TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk
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I would recommend metal halide lights using the new ceramic-bulbs. Best light color is propably 942 (4200 K, very natural light, a 150W bulb gives you about 34000(!
lumen and this with excellent spectrum !
High pressure sodium lights (at least with high power)are more effektive in lumen/W, but less effektive for photosysnthetic rates.
Look at :
http://www.hereinspaziert.de/Sehlicht/wuchslicht3.htm
Martin
High pressure sodium lights (at least with high power)are more effektive in lumen/W, but less effektive for photosysnthetic rates.
Look at :
http://www.hereinspaziert.de/Sehlicht/wuchslicht3.htm
Martin
Distance will depend on the power of the system. A higher wattage bulb will need to be further away but at the same time it will light a larger surface area.
Another place to look would be Aquariaum sources for used equipment or perhaps Ebay for a used fixture. What is important is the wattage and a good reflector. You will want to get a new bulb for it anyway. It would be a good idea to research bulbs and find the one you would like to use and then get a fixture that will use it. Both the metal halide and the HPS bulb types come in horizontal and pendant and a variety of bulb bases. So it is important that the fixture and the bulb are compatible.
Tony
Another place to look would be Aquariaum sources for used equipment or perhaps Ebay for a used fixture. What is important is the wattage and a good reflector. You will want to get a new bulb for it anyway. It would be a good idea to research bulbs and find the one you would like to use and then get a fixture that will use it. Both the metal halide and the HPS bulb types come in horizontal and pendant and a variety of bulb bases. So it is important that the fixture and the bulb are compatible.
Tony
G
Guest
Guest
Man, I about got a headache last night looking at different types of lights. Very confusing. I've found lights for 400 and 1000 lumens, both high pressure sodium and metal halide. I'm guessing that's way to much on the electric bill, and they put out over a hundred lumens
. I'll keep searching, but keep the advice coming
. Thanks.
G
Guest
Guest
Ok, I've narrowed it down to two choices. One is here;
http://www.hydroponics.net/_scripts/_lists/details.asp?i=388525
This one is a metal halide lamp for 1000 watts. Costs $200. It would probably cost me a dollar a day, so I may just get the 400 watt one for $150. At that wattage, I could place it about 4 feet above the pots right? My other choice would be;
http://www.igcusa.com/sunlight_supply_greenhouse_grow.htm
The Sun System VII Super Spectral System with dual 400 watt metal halide, and 400 watt hps bulbs for $390. Witch one is better considering price, electrical bills, and efficiancy for plant growth? Later.
http://www.hydroponics.net/_scripts/_lists/details.asp?i=388525
This one is a metal halide lamp for 1000 watts. Costs $200. It would probably cost me a dollar a day, so I may just get the 400 watt one for $150. At that wattage, I could place it about 4 feet above the pots right? My other choice would be;
http://www.igcusa.com/sunlight_supply_greenhouse_grow.htm
The Sun System VII Super Spectral System with dual 400 watt metal halide, and 400 watt hps bulbs for $390. Witch one is better considering price, electrical bills, and efficiancy for plant growth? Later.
Something else to think about..
The more bulbs you have the more bulbs that need replacing. It is not a whole lot more to replace a single large bulb vs a smaller bulb. It gets very expensive to replace multiple bulbs though. There is some argument that a combination of one HPS and one metal halide gives a better balance of light. This is true, however a high quality bulb in either type will work very well without the other.
Personally I would go with at least a single 400watt to start with.
Tony
The more bulbs you have the more bulbs that need replacing. It is not a whole lot more to replace a single large bulb vs a smaller bulb. It gets very expensive to replace multiple bulbs though. There is some argument that a combination of one HPS and one metal halide gives a better balance of light. This is true, however a high quality bulb in either type will work very well without the other.
Personally I would go with at least a single 400watt to start with.
Tony
Tony is right,....
BUT...
If you have only artificial light reaching your plants and you have only one bulb then the shadows (for excample a smaller plant overgrown by a larger one) will be almost 100% shadows (=no light for the small plant)
If you have two different bulbs at different angles then most of the shadows will only be 50% shadows.
The light also doesn't vary as much from center to corner as it is with one light bulb.
If one light is damaged and you aren't able to replace it for some time than your plants have to survive complete darkness when there is no remaining functional bulb left. Otherwiese you have still 50% of the light (if you use 2 bulbs)
-
A drawback of more bulbs other than the higher costs is that bulbs with lower wattage are often less effective (lumens/W) than the powerfull ones.
This may be compensated by the better light distribution of two or more bulbs.
Martin
BUT...
If you have only artificial light reaching your plants and you have only one bulb then the shadows (for excample a smaller plant overgrown by a larger one) will be almost 100% shadows (=no light for the small plant)
If you have two different bulbs at different angles then most of the shadows will only be 50% shadows.
The light also doesn't vary as much from center to corner as it is with one light bulb.
If one light is damaged and you aren't able to replace it for some time than your plants have to survive complete darkness when there is no remaining functional bulb left. Otherwiese you have still 50% of the light (if you use 2 bulbs)
-
A drawback of more bulbs other than the higher costs is that bulbs with lower wattage are often less effective (lumens/W) than the powerfull ones.
This may be compensated by the better light distribution of two or more bulbs.
Martin
G
Guest
Guest
Haunustly, I think a 1000 watt light for $200 would be best. It will give me the needed ground area for my really big plants(like N. rafflesiana giant) and the needed hight for my nepenthes. Though it may cost a lot (electrical bills) it should give me great results. I know the person who made the Plants With Attitude webpage uses the same wattage metal halide lamp. Says it works great for him (but costs him like a dollar a day).
Good points Martin. That is one of the big reasons behind all those gizmos to make the single fixtures mobile and cut down on shadows from a single fixed point source.
It would be interesting to compare initial cost and operating costs for a single 1000watt fixture on a moveable rail vs 2 400 watt fixed in position.
Tony
It would be interesting to compare initial cost and operating costs for a single 1000watt fixture on a moveable rail vs 2 400 watt fixed in position.
Tony
