I am so glad you all commented on my questions of indoors (under lights)
vs. greenhouse growing! Basically, you re-affirmed what I already
thought- that for the money and time involved, that I would get much
greater success with a basement grow room. Small hobby greenhouses seemd
like a fun idea, but I knew with all the variables (heat, cold, etc.)
that it would not work the way I wanted- esp. where I live.
So...I have a space that is about 4'X4' (maybe a little larger). From my
research I guess a 400 watt light would be good. Now, should it be a MH
or HPS? I know for most caes HPS is better for flowering, but is there a
particular MH or HPS better suited for orchids? Does anyone have a good
layout for a corner grow room? I figure to frame it in on the 2 sides,
and either paint it the walls white or use mylar. I will have a
circulating fan and I guess some type of shelves. Right now I have banks
of florescents (8 bulbs- cool/warm) and the orchids sit on an old,
square coffee table.
If anyone can suggest anything to help me out that would be great =)

Thanks again!

--
Nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile...

TS,

Good decision!

Personally if I were only going to have one type I would pick a 400W MH
light. There are many great fixtures out there from many reputable
companies. I would recommend that you find a bulb that was created for the
agricultural industry. You will pay about $20 - $30 more than a standard
bulb from Home Depot but it increases the color spectrum and benefits the
plants. There are many different manufactures of these types of bulbs (Sun
Agro is the first to come to mind). Do a google search for Metal Halide and
you will have all the reading material you can handle.

Remember that the MH bulb will give off a lot of heat and may overheat your
4x4 area if it's totally closed off. You will also need to consider a fan
for air movement.

You may want to consider one of the light fixtures that have both MH and HPS
in the same unit. Together I believe they would be about 500W. I've never
used them but found the concept very interesting.

Take a look at what Rob Halgren is doing (he has a message below) and get
some ideas about what is working for him.

Good Growing,
Gene



"TS" wrote in message
...
I am so glad you all commented on my questions of indoors (under lights)
vs. greenhouse growing! Basically, you re-affirmed what I already
thought- that for the money and time involved, that I would get much
greater success with a basement grow room. Small hobby greenhouses seemd
like a fun idea, but I knew with all the variables (heat, cold, etc.)
that it would not work the way I wanted- esp. where I live.
So...I have a space that is about 4'X4' (maybe a little larger). From my
research I guess a 400 watt light would be good. Now, should it be a MH
or HPS? I know for most caes HPS is better for flowering, but is there a
particular MH or HPS better suited for orchids? Does anyone have a good
layout for a corner grow room? I figure to frame it in on the 2 sides,
and either paint it the walls white or use mylar. I will have a
circulating fan and I guess some type of shelves. Right now I have banks
of florescents (8 bulbs- cool/warm) and the orchids sit on an old,
square coffee table.
If anyone can suggest anything to help me out that would be great =)

Thanks again!

--
Nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile...

Remember that the MH bulb will give off a lot of heat and may overheat your
4x4 area if it's totally closed off. You will also need to consider a fan
for air movement.

You may want to consider one of the light fixtures that have both MH and HPS
in the same unit. Together I believe they would be about 500W. I've never
used them but found the concept very interesting.


What he said. I don't know that I've seen a dual fixture at less
than 800W though. Never been dissatisfied with my MH lights. I don't
like HPS because the color doesn't seem natural. My friend's son used
to call them 'devil lights'. Out of the mouths of babes...

Take a look at what Rob Halgren is doing (he has a message below) and get
some ideas about what is working for him.



Thanks for the props... See my web page for links.

Rob

--
Rob's Rules: http://www.msu.edu/~halgren
1) There is always room for one more orchid
2) There is always room for two more orchids
2a. See rule 1
3) When one has insufficient credit to purchase
more orchids, obtain more credit

Hey Rob,

Check out http://www.sunlightsupply.com/hortic...ballasts.shtml

Sunlight supply offers a twin 250W MH/HPS unit.

Gene


"Rob Halgren" wrote in message
...


Remember that the MH bulb will give off a lot of heat and may overheat
your
4x4 area if it's totally closed off. You will also need to consider a
fan
for air movement.

You may want to consider one of the light fixtures that have both MH and
HPS
in the same unit. Together I believe they would be about 500W. I've
never
used them but found the concept very interesting.


What he said. I don't know that I've seen a dual fixture at less
than 800W though. Never been dissatisfied with my MH lights. I don't
like HPS because the color doesn't seem natural. My friend's son used
to call them 'devil lights'. Out of the mouths of babes...

Take a look at what Rob Halgren is doing (he has a message below) and get
some ideas about what is working for him.



Thanks for the props... See my web page for links.

Rob

--
Rob's Rules: http://www.msu.edu/~halgren
1) There is always room for one more orchid
2) There is always room for two more orchids
2a. See rule 1
3) When one has insufficient credit to purchase
more orchids, obtain more credit

Gene Schurg wrote:

Hey Rob,

Check out http://www.sunlightsupply.com/hortic...ballasts.shtml

Sunlight supply offers a twin 250W MH/HPS unit.



If I read that right, the ballast is a dual ballast, but designed to
run two, 250W independent fixtures on some sort of light mover or rail.
Although I did find a dual 500W fixture from my own local shop (and I
recommend them highly). I learn something new every day...

http://www.superiorgrowers.com/super...ils.php?id=629

--
Rob's Rules: http://www.msu.edu/~halgren
1) There is always room for one more orchid
2) There is always room for two more orchids
2a. See rule 1
3) When one has insufficient credit to purchase
more orchids, obtain more credit

Rob,

It appears that the single balast controls the two bulbs MH/HPS. Then the
bulbs fit in a single reflector.

I wonder how well these work with orchids and if it's worth the extra money.
Hopefully someone reading this newsgroup can speak from experience.

It looks good on paper!

Gene



"Rob Halgren" wrote in message
...
Gene Schurg wrote:

Hey Rob,

Check out
http://www.sunlightsupply.com/hortic...ballasts.shtml

Sunlight supply offers a twin 250W MH/HPS unit.



If I read that right, the ballast is a dual ballast, but designed to
run two, 250W independent fixtures on some sort of light mover or rail.
Although I did find a dual 500W fixture from my own local shop (and I
recommend them highly). I learn something new every day...

http://www.superiorgrowers.com/super...ils.php?id=629

--
Rob's Rules: http://www.msu.edu/~halgren
1) There is always room for one more orchid
2) There is always room for two more orchids
2a. See rule 1
3) When one has insufficient credit to purchase
more orchids, obtain more credit