Why Orchid Lights are Helpful

Growing orchids in your home or office can be a fun pastime and a great way to brighten things up a bit and bring a bit of the natural world into your environment. It’s not as hard as you might think to grow orchids, either. Even though these plants have been made out to be the pickiest of houseplants, there are some varieties that are actually very easy to grow. Before you buy orchids, though, you need to consider one major factor in their growth: lighting.

Some Orchids Like Softer Light

Most orchids have very specific lighting requirements. Because they typically come from tropical environments where they’re growing under a canopy of trees, most varieties prefer filtered sunlight. They can often be burned by direct afternoon sunlight, so it’s important to keep them out of this sort of lighting. However, orchids do need several hours a day of softer lighting in order to thrive. Sometimes, you are simply unable to offer this type of lighting for your plants.

When to Add a Grow Light

This is where orchid lights come in handy. These specialized grow lights can be placed about a foot above the orchid’s blooms. They provide natural like light throughout the day, and they can sometimes come with timers. The timers allow you to create a natural day and night environment for your orchid that is important for its growth. If your plants are overexposed to light, they won’t really know how to function, and their overall growth process could be harmed.

Orchids and Fluorescent Lights

You can also use fluorescent lights for supplementary lighting for your orchids, though most won’t thrive under this type of lighting alone. Typically, you’ll only use fluorescent bulbs if your orchids are getting nearly, but not quite, enough sunlight each day during the day. These bulbs will help round out the amount of light your plants are getting so that they’re more likely to thrive.

Some Orchids Just Need a Grow Light

For some orchids that don’t need direct sunlight, grow lights can provide all the light they need. This makes it possible to grow orchids in rooms where there aren’t any windows or where the windows are all shaded by trees or facing toward the north. Sometimes if you feel like you absolutely can’t provide orchids with the light they need to thrive, grow lights are absolutely the best option available to you. If you look around online, you can probably find some affordable models that will make you able to grow orchids in a dim environment.

Conclusion

It’s important when you choose to use orchid lights exclusively that you find the right types of orchids to grow in your environment. The plants you grow will need to be hardy even in lower light conditions. Typically, these types of orchids will grow more slowly and will have larger leaves but smaller blooms. They may also bloom less often. However, they’re still a beautiful way to brighten up a home, and they can really make all the difference in your home décor. Investing in grow lighting is a great way to bring orchids into all areas of your home or office.