Hardware malfunction

Rubber-based bungee cords do not hold up well against heat and tension

     This morning I found the lighting fixture from my top shelf hanging down at a precarious angle. One of the two cords which had been holding it up had snapped, and the other one was fraying.  I am very lucky that the lamp hadn't fallen completely, and that both the lamp and my plants are safe.

A more secure setup, using metal chain

     It looks like the heat from the lamp caused the rubber inside the bungee cords to deteriorate.  I needed a more secure way to hold the light in place.  So I went to the nearby hardware store, and picked up 5 feet of metal chain.  I wrapped this tightly across the shelf, and used my craft wire to join the ends together.  One tangential benefit of using a metal chain instead of elastic cords, is that it added another inch to the lamp's height.

     

A rearrangement of the top shelf

Top shelf: only seedlings will fit

     I was at a dilemma with the top shelf of my growing area.  I have a perfectly good lamp set up for it, and any nonflowering orchids would be just fine growing outside the terrarium... but the only plants I could put on this top shelf are seedlings, and maybe one larger plant on the side.  The lamp is too close to the plants otherwise, resulting in leaf burn on anything taller.

More space after raising lamp fixture

     Today, I fiddled with the fixture setup to raise it about 4 inches higher.  Before, I had the lamp hanging by its original hooks off a bungee cord I had strung across the shelf.  I removed those metal hooks, and am now hanging the lamp directly from the cord. I'm hoping the extra 4" of distance will allow me to keep my cattleyas on the top shelf, leaving more space in the terrarium.