How to use a PAR meter to measure light levels in your grow room

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Күн бұрын

Ever asked yourself "How far should my grow light be from my plants?" - Well, here we test the light levels in our indoor garden with a Sun Systems PAR meter (aka quantum meter) to determine the proper distance.

Пікірлер: 22

@MrHouseplant 4 жыл бұрын

Very useful, thank you! :)

@JJbones88 10 жыл бұрын

Great videos as always Everest! I prefer using the bottom side of my forearm to measure heat from the light, simply because the top tends to be tougher.

@Just4Growers 10 жыл бұрын

Thanks Mr Bones-that's a good tip, a little like using your elbow to test your baby's bath water! I tried with the bottom side of my forearm and it's definitely one of my more 'sensitive' areas ;-) Thanks for sharing as always. Peace.

@brendamoncayo2743 2 жыл бұрын

Easy explanation. Thx

@ApogeeInstrumentsInc 8 жыл бұрын

Apogee Instruments (the company that makes the Sun System meter) just came out with a new PAR meter, the MQ-500, that has a lot better spectral response and is better for measuring LEDs. Check out the Apogee web site for more information.

@LivinRob 8 жыл бұрын

Can you explain not dimming a MH bulb? I've looked around the internet and asked at my local hydro store about this. I can't seem to find anything that validates this claim. As long as the bulb fits the ballast, why would this unfavorable?

@bbbbbbb2357 6 жыл бұрын

Livin' Rob a bulb has to reach a certain temperature to reach ideal spectral output. Dim the bulb and lose spectrum and also possibly harm the arch tube

@JonRBermudez 10 жыл бұрын

I'm not ready to use all 600 watts on my dimmable ballast. Can I use a 250 watt MH for the 50% setting?

@Just4Growers 10 жыл бұрын

Hi Jonathan. I do not recommend running metal halide lamps on anything other than their stated wattage. MH lamps are particularly prone to spectral shift when dimmed-the spectrum becomes greener and less plant-usable (remember, plants' leaves appear green because they reflect green light!) As I understand it, you are asking if you can run a 250 watt MH lamp at 300 watts (50% of 600W) - again, I do not recommend over-powering a lamp by 20%. This is more than any "Super Lumens" mode you may find on some e-ballasts. Run your 250W MH lamp at 250W my friend :-) Good luck and happy growing.

@aeonmouse5802 3 жыл бұрын

How do tou install the battery?

@davidlovell7724 6 жыл бұрын

200,000 Lux Digital Luminometer Photometer Light Meter Hi I have just bought this as it was cheap? as I can't afford your par meter will this meter work for my plants?

@John-bd1gt 6 жыл бұрын

Hi can you tell me what is different of LUX meter and PAR meter?

@Just4Growers 6 жыл бұрын

Good question John, thanks. Both meters measure photons occurring in the range of 400 to 700 nm. However, a PAR meter counts all photons as equal, whereas a LUX meter multiplies (or weights) each photon according to the human eye’s sensitivity to it - so green / yellow photons around 555 nm are weighted higher because the human eye is most sensitive to this wavelength radiation.

@auditocanarsie7355 7 жыл бұрын

I was surprised by the 1,500 micromole limit. Is this just for plants? I thought "full sun" meant 2,000 micromoles. I have an African Aloe tree that prefers full sun. Any idea how many micromoles that translates to?

@boognish593 2 жыл бұрын

They get an average outside in full sun. The sun is less intense in the morning, peaks above 2000 in the afternoon, and tapers off to sunset.

@growlightsled 10 жыл бұрын

I saw that you used hps at most time, have you ever considered about led grow lights?

@Just4Growers 10 жыл бұрын

Hey there Led. Thanks for stopping by. I sure am intrigued by this promising and fast-developing technology for some growing applications. I have to admit that I was a little put off by some of the grandiose claims and dubious science of some LED manufacturers / resellers re: direct comparisons with HID or claiming LEDs don't put out any heat. Colleagues in the commercial field use red and far red LEDs for plant steering purposes (quick transition to flower) but I haven't got busy myself using LEDs as the sole light source. Another one for the ever-growing list of future videos for sure! :) Feel free to stop by our Facebook group any time! Peace.