Thinking about winter lighting

[Paradox]

Some of you may recall that I got 2 ficus last fall. Both are still alive and soaking up the sun outside. I repotted one a couple of weeks ago into a slightly bigger spot. On top of that I also bought 2 brazilian rain trees this summer.

So the winter setup I used last year is no longer adequate because I now have more trees and it just isnt tall enough for my tallest ficus (it got a few burned leaves from being too close) despite putting the light stand up on wood blocks.

Since summer is half over and I know winter will be here sooner or later, I am trying to plan out the new winter accomodations. I am going to go with 4 foot T8 flourescent daylight (6400K) bulbs hung over a table downstairs.

I really want to try to provide the best conditions for the trees that I can so that they do as well as possible instead of just survive over the winter. My question to those with experience keeping trees indoors over the winter: Is 2 of those bulbs adequate or would 4 really be better? The fixtures and bulbs arent expensive and I have the space to hang them so I am not concerned about those things.

Thanks

 

[MrFancyPlants]

Might as well go for the four bulb model. You can always take cuttings or get some more plants.

 

[Poink88]

My set up is just 2 tubes of T8 per and my plants are just surviving during winter. Definitely better to double if you can. This coming winter, I am planning on adding several LED shop lights to my set-up.

 

[GrimLore]

Four lights is going to be far better. Your basement will probably not get any beneficial natural light during the Winter. I setup lights for my Wife's Tropicals and the only thing I might add is that we use a mechanical timer(inexpensive) and they get 16 hours a day. At this new place I am setting up a shelf/light/fan system in what was a 8 foot wide 2 foot deep 8 foot tall closet. After I stripped all the hardware and doors out I patched and gave everything 3 coats of white semi gloss from Home Depot(mildew resistant) then dropped in a new box for power. The total light stripes she wants is 6 for maximum coverage. I have a few weeks to complete it as I do other things but I will post pictures when complete.

Grimmy

 

[thams]

I would say that the 4 bulb is definitely better than the 2 bulb setup. You will have a lot more flexibility in terms lighted area to keep your plants happy. Is there a reason you're going with the T8 over the T5?

 

[FrankP999]

In my experience, humidity is as important as light levels, perhaps more important. My ficus just barely survived indoors prior to getting a small "indoor greenhouse" which is just a plastic cover over a small rack. I think I paid about $30-$40 for it. Some folks on here have built their own with PVC.

With the higher humidity levels in the "greenhouse", the ficus did much better last winter, actually putting out new growth and aerial roots. I keep humidity levels of about 60-70%. I open it up a couple times a week for fresh air and then aim a humidifier's output into the greenhouse for a few minutes before zipping it back up.

 

[thams]

In my experience, humidity is as important as light levels, perhaps more important. My ficus just barely survived indoors prior to getting a small "indoor greenhouse" which is just a plastic cover over a small rack. I think I paid about $30-$40 for it. Some folks on here have built their own with PVC.

With the higher humidity levels in the "greenhouse", the ficus did much better last winter, actually putting out new growth and aerial roots. I keep humidity levels of about 60-70%. I open it up a couple times a week for fresh air and then aim a humidifier's output into the greenhouse for a few minutes before zipping it back up.

Are you sure it's the humidity that helped your trees, and not heat? When I used only a light without a tent, my trees stayed at a much cooler temperature which translated in much slower growth despite good lighting. When I used the T5's with the tent, my relative humidity went down, but the temperature went up. The result was an explosion in growth.

Not trying to challenge your experience, but I thought (according to Jerry Meislik) that humidity was the least important factor with light being the most important and temperature coming second.

 

[Paradox]

I would say that the 4 bulb is definitely better than the 2 bulb setup. You will have a lot more flexibility in terms lighted area to keep your plants happy. Is there a reason you're going with the T8 over the T5?

Availability and selection where I can buy locally.

The T8s match the specifications of the light fixture available and they are 6500K whereas the T5s are 4100K available at the same place. From my experience with live plants in aquariums 6500K is better. The T8s are also cheaper.

I ended up finding a 3 bulb fixture with a silver reflector and is pretty narrow. I bought 2 of them to hang side by side and a pack of 10 bulbs. So Ill have 6 bulbs over them. That is over 6x the amount of light they had last year so we will see how they do.

 

[Poink88]

Is there a reason you're going with the T8 over the T5?

Like Paradox, I decided based on the following;
1. Local availability/selection
2. Cost
3. My online research showed T8 is comparable to T5 (regular not HO) in terms of light output and efficiency.

I also use 6500K tubes.

 

[KennedyMarx]

Two years ago I had a four bulb setup with 6500k tubes. The trees put on maybe a couple inches of growth. Last year I switched to two 6500k bulbs and two warmer color temp bulbs (5200k I believe). Plants did about the same, but I got my bougainvillea to flower. This year I am going to repeat that setup, but with some drop cloth over my wire rack to try to raise the humidity and heat levels for ten plants.

 

[Paradox]

Yeah, mixing bulbs of 2 different temps isnt a bad idea. I am going to see how these look and might do that if I can find bulbs that fit the specs of the light fixtures.