The shortest distance from the grow light to a flat plant canopy is directly underneath. This is the ultimate competition for CMH lights as these light-emitting diodes (LED) lights run much cooler and can be hung closer to the plant growing area, without creating hot spots. But did you know that there can be too much light? T5 fluorescent grow light fixture. The distance from the top of your cannabis plants to the bottom of your grow lights is one of the most crucial factors to control in your indoor marijuana garden. 1-175 watt CMH fixture covers 2′ X 2′ area with a mounting height of 16″ above the plant canopy. 45,000 lux is 765, good for flower. HPS or high pressure sodium bulb are efficient and very bright light sources. Remember the sun is also never straight above your plants. It outlines light intensity (lux), delivers PPFD (μmol/m-2/s-1 or micromoles per square meter per second), and also shows the “light footprint” or canopy coverage. Light is a good thing for plants. However, many plant lovers wonder what is the proper grow light distance for plants. Here are a few notes I’ve gathered about metal halide footprint and light coverage: 400w Metal Halide Plant Distance: At least 14’’ or 30 cm away from your canopy; Recommended Area: Up to 3.5’ x 3.5’ or 1.1m x 1.1; 600w Metal Halide. As a general reference, 200–400W LED lights should be positioned 30–70cm away from plants, while 450–600W lights require a distance of 50–80cm. A narrow beam (a deep reflector) results in very high intensity light levels in a narrow field. I'll go look at the unit and decide. I’d start by hanging the light 6 to 10 inches from seedlings. Thanks for posting! There are more than a dozen size variations, so you need to figure out the size of your indoor garden and then fit the lights to your space. When cultivating e.g. How High Above The Plants Do I Hang Ceramic Metal Halide Lights? Spectrum comparison. The proper distance between your full spectrum LED grow lights and plants is important for robust photosynthesis and growth. In the above PPFD plot the light distribution across the cultivation area is depicted as a color gradient. Carefully install the lamp into the socket by inserting pins into matching shaped holes in socket and turning lamp to right (clockwise). If your plants need 20-30 watts/square foot, and your canopy takes up 4’ x 4’ of that space, you will need 320-480 watts of grow lighting. The sun is located about 93 million miles away from earth, so moving something a few inches further away or closer to it is inconsequential. Note: while HID's need to be hung at a consistent distance throughout the plant's growth cycle, LED's will need to be moved closer to the plant during the flowering stage. From what I understand, the plant can stretch quite a bit with a large main cola. I have a friend using 3 of this same light over a 4X8 table but she is only running 4 plants in that space. Go the Distance. http://www.thegardensage.com/The Garden Sage is a true cash crop professional. With this intensity comes heat requiring the 315W CMH light to be hung at a distance of 2ft from the canopy, and the 630W CMH hung at least 3ft distance from the canopy to cancel out the effects of the heat. Getting a lux meter will help. Having light come in at an angle penetrates the plants much better. Seedling Distance for 315 CMH? when the surface looks like it is drying out or above 85f, mist the soil once to keep it from going dry. PPFD values drop towards the border area. The best way to get that perfect distance between the light and your canopy is to consult with the manufacturer. HPS lights should not be placed inches from the plants, as you would place fluorescent lights; you should set HPS lamps higher, generally between 5 and 8 feet from the plants. The EYE HORTILUX CMH 315 Grow Light System will only accept CMH lamps with a PZGX18 (bi-pin) base. If your LED is dimmable, you can use dimming to adjust the intensity of the light on the plant surface. Getting Your Grow Lights Right – Top Tips Follow these expert tips and you’ll find that your grow lights are in the perfect position to maximize your crop and to ensure the best quality plants. And it’s easy to burn the leaves. Traditionally growers used Metal Halide (MH) bulbs during the VEG cycle due to the high percentage (23%) of blue in the MH spectrum. The CMH is getting good reviews in that regard and grams per watt. In order to allow the light to "spread out" and cover your entire growing area, it is important to have your Black Dog LED grow light the correct distance above the top of your canopy. It is important to note that, overall, CMH lamps are … 1-630 watt CMH fixture covers 4′ X 4′ area with a mounting height of 36″ above the plant canopy. Light placement. One of the most crucial concepts to get your head around here is how point sources of light behave with distance. Fluorescent Grow Lights So I took out 1 bulb and it's looking very nice now! sprouts in 2-10 days Use the same distances whether you are using a large T5 fixture or just a regular fluorescent light bulb. Fixtures: When it comes to choosing a grow light fixture, there are a couple of things to think about. The T5 fluorescent grow light distance for seedlings should be a bit further away. Too much light can lead to bleaching and burning your plants. So, even when the grow light is hung low over the canopy, some light is going to go over the plants and hit the side wall of the grow tent. Higher wattage systems must be located even further away. keep the tray under the light (around 3' away to simulate the sun) and also keep a spray bottle with distilled water nearby, or better water if it's available. and distance to your crop. I like the 30% more efficient, but I wonder about wavelengths that plants like/need. 600µmol/(m 2 s) are desirable. I plugged in the light with 2 bulbs to test, and quickly and obviously determined 630w is too much for my 4 plants still in veg . You want 500ppfd max in veg and 600-1000PPFD in flower. The green light will not disrupt the plants’ natural rhythms. I keep it approximately 18 inches away from the canopy. G8LED grow lights provide a full spectrum of light, in the correct, weighted average ratios, for healthier growth and maximum flowering. The answer to this question depends on many factors, but generally speaking, the ideal distance would be 40-66cm for LED lights with low power , 50-75cm for those with medium power and around one meter for the LED lights that have more than 900W of power. Proper Distance for Full Spectrum LED Grow Lights. fruit-bearing short-day plants indoors, PPFD values of approx. Another option is to use a reflector with a lens covering the bulb, but the disadvantage of this is reduced light to the plants. Point Sources of Light: The Key To The Right Distance from Your Plants. Table 1: Distance of LED Lighting from Plant Canopy (600W LED Grow Light) Table 1 shows how a 600W LED grow light performs at varying distances from the plant canopy. First is the size requirements for this grow light. This system will not accept Mogul Base lamps or CMH lamps that are not rated for open fixture use. The claim from CMH lovers is that your plants can enjoy a nearly full spectrum white light, very similar to natural sunlight that lasts longer than your HID counterpart.. A CMH's Color Rendering Index (CRI) rating is pretty close to the sun.CRI is a measurement of how true colors stay when the light is set upon them. In general, LED lights of 200-400W need to be positioned at 30-70cm from the plants while lights of 450-600w need the distance to be 50-80cm. Let's say you are growing in a 5’ x 5’ grow space. LED's seem to still be developing. The lamp focuses the light to the center of the measured area. 1-315 watt CMH fixture covers 3′ X 3′ area with a mounting height of 30″ above the plant canopy. The wide spectrum of light, including ultraviolet and infrared light, provided by the Growers Choice Horticultural Lighting 315w SE CMH Complete Fixture is perfect for promoting vegetative growth to increase the health and vigor of your plants and ensure a rich harvest. I think you will get very good results if you mount your light as high as it will go in your tent. - B Brown / Shutterstock. Notes: Metal Halides and HPS grow light come with specific distance guidelines and these are 8- 12 inches away from your plants for 150W, 10-14 inches for 250 W, 12-19 inches for 400W, 14025 inches for 600W, and 16-31 inches for 1000W. I do like the two I have. Blue regulates internodal distance (the distance between branches). I originally was hanging the light about 18" from the plants, but after some mild burning and research, I scrapped the hangers and strapped my CMH directly to the ceiling, putting about 30" between my light and my plants. 30,000 lux for a 3100k CMH is 507PPFD. Whether your plants are vegetatively growing or in flower, the correct hanging height is dictated by the size of the area you are trying to cover. My grow light is a 315W CMH. This distance fully illuminates the whole canopy with direct light from the source, but is as close as possible to the plants for maximum lumen intensity. I have been lead to believe that the 630W CMH is a replacement for a 1000W HPS. Don’t make the mistake of thinking more is better. A 315w CMH really wont cut it in a 4x4 though, you'll get pretty small buds. Good luck, friend. Indoors, there is an optimum distance/height between the plants and the light source. This will be called the OLH, for Optimum Lamp Height. Here are some examples where I found the recommended distance: Grower’s Choice 315W CMH – 2.5-3 feet (76-91 cm) from plants; Hortilux 315W CMH – 3 feet (91 cm) from plants; Vivosun 315 CMH – 24 inches (60 cm) from plants; As with any grow light, always conduct the 30-second “hand test” after you’ve positioned your light. You can figure out the intensity at whatever distance and convert the lux into PPFD. The light distribution is so intense, the footprint coverage is larger than what MH and HPS bulbs provide. The second thing to keep in mind is that the correct LED light placement changes for each stage of growth. Grow lights with reflectors (HPS, CMH etc) and boxed LED grow lights spread light wide. HPS Vs CMH Vs LED Should you upgrade from HPS and MH to CMH or LED? HPS grow lights are 20 - 30 (that's why it's all orange/yellow in your … For my next grow, I plan on going with Northern Lights #5 x Haze. Its on sale and I do need to upgrade my light situation. Started by sonofmum, January 17, 2017. sonofmum 433 In Bud; Full Member; 433 ... 15"-16" is the ideal distance for bigger plants so I guess 24" minimum for seedlings or clones under a 315w cmh. If you light your plants by a narrow beam from the top you only light the top canopy of leafs. My question is what is the optimum canopy distance for 630 and 315 watt CMH respectively? Table will be trellised with 28 plants. I am thinking of running 4 - 315W CMH's made by Sunplix with Philips 4200K bulbs (14" open hoods) over a 4X8 table. It’s easy to “overdrive” your plants with too much light. Remember to keep a close watch over your plants whenever you start using a new light. if you are germinating more, plant them a 1/2'' deep. (450-550w LED Grow Lights) 20-30” away from plants (600-850w LED Grow Lights) 24-26 away from plants (900w+ LED Grow Lights) 26-42” away from plants. 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