Lately, since the weather is beginning to change as we approach Fall, I've noticed the sun's rays are becoming increasingly scarce. I now find myself sliding the coffee table on which I grow, closer to the window. However, I have been noticing that my plant's foliage is beginning to darken, which indicates more sunlight is needed. During the Summer, I was using a Feit Electric ESL40TN/D 40-Watt Compact Fluorescent High-Wattage Bulb in Daylight.
This was fine as long as the orchids were getting a steady supply of sunlight even if it wasn't at optimal levels. This was when the 40-Watt bulb came into use to supplement the light they got from the sun. Now, I switched out the bulb to the Hydroponic Full Spectrum 3200K Warn CFL Grow Light Bulb 60 Watt Bulb 60W3200K, which should help during the upcoming cloudier months. When I unpacked the bulb, it is physically large, but that was expected because of the higher wattage.
During the Summer, I had programmed the grow lamp to come on during the early mornings and the late afternoons when the sunlight is the dimmest. During the rest of the day, there were at least 3-4 hours when there was a steady stream of light beaming through the windows. But now, I am considering leaving the light on continually as the sun becomes less readily available. For now, I am going to make the most of the remaining sunny days, but once these days begin to diminish in number, I will try out leaving the light on all day long to make up for the lack of natural sunlight.
When I went outside this weekend, I noticed that now when the sun does hit the front of the house it has shifted towards the side of the house and away from one available window. It was then I decided to purchase another lamp. After the whole fiasco trying to put up the last lamp onto the wall, I purchased a Neewer swing arm lamp for the FEIT 40-Watt bulb. This way, I can attach it to the coffee table and adjust the lamp whichever way I need it. What I couldn't find was a reflector that was large enough for what I need. I may give it a shot to make my own, but in the meantime, I will just wait until the lamp arrives and figure it out from there.
The lamp arrived 3 days later. It did not come with any instructions, but it was pretty easy to figure out particularly for a complete laywoman, like myself. I decided to place the new lamp off to the side of the table about 8" above the plant foliage. The clamp lamp on the wall was redirected towards the rest of the plants the smaller lamp cannot reach. I think this should be a welcome improvement.
This was fine as long as the orchids were getting a steady supply of sunlight even if it wasn't at optimal levels. This was when the 40-Watt bulb came into use to supplement the light they got from the sun. Now, I switched out the bulb to the Hydroponic Full Spectrum 3200K Warn CFL Grow Light Bulb 60 Watt Bulb 60W3200K, which should help during the upcoming cloudier months. When I unpacked the bulb, it is physically large, but that was expected because of the higher wattage.
During the Summer, I had programmed the grow lamp to come on during the early mornings and the late afternoons when the sunlight is the dimmest. During the rest of the day, there were at least 3-4 hours when there was a steady stream of light beaming through the windows. But now, I am considering leaving the light on continually as the sun becomes less readily available. For now, I am going to make the most of the remaining sunny days, but once these days begin to diminish in number, I will try out leaving the light on all day long to make up for the lack of natural sunlight.
When I went outside this weekend, I noticed that now when the sun does hit the front of the house it has shifted towards the side of the house and away from one available window. It was then I decided to purchase another lamp. After the whole fiasco trying to put up the last lamp onto the wall, I purchased a Neewer swing arm lamp for the FEIT 40-Watt bulb. This way, I can attach it to the coffee table and adjust the lamp whichever way I need it. What I couldn't find was a reflector that was large enough for what I need. I may give it a shot to make my own, but in the meantime, I will just wait until the lamp arrives and figure it out from there.
The lamp arrived 3 days later. It did not come with any instructions, but it was pretty easy to figure out particularly for a complete laywoman, like myself. I decided to place the new lamp off to the side of the table about 8" above the plant foliage. The clamp lamp on the wall was redirected towards the rest of the plants the smaller lamp cannot reach. I think this should be a welcome improvement.
No comments:
Post a Comment