BluNGreen
420 Member
So, who really needs an expensive light meter just to check how much useable light your plants are really getting. I can tell by just how the plants are responding to the up and down adjustments. Also making sure all of the plants are under the lights.
Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) is a measurement of useable light for indoor growers to understand as it refers to the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that is essential for photosynthesis in plants. Each grow stage has a recommended PAR value allowing your plants to flourish. It has always been a guessing game with the Light to canopy distance and with multiple grow lights it is even more difficult.
Well after getting a PAR meter I was amazed on how easy it was to set my lights up for distance apart and height. And my thinking that the plants under the light are getting more light than the ones between the light. For instance, I run four Mars Hydro SC series LEDs. The two in the front have six plants between them in two rows of three. The lights are about two feet apart. the outside plants are basically under the lights, and one is between the lights. So old school growers (Which includes me) which plant is getting a higher PAR value/more light? Well, it is not the ones under the lights, by far it is the one between the lights. Using a meter, you can also determine where your lights drop off on the sides and then widen them out to the edges of your grow.
I tried the cell phone app (The free version) and it did not work for me. The meter i purchased was only $200 and worth the investment. I was getting Mac1 clones from a friend and for two grows with ten plants I averaged about 15 to 18 oz dry weight. The third grow same clones and quantity i had purchased the Par Meter. I had to widen my lights outward and used an extra light for "Side lighting" based on the low PAR values and my total yield was 56 ounces dry. the plants were just over 2 feet in height. I attached a pic of that grow and I believe they were in week 7 at the time of the photo, Been using the meter ever since.
Happy Growing
Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) is a measurement of useable light for indoor growers to understand as it refers to the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that is essential for photosynthesis in plants. Each grow stage has a recommended PAR value allowing your plants to flourish. It has always been a guessing game with the Light to canopy distance and with multiple grow lights it is even more difficult.
Well after getting a PAR meter I was amazed on how easy it was to set my lights up for distance apart and height. And my thinking that the plants under the light are getting more light than the ones between the light. For instance, I run four Mars Hydro SC series LEDs. The two in the front have six plants between them in two rows of three. The lights are about two feet apart. the outside plants are basically under the lights, and one is between the lights. So old school growers (Which includes me) which plant is getting a higher PAR value/more light? Well, it is not the ones under the lights, by far it is the one between the lights. Using a meter, you can also determine where your lights drop off on the sides and then widen them out to the edges of your grow.
I tried the cell phone app (The free version) and it did not work for me. The meter i purchased was only $200 and worth the investment. I was getting Mac1 clones from a friend and for two grows with ten plants I averaged about 15 to 18 oz dry weight. The third grow same clones and quantity i had purchased the Par Meter. I had to widen my lights outward and used an extra light for "Side lighting" based on the low PAR values and my total yield was 56 ounces dry. the plants were just over 2 feet in height. I attached a pic of that grow and I believe they were in week 7 at the time of the photo, Been using the meter ever since.
Happy Growing