Commercial Floriculture

Light

• Light, like many other cultural factors, will vary from orchid genus to genus under cultivation.
• The optimum which orchids generally require is between 3000-6000 foot candles.
• Cypripedium and Phalenopsis need only between 200-300 foot candles and hence are to be kept in comparatively more shaded regions of the orchid house.
• Cymbidium will grow under full sun.
• Therefore, it becomes necessary to shade some orchid green houses to ensure that the proper amount of light will be available for good plant growth.
• An intimate knowledge of the light requirements of orchids has led to the development of the fascinating procedure called ‘light gardening’ which now quite popular among orchid growers.
• There are particular regions in the spectrum of sunlight which aids particular processes in the physiology of plants.
• Thus the blue and orange-red regions of the spectrum aid in photosynthesis, while absorption in the far-red regions of the spectrum stimulates flowering.
• Based on this knowledge, extra amount of illumination is now being supplied to orchids either to supplement sunlight or to replace it entirely, with the result that more vigorous growth and greater output of flowers are achieved.
• Light gardening has made it possible to grow orchids even in cellars where no sunlight penetrates.

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