Tropical bonsai light / display for winter?

[JonW]

Thanks everyone for your input.

While I'd like to go LED, it seems hard to find cost-effective lights that put out as many lumens as the fluorescent options. I'm not sure the cost in energy savings with LED would justify their upfront cost?

I'm leaning toward the Agrobrite 2-foot 4-tube fluorescent lamp:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002JQBQZQ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

with the LED quantum boards, the growth footprint is about double the size of the board itself (ie, a 1x1 board has enough light for 2x2 of plants). However, from the pictures I've seen of people using T5's, it seems the footprint for the plants is about the same as that of the lamp. So the 2-foot, 4 tube fluorescent lamp would have about a 2x1 foot space for growing? Probably enough space for 2-3 plants, maybe 4 if one is smaller... In other words, now that I've sold a lot of my tropicals, I could probably put half my remaining plants under the T5 lamp and half by my windows.

If I go this route, I'll probably also get a mylar sheet that I'd hang on the walls (for 2 sides) and from the ceiling.

Does this plan seem like a good starting point? Still half-baked and I might not even do it this year.

 

[LeftHandLuke]

@JonW - Curious, how did this work out for you? I had some challenges with my tropicals last winter and would like to plan ahead this go-round. Last year my system was a two-tiered bookshelf shrouded with mylar and two of these guys (one for each tier)... Juhefa Panel Plant Light Full Spectrum with IR & UV 45W

It worked okay for smaller plants but the larger, more important trees (such as a 20-inch p. afra) didn't damn well appreciate it. I wasn't sure if it was the light or the temperature or both. The porty fully defoliated and just barely survived until spring.