I am confused about lights and height of lights and much much more, first time growing

noobnoob

noobnoob

Active Member
Hello 420 magazine,
This is my first time growing , my plant seems ok but i am confused about everything. I am growing in my 2.6(80cm) x 1.6 ( 49cm) x 5.4feet
(166cm),i bought 3 x 54w 6000k leds for veg . Now to my questions.
I dont know if i have enough room for my plant and if i need more light and how high lights be from the top of my plant.
I have done a lot of research but every site and forum is confusing and they are saying different things.
 
noobnoob said:
what pics do you want to see?
Click to expand...
Pics of the setup, if you are going to switch out the lights for flower only why not go with 3000k? As far as height goes, I start high then step down to about 26” in veg, then in flower I keep the light at 18” but allow growth to get within 12” before adjusting the canopy or light.
 
Since there are no standards in the LED lighting business, I strongly suggest that you invest in a $35 light meter. A cell phone meter won't cut it, but with a decent light meter you will be able to get an idea how much LUX you are throwing down on your plants at any particular height, and it is that number that will help you dial this in. Each stage of growth needs a different intensity of light, and being able to measure it instead of guessing or relying on a chart you are not sure you can trust, is the only way to go.
 
Yep, I have a lux sensor. I check all positions of my closet to find the best spots.
With LEDs they need to be further away than HPS from my understanding.
As a general rule for LEDs:
36" inches for seedlings (maybe overkill)
24" for veg
For flowering you will just have to give it all the space you can. but they can be up to 10-12" inches away, anything closer risks light burn
 
If i understood correctly should i just skip the 6000k lights and just using my 3000k light for all stages? i will purchase a light meter today, what lux will i be reading on top of my plant?
Thanks for all the replies guys .
IMG_20200426_165642.jpg
 
noobnoob said:
i will purchase a light meter today, what lux will i be reading on top of my plant?
Click to expand...
its a certain calculation to transfer watts to Lux or lumens but you'll see it get higher as you move it closer to the light. But you want to place the sensor right next to the top set of leaves for each plant.
 
LED light can be very intense, especially for seedlings... but it again is all about how much energy you are hitting the plants with. I can dial my LED lights down to the point where even as seedlings I could have them 8 inches away without causing harm... so its not strictly the distance that needs to be considered here... it is the PAR or LUX that you are hitting them with that is important. Also, the color of your light is important and the plants in veg love the blue light, plants in bloom love the red light, and you should take advantage of this by using the proper lights in your array at the proper time.

We know that clones and seedlings need between 5000-7000 LUX for optimum growth. We know that in Veg the plants can take a lot more light and depending on how big they are, 15k-50K LUX is appropriate for optimum growth. In flower we can hit them with even more light, and 45K-65K LUX will do just fine. Some plants can stand up to 75K LUX in flower, but you are in risky territory of bleaching up here, and generally anything over 85K would be lethal.
 
From a 3000/3200k light, you are looking for a minimum of 25000 Lux average, that translates roughly to 400ppfd.

Take your readings in a grid pattern, the more points the more accurate your average will be. Tally up all your readings and then divide by the total number of readings, this will give your average at that given height.
 
I recommend a solid 600w LED or higher. one that you can switch between veg and bloom.
for me, it gets too hot in my closet because I don't have ventilation in there, just a fan so I only run either veg or bloom, and the plants love it.
 
Emilya said:
LED light can be very intense, especially for seedlings... but it again is all about how much energy you are hitting the plants with. I can dial my LED lights down to the point where even as seedlings I could have them 8 inches away without causing harm... so its not strictly the distance that needs to be considered here... it is the PAR or LUX that you are hitting them with that is important. Also, the color of your light is important and the plants in veg love the blue light, plants in bloom love the red light, and you should take advantage of this by using the proper lights in your array at the proper time.

We know that clones and seedlings need between 5000-7000 LUX for optimum growth. We know that in Veg the plants can take a lot more light and depending on how big they are, 15k-50K LUX is appropriate for optimum growth. In flower we can hit them with even more light, and 45K-65K LUX will do just fine. Some plants can stand up to 75K LUX in flower, but you are in risky territory of bleaching up here, and generally anything over 85K would be lethal.
Click to expand...
Do you have any suggestions on light meters?
 
Here's what I use. The ph meter is trash. and the moisture meter can't tell you anything that @Emilya doesn't already know :rofl: this ones only 10$ USD.
1587910955903.png

...On second thought maybe you should spend more:rofl:
 

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