Grow lights

[rary]

How close should you have a grow light to the plants?

[Baldy]

It's a good question.

If you are rigging something up yourself you should try to make the height adjustable.



Then when you get multiple answers you can mix and match...
It will depend on strength of your light source, how much heat it gives off and what stage the seedling / plant is at.

Someone who knows what they are on about will be along shortly, just after VC...

[rary]

There will be no heat output as I will be using LED lights, and I like the suggestion where I should make the height variable, and yes I agree with your last paragraph

[veggiechicken]

Here I am. Just waiting to see who the one who comes along after me will be as they're supposed to know all the answers.

[Penellype]

Most of the advice about lights seems to say that the light wants to be 1-2 inches above the foliage. My experience (with fluorescent tubes, not LEDs) is that this is impossible. For a start, unless you are growing a uniform set of plants of the same type, they are not all going to be the same height or grow at the same speed. Tomatoes can grow an inch or 2 over night and I find it is not uncommon to have a difference of 6 inches in the heights of plants I want under the lights. If the foliage touches the tubes it gets burnt.

My solution to this is to keep the height the same. I have 2 grow light gardens with the top set about 9 inches from the base, which I use for lettuces and seedlings. I then have a taller grow light set at 16 inches which is used for larger plants such as peppers and tomatoes in spring. Anything that gets too big for these is moved to a windowsill or outside into the growhouse.

[rary]

Thanks Penellype I can set up two systems so will make one a set height and the other variable, and I don't think there will be the same danger of burning any leaves with LED light's
There you are VC, Baldy was right, and you got your answer as well possibly Penelype doesn't know all the answers, but she does know a lot,

[toomanytommytoes]

Depends how intense a light the LEDs are putting out and what the light requirements and growth stage of your plants are. Something very efficient, like a 65W HLG quantum board, can light a 2x2 foot area at high enough intensity for vegetative growth at 12 inches above the canopy. A lot of other LED lights, like those on Amazon or eBay, won't draw the advertised wattage and the intensity of light will be much lower, so you can put them closer to the plants. You could ask the company you bought your LEDs from for some PPFD (i.e. light intensity) figures to work out how high you should hang them.

[rary]

^^^^^That would be too technical for me I will rig up my lights and watch how the plants grow and adjust as required

[veggiechicken]

You could have read this little thread https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...hts_69290.html

[4Shoes]

Just hang the grow lights on chains from cup hooks. If on Std BC fittings, lift and lower as required. Make sure they are wired and earthed properly. Put them on a timer.

[rary]

Thanks for that VC I should have remembered about that thread, and reading through it gives me some ideas to try out, so just remind me about doing this for me the next time I say something bad about you (as if I would) it won't make any difference, but may give you the thought that it will

[veggiechicken]

Its always a pleasure to remind you how old and forgetful you are, rary................and I never say bad things about anyone, only raryly.

[Mitzi]

I keep my lights at a fixed height and raise the plants by putting the pots on boxes etc. to get them closer to the lights. Then as the plants grow I remove the boxes.

As pp have said, it depends on the lights. With LEDs the heat isn't so much a factor it's just the light intensity.

[casejones]

the distance from the lights should be 3 in/7.6 cm

[Jungle Jane]

I put one of my lights on a chain,I adjusted it once because my plants grew tall they’re quite bright are you making a surround? The other one of my lights is set still but on cable so it can move if it had to but it never does & pots are about three inches from the light,I wouldn’t go further than that,although if they grow leggy they can be planted deeper