Should I use a Light Mover?

[Skybound]

Trying to understand it mathematically I think is a little counter productive as the lights don't consume more power or emit more lumens. It's just better penetration as the angle of the lamp respective to the plant is constantly changing which allows light to get around leaves and flowers that would normally otherwise shade the lower regions if the lamp were in a fixed position. The popular consensus on light movers is that the lights lose efficiency when they travel too great of a distance so I opted to cut my 4' rails down to 2' and the travel is now only 18". I won't get to use them for another month or two as my current grow is only just now getting into vegetative growth from seedlings.

 

[Antix]

Light movers are not the best option, when the light moves plants are subsequently in the shade. If you have that many plants to begin with that are in the shade just get another light.

 

[HydroDyna]

Light mover seems like placebo with money better spent on more light

 

[OttawaGreen]

Wow, blast from the past thread. I disagree, like my movers. They bring yield up while keeping electricity costs and heat down since I don't have to add lights.
You could "just add more lights" or you could use the lights you have much more efficiently...

If a $200 mover was to get you just a few ounces extra per grow it paid for itself double in one grow and the agramovers last a long time and they have an inexpensive rebuild kit too

 

[lilybeanz]

Wow, blast from the past thread. I disagree, like my movers. They bring yield up while keeping electricity costs and heat down since I don't have to add lights.
You could "just add more lights" or you could use the lights you have much more efficiently...

If a $200 mover was to get you just a few ounces extra per grow it paid for itself double in one grow and the agramovers last a long time and they have an inexpensive rebuild kit too

electricity costs are my reason for wanting one! use the light more efficiently!

 

[TorturedSoul]

A light mover generally allows one to position the light(s) closer to the plants, since the lights do not stay in one place all "day" long.

It can help when the shape of the grow area does not match the output pattern from the light's reflector. I'm thinking of linear light-movers (light rail) here. A person might find that their rectangular reflector, when placed at the correct height (for that setup), just doesn't seem adequate for their rectangular (long dimension left to right, short dimension front-to-back) grow room. They might find that they can install a light mover, lower the light, and turn it sideways - causing the light to be concentrated front-to-rear so that it illuminates the plants at the front and back quite well, especially since the light has been lowered. The light mover slowly rolls left to right and back again, all day long. Because of this, that increased illumination hits all the plants (no, not at the same time, lol). Et cetera.

One can play with the limit stops (on the ends of the rail) to adjust the amount of time that the light spends at the ends of travel. This ought to give the person who grows multiple strains in the same area another tool for ensuring that the plants which require more light, get it.

Years ago, I saw a different sort of light mover, it held multiple lights and moved them in a more circular arrangement. This could be helpful... If a person has an adequate amount of light, but that light is mixed in spectrum (a couple of 1,000-watt HPS and a 600-watt MH, for example), such a mover would help mix that light so that the grower doesn't end up with most of the room being illuminated primarily by the HPS while a smaller part gets illuminated primarily by the MH.

Would it be better to just add more lights until the entire garden is constantly - and evenly - illuminated? Of course. But that is not always possible. More lights obviously cost more; not just initially, but each month when the electric bill is paid, too. More lights require a greater electrical capacity in the grow room (which may not be available). A light mover has a more moderate electrical need than a HID. If one can get away with using less lights, one can then get away with less cooling as there will be less heat to remove.

But light movers are not magic. It is not going to allow you to double your footprint (at least not if you wish to keep the same GPW, lol). One should not be too optimistic by making the length of travel too long.

Ever get behind the eight ball and end up with a jungle in a small space? For some situations, it can actually make things easier for the grower to perform his/her gardening tasks if that jungle is spread out a bit.

I'm just rambling.

Regards,