when to turn up the lights
- Thread starter dean
- Start date
I rarely modify light output intensity (or height, if the light has fixed intensity/output). Once seedlings are set in their final pot, I set the lights at full power about 3 ft. or a meter above ground level and let the plants grow from there. Plant apex or canopy level light intensity increases as the plants get taller.
I consider myself lucky if a tall plant requires me to raise a light.
I consider myself lucky if a tall plant requires me to raise a light.
That's very grower-dependent.
You can grow a lot of good weed at modest light levels and high light levels will get you a shitton of weed. As a new grower - an assumption on my part - there's a lot of things to learn and the "just make it work" approach is a good way to start for a lot of growers.
I don't recommend their product (there are excellent alternatives) but the info at growlightmeter.com is helpful for learning about how grow lighting is measured. Their recommended light levels are in the "modest" range though, in my most recent grow, my plants were right at their recommended levels in early veg even though I make a point of giving my plants a lot of light.
Check out their site and read up. That I'm aware of, I'd say it's the best source of introductory level grow light info out there.
The lighting is really up to you.
Theres general guidelines you can follow. Most people just try to keep light in the general levels for their stage of growth.
Lots of people here have a light they can put at the top of their grow space at full power and just let the plants grow to the needed heights itself. Basically just providing the needed 200-400ppfd during the seedling stage and start of veg. As the plant grows it will usually achieve desired light levels. Autos growers usually dont change their light cycles often so hang heights and intensity levels are generally less important unless you're really lacking or giving way way too much. This method gives a more even light distribution across the entire canopy but lessen the overall intensity.
The same can be accomplished by dimming lights and hanging them closer to your plants. You will still gradually need to up the brightness as you plant grows and move it further away. One drawback to this is light is directed more straight down. So there will be areas on certain lights that have hotspots. And areas that recieve less light. My light operates like this. Its basically 4 panels in a square. So it has a hot spot by each corner when close to the canopy but further away its much more even but has to be kept at a much higher power.
Theres general guidelines you can follow. Most people just try to keep light in the general levels for their stage of growth.
Lots of people here have a light they can put at the top of their grow space at full power and just let the plants grow to the needed heights itself. Basically just providing the needed 200-400ppfd during the seedling stage and start of veg. As the plant grows it will usually achieve desired light levels. Autos growers usually dont change their light cycles often so hang heights and intensity levels are generally less important unless you're really lacking or giving way way too much. This method gives a more even light distribution across the entire canopy but lessen the overall intensity.
The same can be accomplished by dimming lights and hanging them closer to your plants. You will still gradually need to up the brightness as you plant grows and move it further away. One drawback to this is light is directed more straight down. So there will be areas on certain lights that have hotspots. And areas that recieve less light. My light operates like this. Its basically 4 panels in a square. So it has a hot spot by each corner when close to the canopy but further away its much more even but has to be kept at a much higher power.
