Incandescent Grow Light

[pguinpro]

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Philips...-Plant-Grow-Flood-Light-Bulb-415281/202766841

Can someone fill me in on what makes this a grow light exactly? Currently I use 2 65watt incandescent flood lamps which produce 97-100 degree basking area and a 12% uvb linear T8 that does not produce any heat. Anyways I want to go up to 75watt because there is a lack of evaporation and I figure a higher wattage means more heat dispersed which hopefully will cause more evaporation. Let me know your thoughts

 

[Markw84]

They call it a grow light as it is skewed towards giving out more blue light spectrum. Light in the 430-460nm range is what plants use to create most growth its really stretching things to call this a grow light though. It’s really not going to do much for plants. It’s still rated at 2700k so not much blue there!

Is stick with a warm regular incandescent flood for basking light

 

[pguinpro]

They call it a grow light as it is skewed towards giving out more blue light spectrum. Light in the 430-460nm range is what plants use to create most growth its really stretching things to call this a grow light though. It’s really not going to do much for plants. It’s still rated at 2700k so not much blue there!

Is stick with a warm regular incandescent flood for basking light

Do you think higher wattage would cause more evaporation? Also do the 65watt incandescents help plants grow?

 

[Markw84]

Do you think higher wattage would cause more evaporation? Also do the 65watt incandescents help plants grow?

Why are you needing more evaporation? Is this a closed chamber enclosure? It is your temperatures that you need to have set properly with the basking lights. The evaporation is a relationship with the humidity in the enclosure and the amount of IR exposure.

 

[pguinpro]

Why are you needing more evaporation? Is this a closed chamber enclosure? It is your temperatures that you need to have set properly with the basking lights. The evaporation is a relationship with the humidity in the enclosure and the amount of IR exposure.

Yeah, it's a closed chamber. Temperatures are good at both ends and humidity ranges from 60%-90%. The reason I need more evaporation is because I have about 6-8 inches or coir and the bottom 2 inches are completely soaked from when I mix the mulch and soil daily which doesnt completely evaporate by the next day so it causes plants to eventually die because they are always soaked and it also causes a pungent smell of wet coconut coir. Anyways I was thinking higher wattage(not equivalent wattage) would resolve the issue because more heat means more evaporation right? I also considered getting an aquarium heater and putting it underneath substrate?

 

[Markw84]

Yeah, it's a closed chamber. Temperatures are good at both ends and humidity ranges from 60%-90%. The reason I need more evaporation is because I have about 6-8 inches or coir and the bottom 2 inches are completely soaked from when I mix the mulch and soil daily which doesnt completely evaporate by the next day so it causes plants to eventually die because they are always soaked and it also causes a pungent smell of wet coconut coir. Anyways I was thinking higher wattage(not equivalent wattage) would resolve the issue because more heat means more evaporation right? I also considered getting an aquarium heater and putting it underneath substrate?

In my closed chambers the humidity is constant throughout except directly under the basking light because of the increased heat there. You must have a semi-closed chamber to get that much variation. I would look at finding the leaks of warm, humid air. That would solve most of your problems you are asking about.

This is another reason I prefer orchid bark to coir. WIth orchid bark, I simply stir up the bark with my hand and make it evenly moist if I have some water sitting on the bottom due to adding too much water. As long as I can keep things moist by mixing, I don't add water. It also is very resistant to any molding or rotting.

 

[Yvonne G]

My closed chamber is on a very slight tilt, and at the bottom of the tilt is a drain covered with a mat of coco coir The feeding tile sits on that mat to keep the tortoises from disturbing it. A small neoprene tube is connected on the outside of the drain and it goes into a small bucket. There is never any water sitting in the bottom of the enclosure.