Hi Bob, While I havent tried oncos under lights, I have to say that the 4 tube t5 fixtures are great for high light low growing plants. They are much brighter than the other flourescent lights, but they do run a bit warmer so if something touches the lights it will burn. However I have great luck with winter growing oxalis, smaller bulbs, and pelargoniums under them. I can grow them under t12s or t8s but they are more compact and flower and seed set is better under the t5s. Initial cost is high, about 75 dollars or so per four tube fixture and some are duds where one of the 2 sets of lights doesnt work properly (there are two switches, one for each pair of tubes) but the company I get them from will replace the duds. I figure its a quality control issue with the overseas manufacturer but most work well and I really like the results I am getting with them. I bet your oncos would do great under one of them until its safe to go outside in spring. Ernie DeMarie in rainy NY but I got all the dutch bulbs in the ground before the rain came. Now no doubt more bulbs will go on sale around Thanksgiving and I'll be probably be out there in colder temps planting more...... -----Original Message----- From: penstemon <penstemon@Q.com> To: Pacific Bulb Society <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> Sent: Thu, Nov 19, 2015 5:40 pm Subject: Re: [pbs] tree bands and screen >The roots will self-prune at the soil-screen junction. Once in a while afew roots will go through the screen but only when the bulb has pulleditself very deep into the pot. My main concern, I guess, is with the perched water table. The pots are sitting in a flat. If the perched water table is a fixed depth regardless of pot size, say 1 cm, and the pots are 8 cm deep, then, allowing for some space at the top of the pot, the roots can only grow 6 cm long before they reach the saturated perched water table. Screen exacerbates this condition. The tree bands are 12 cm high and I noticed that seedlings (oncocyclus iris) revived when transplanted into the pots. Of course, trying to raise oncocyclus iris seedlings in the upstairs bedroom under lights is possibly one of the dumbest ideas I’ve had in a long time. (Not counting trying to figure out why a bulbs of Galanthus elwesii var. monostictus wasn’t up yet, just a week ago....now it will never be up.) I think the irises should have been planted out in the garden this summer. Bob Nold, Denver, Colorado, USA_______________________________________________pbs mailing listpbs@lists.ibiblio.orghttp://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.phphttp://… _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.ibiblio.org http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/