Succulents, maximum distance for HID (picture included)

17 years ago

I recently had to move my succulent collection from a sunny home to a westward window with a 4 foot overhang above it. See the new setup here:

http://adamspong.googlepages.com/organisms

I want to use grow lights but I don't know what is feasible in this setting. Hanging something from the ceiling is probably not an option in my apartment.

Is there any substantive benefit to placing an HID light (or two) 6 to 8 feet from the plants? I think this is as close as I can get. I know that intensity falls off rapidly with distance, but would this at least be better than the paltry midwestern greyness I'm getting now?

The only other option I can see is to clamp, for example, compact fluorescents to the shelves, but I'm not sure I have the room for all the lights I'd need, and it would probably ruin the esthetics besides.

Also, if the HID light is a viable option, what kind of bulb would be suitable for an apartment (not too blinding, not bathing the occupants in UV, etc.)? Metal halides or HPS? (And is one more appropriate for succulents?)

And where could I get a vertical stand for the light, along the lines of:

http://news.thomasnet.com/fullstory/18203/612

or

http://www.betterlight.com/hid_copylights.html

It needn't be elaborate, just a sturdy stand of some kind--anything that will allow the light to project horizontally, as the light would be facing the plant rack instead of hanging above it.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Comment (1)

shrubs_n_bulbs
17 years ago
Any lighting that you use that will do the plants any good is going to appear pretty intense to anyone in the room, certainly far brighter than any normal room lighting would be.

The UV should not be an issue, provided you work with the instructions and use properly shielded lamps. The UV that you do get is likely to fade curtains or even paint, that is exposed for many hours every day, but then that's nothing that the sun wouldn't do.

You should be aware that not most HID bulbs are designed to operate either vertically or horizontally (or close to it), but not both. A few will work properly both ways.

Most plant lights are designed with the bulb horizontal and the light directed downwards by a reflector. There is nothing to stop you clamping the reflector on its side, with the bulb still horizontal, and mounting it to the side of the plants. You might get issues with plants leaning, depending on how much light they get from the other side. Security lights are another source of HID lighting but they tend to produce a wider spread of light, not so good for mounting at a distance.

The secret to mounting the lamp a long way from the plants is the reflector. If all the light is reflected in such a way that it lands on the plants then who cares whether they are two feet or twenty feet away. You'd need a pretty special reflector to work well at twenty feet though! Six to eight feet is do-able although best to aim for six feet I think.

As for metal halide or HPS. If you just want to keep them ticking over during the winter, HPS should be fine. But check out whether you want your living area lit up by that particular shade of light. HPS is the most efficient plant light and it works well as a supplement to natural light. If you plan on using the lights for growing in the summer, you'll probably want about twice as much light and will probably be better with a metal halide, or maybe one of each, or perhaps a ceramic metal halide. Succulents will develop better colour and tighter growth with the extra blue and UV light in a metal halide.

Here is a link that might be useful: All sorts of reflectors
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