How far should LED grow lights be from plants?
If you’re trying to figure out the perfect distance between your plants and the LED lights nourishing them, you’re already ahead of the game. Too many growers overlook light placement or decide to wing it. At worst, the result is a struggling, unhealthy crop. At best, they don’t get the full benefits of choosing LED lights to begin with.
How Far To Place LED Lights From Plants In Each Stage Of Growth
Once again, it is important to understand that there is no universal rule for how far to place LED lights from plants in each phase of growth. Different manufacturers construct their LED lights in different ways. There are multiple details to take into consideration, such as the power and angle of individual LED diodes within a fixture and the use of lenses to reflect light downwards. The best way to get that perfect distance between the light and your canopy is to consult with the manufacturer.
The second thing to keep in mind is that the correct LED light placement changes for each stage of growth. If your LED is dimmable, you can use dimming to adjust the intensity of the light on the plant surface. If your LED is not dimmable, your only option is to change the hanging height. These examples aren’t hard-and-fast rules, so don’t follow them without the blessing of your light’s manufacturer. But just to give you a ballpark sense of what LED light placement generally looks like throughout the growth cycle:
Seedling Stage
Seedlings need the least intensity and most distance between the canopy and the lights. You may have the instinct to blast these little guys with high-intensity light to promote fast growth. The truth is, they’re young, vulnerable, and likelier to thrive with a gentler approach.
Vegetative Stage
In the vegetative stage, you want to get your LED lights closer to your plants. In general, plants in veg only need about half the light that they need in bloom. It follows that you could have up to twice the hanging height that you use in bloom.
Flowering Stage
It’s in the flowering stage that you really need the highest intensity. It is important to build in a “hardening off” phase as you move from veg to bloom. Slowly increase the intensity or lower the hanging height until you reach the manufacturers recommended height in bloom.
The chart below shows how the distance between the lights & plants needs to be adjusted based on the wattage of your lights:
Why do different grow lights need to be hung at different heights?
If your indoor garden is supposed to mimic a plant’s natural (outdoor) environment, then the grow light is the sun from which everything grows- only you have control over what type of light and how much of it your plant receives. That’s partially why growers say more light=better yields.
Choosing a grow light is also a very important thing. Everyone knows that because they grow under the sun, the plants grown outdoors produce the best nutrition, so how to make indoor plants grow well, your indoor grow light need to be more like the sun Light, then full spectrum led grow lights will be a good choice.
Good LED grow lights recommend for you
Grower’s Choice TSL PFS Series
Grower’s Choice TSL PFS LED grow light is engineered for dense vertical commercial farming where every inch of indoor cultivation is important. With this light, you can save up to 60% of energy over five years. The lightweight design and compact size increase harvest space for higher quality yields.
The NextLight Mega LED Grow Light contains American made, full spectrum bright white LEDs. The spectrum is designed to closer match the sun than even your traditional HPS. Each unit can maintain a 100,000 hour life rating at 77° F ambient conditions. Using the best LEDs money can buy, NextLight can ensure longer life and better performance. NextLight’s unique makeup also means that it emits a full 75% less heat than a 1000 watt HPS.
The RAGING KUSH, by Scynce LED, was designed specifically for flowering in vertical farming. Utilizing Scynce’s patented optics for incredible canopy penetration, the Raging Kush was engineered to meet the needs of large horticulture operations. Whether your need is for intensity & scheduling control, high humidity and frequently cleaned environments or maximizing limited space, the Raging Kush is a scalable solution to meet your growing needs.
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