How to Determine the Best Distance of LED Grow Lights from Your Plants

Okay, so you bought a few strips of LED grow lights and installed them in your garden. But are you sure that their distance from the plants is appropriate? If you didn’t think about the distance between the plants and the light source, chances are that you may have placed them incorrectly. The placement of the grow lights is a crucial factor for your plants, but it is a step that most gardeners overlook. Incorrect positioning of the lights, in extreme cases, can lead to the death of the plants. Importance of PAR value Different plants need different lights to speed up their growth. But you can’t really figure out how to assess the intensity of the grows lights that are suitable for the plants. That is why you should use a PAR meter. It is a tool to measure the strength of the light available to plants. If you buy a PAR meter, then you should place the grow lights from the plants at a distance where you get a reading between 500 to 1500 PAR. This may mean an 8-inch gap between the plants and the grow lights. However, it depends on the manufacturer of the grow lights because you may need to shift an inch closer or further away depending on the brand. For the best advice on high-quality LED grow lights, you can seek help from 420expertadviser for more details. Understanding the best distance between the LED grow lights and your plants Considering that you may not want to invest in a PAR meter yet, you must be searching for alternative ideas to figure out the appropriate distance of the grow lights from your plants. Here are a few steps you should follow: • First, make sure you buy a plant-specific grow light. This will not only improve your plant’s growth but also ensure that you follow the right steps to maintain the best distance of the lights from the plants. • Download a free light metering app on your phone. There are tons of apps, so you don’t need to focus on one specifically. • Open the app and go outside the enclosed garden. Take a reading when the sun is shining brightly. Note this reading. • Go back to your garden and turn on the grow lights. Measure their intensity using the app. Make sure you place your phone just above the leaves of a plant to note the reading. • Divide one reading by the other to understand the ratio of how bright the light should be for your plant. Although grow lights have a weaker intensity compared to sunlight, you can always bring your plants closer to the light if you think they are not getting enough light for proper growth. If you purchase grow lights without optics, you should use a lampshade within 1 to 2 inches from the plant to make sure the leaves don’t burn. For grow lights with optics, you can keep them approximately 4 to 6 inches from the light. Whenever you purchase LED grow lights, keep an eye on the per Watt energy efficiency, built-in optics, and satisfactory PAR value.