids inside and away from natural light sources, you will need to provide them with twelve hours of florescent light every day. Orchids that receive natural light will need different amounts in the winter than in the summer. When the air is cold outside, many people move their orchids away from the window. If your orchid is getting too much light in either the summer or winter, you can solve the situation by covering the window with a sheer curtain.
Plants need extra light when they are ready to flower or flowering. That’s because they receive energy from the light and they are using a lot more energy when producing flowers. Often, someone will have an orchid plant that is healthy, a nice shade of light to medium green, but it never flowers. The reason could be lack of light. The orchid may be getting just enough light to maintain a healthy leaf state, but not enough light to give it that extra energy boost it needs to flower.
Many inside orchid plants do receive insufficient orchid light. Sometimes it is better to increase the inside light than it is to put the plants outside during the summer. That’s because the summer sun is going to seem extra warm and overexposure to the sun’s heat can burn the plant. It is not that much different than when a person who has been inside all winter goes out into the sun in the spring and overdoes a good thing by getting sunburned.
Orchid light also changes as the day goes on so you need to make sure that your orchid is in a window that is facing in the right direction for the most light. Lots of times the plant will also need to be very close to the window. A common mistake, especially if you like to have a lot of plants around, is to put too many on the same window sill. While it may not affect some flowers, with orchids you need to leave plenty of space in between the plants so that none of the leaves are blocked by another plant.
If your orchids are in a room where they are not getting natural light, you need to create the same environment for the plants with artificial light. In most cases, this means having the lights on fourteen to sixteen hours every day. Regular light bulbs will not do a proper job either. You will need to get fluorescent light to provide enough light without giving off too much heat. If you have an orchid that needs a high amount of light, you might even have to invest in High-Intensity-Discharge (HID) lamps. These are expensive initially but they do not cost a fortune to run. If HID lights are on, reflectors might need to be used to prevent the orchid light from shining directing into your eyes.
