Which plant Lighting system to use?  Type : Knowledge Article Applicable Product: Lights Accessories Tags : led plant lighting led plant grow light led grow lights Published Date : Mar/28/15 View : 9 Comments : 0

Which plant Lighting system to use? Each grow room and grower is different. I’ll be the first person to tell you that I cannot give information that is one size fits all. The wants, needs, and requirements for your grow room will be different from mine or someone else’s. The first thing we need to think about is what kind of light we are going to use. I’ll cover the basics here, if you have more advanced questions, post them in a separate thread and I’m sure you will get plenty of help. There are a few things we need to cover before we get in to lighting systems. The first is color temperature. Kelvin (K) is the standard rating system for point source white lighting. The sun has a color corrected temperature of ~6500K on a normal overcast day and ~ 22,000k on a completely clear day. This number varies greatly depending on a number of things like: cloud cover, latitude, humidity, and other atmospheric conditions. The more blue the hue of the light the Higher the color temperature will be. Likewise, the more red hue it has the lower the color temperature. This rating type works well for most single point light sources, however, it does not work for single color LED lights. Now let’s get down to the information that everyone really wants. What type of lighting should I use? How much should I use? How far away should my lights be? The type of lighting you choose will be based on the area you need to cover, the amount of ventilation you have available, and the amount of money you want to spend. We have already covered the basics of each lighting type. Let’s take it a little farther this time. Cost Cost is a major factor when setting up a new grow room or expanding a current set-up. CFLs and tube fluorescents are cheap to buy and cheap to replace bulbs (which needs done every 4-6 months). HPS and MH systems can cost quite a bit more to purchase starting at around $200. The bulbs can be pricy as well costing up to $60 or more each. LEDs are by far the most expensive. Panels can cost as much as $3 to $4 per watt (and more for some companies). However, the “bulbs” last for as much as 5 years without any noticeable degradation. The “driver” or power supply (called ballast for HID lighting) will be the first thing to fail with an LED system. If you are considering LEDs, make sure the company has a good service/repair policy. Remember that heat and ventilation will play a role in this selection as well. If you do not have any venting available for your room, HPS/MH lighting is NOT for you. Likewise, if you have heat problems in your grow area you will want to avoid HPS/MH lighting as well. How much light should I use? The following is a MINIMUM light requirement for productive growth in the vegetative stage: CFL: 42.25 watts per square foot HPS/MH: 32.5 watts per square foot LED: 22.75 watts per square foot The following is a MINIMUM light requirement for productive growth in the flowering stage: CFL: 65 watts per square foot HPS/MH: 50 watts per square foot LED: 35 watts per square foot I know someone is going to say it so I will do it for them… “But I grow 3 pounds of bud off of x# of watts.” Yes, I’m sure you do. However, by following these basic guidelines, you have a greater chance of success and will have a higher product. You can get better results with more lighting. Like I said at the very beginning of this thread, everyone has a different grow room and results will vary on a number of factors. This is simply general information to help new people start out. I encourage everyone to tweak their grow room and get it set up for optimal production for their area. How far away should my lights be? There are a number of factors for this question. Do you have heat issues? What kind of light is it? Does it have secondary optics? How much room do you have? For HPS/MH lighting, a good rule of thumb is: hold the back of your hand out over your plant. Raise it until you start feeling the heat from the bulb. The distance that your hand is from the bulb is 1 inch too close for your plant to be. For CFLs and Tube fluorescents, it is almost impossible to bleach or burn your plants. Remember that the closer they are the less area they are going to cover. Other than that 2 to 3 inches is more than enough distance. LEDs are where it starts getting tricky. It largely depends on the light. Does it use 1 watt diodes or 3 watt or even 5 watt diodes? The lower power the diode the closer the light can be. Does it have secondary optics (lenses) over the LEDs? If so, you should start at around 24 inches and slowly move it down until you see the leaves starting to bleach. Move the light up 2 inches and that is the closest you want to keep the light at any given time. If it does not have secondary optics, start at around 18 inches and perform the above method. There are simply too many variables and differences in LED systems, panels, manufacturers, and diodes to give exact numbers.  led grow lights ,   plant grow lights,  led grow light