Light is a critical element in the life of plants. Not only the efficiency and generosity of the harvest but also the life of the plant in principle will directly depend on its quality and quantity. Therefore, the grower must be extremely careful when choosing the right lighting for plants. In addition, the distance between plants and grow lights will also affect the growth of your plants. Next, we will talk about how far away the grow light should be at each stage of plant growth. let’s start!

Why You Need to Adjust the Height of Your Grow Light System When Growing Plants

When discussing lighting issues with indoor plants growers, the number one question is always: What is the best height between grow light and plant canopy?

As you know or will come to find out, plants are continually growing. From the seedling stage to the explosive growth of the pre-flowering phase — there’s never a fixed grow light height that cultivators can rely on.

Instead, plants cultivators must stay on guard to adjust the height of their grow lights when necessary. In other words, plants growers must continuously find the perfect balance between grow lights and the plant canopy for healthy results.

If your grow lights are too far or close to the plant canopy, several problems may occur, such as:

Reduced vigor
Burned or bleached leaves
Low yield
Long internodes
Fluffy buds
Bleached buds

Alternatively, the right grow light height is known to:

Increase bud and resin production
Speed up the overall flowering process
Stimulate healthy and rapid growth
Produce dense flowers and short internodes
Produce thick stems and branches

As you can, there are several reasons why the height of your indoor grow lights matters.

Aside from plants-related problems, inadequate height will also throw your garden into disarray, primarily by:

Reduced space efficiency
Wasted wattage/lumens
Increased electricity bill

On the flip side — finding the perfect height for your grow lights will:

Enhance and maximize space efficiency
Increase gram per watt
Distribute light evenly
Now that you understand the negative and positive implications of the grow light’s height — let’s move on and discuss how to find the best height for your indoor garden.

Best 600W LED Grow Lights Recommend

ECO Farm Z6–600 Samsung LM301B LED Grow Light

Features:

This ECO Farm LED Grow Light utilizes the latest in high yielding LEDs technology today-Samsung LM301B diodes, high Energy Efficiency with 2.9μmol/J, delivers a powerful light output and uniform canopy penetration to resulting maximum higher yields. Only consumes 600w, running 50% less power than the HPS or other SMD LEDs or Blurple lamps. The veg footprint is 6 x 6 ft, Flowering footprint is 5 x 5 ft. The led plant grow light provides the plant with the full spectrum from seeding to flowering. Ideal for indoor plants all stages growing, rapid plant response from seed to flower, speeds up flowering time and boost yields. Simple structure, no fan,no noise. Better heat dissipation. High Safety performance and bars( total 6 bars) for better heat disappear and stay cool, never burn your plants like other low quality led grow lights.

Spectrum King 600W LED LowPro Flower

Features:

The Spectrum King LowPro flower LED is a 600W grow light system that gives efficiency equivalent to a 1000W HPS. The full spectrum of this LED grow light is ideal for flowering, vegetative growth, and the plant’s overall development. The white spectrum light is equivalent to the sunlight, so when you grow the plants indoors, you get a healthy yield just like the outdoors. The 660 nm red spectrum promotes plant growth, especially during its fruiting and flowering stage. With the 660 nm, red enhances plant photosynthesis, increases fruit yield, and makes the plant taste better. The grow light system has been specially designed for the vertical racking solutions, you mount the light as close as 3’’ from the plants. The grow light offers a 4X4 area footprint. The grow light has 50,000 hours of lifespan, so you can stay assured of not making any unnecessary adventures.

Lightspeed Pro Cosmic Plus LED 600W LED Grow Light

Features:

The Lightspeed Pro Cosmic Plus LED 600W grow light delivers 600W of powerful lighting and produces higher-intensity illumination to ensure maximum indoor plant growth. This 600W full-spectrum hydroponic grow light is specifically designed to optimize plant propagation during both the growing and blooming phases of plants cultivation. It provides well-balanced, full-spectrum LED natural illumination that is more uniform than HPS and MH lighting. Plus, it has a dimmer that lets you precisely control light illumination during critical growth phases to help prevent harming sensitive plants–and it extends the life of the grow light. Its space-saving, vertical design is ideal for tiered cultivation and only requires a minimum distance of 11.81” from the fixture to the canopy.

Light Distance from Your Plants

There is no steadfast rule when it comes to light distance from your canopy, as the determining factor will ultimately be the type of light you choose to run. There are, however, some guidelines that growers have developed over the years, which vary by the growth stage and the type and wattage of light.

Growth Stage — Depending on which stage your plants are in, they will require different light intensities to achieve optimal growth. Plants in the vegetative stage, for example, require between 20,000–70,000 lux, with a healthy average falling around 40,000 lux. Plants in the flowering or bloom stage will need between 35,000–85,000 lux, with a healthy average of approximately 60,000 lux. Of course, achieving these levels will depend upon your light source and your light source’s distance from your canopy.

HID Lights — HID Lights — With HID lights, it’s important to remember that the higher the wattage, the more light and heat will be produced. Thus, lower-wattage HID bulbs can be hung closer to the canopy. For the sake of a rounded standard, most measurements are based on 1000 watt HID bulbs, for, at this wattage, light intensity doubles for every fifteen centimetres closer the bulb is to the canopy. Growers will often implement multiple lower-wattage HID lights over one higher-wattage bulb to achieve a greater footprint and more uniform light distribution. Generally speaking, a 1000-watt HPS bulb will produce a footprint of 1.5 x 1.5 meters at a height of 1 meter, with a PPFD reading of 1435 µmol/m²/s.

LED Lights — The significant reduction in heat produced by LED grow lights cannot be underestimated. A quick internet search will reveal growers placing their LED lights a few centimetres from their canopy. While this is possible due to the low temperatures, there are still many considerations to consider. Generally speaking, your LED grow light should be between 60–90 cm above your canopy for seedlings and clones, 30–60 cm for vegetative growth, and 40–90 cm for flowering.

With so many variables to consider, it isn’t easy to clearly define proper distances between your canopy and grow light. It is essential to thoroughly research your grow light and take light measurements for yourself using a light meter. Often, lighting companies provide inaccurate information as to PAR and PPFD values on their grow lights, so it’s best to take these measurements for yourself.

With enough light at the proper intensity, your indoor grow will flourish, and you’ll find yourself with an exceptional canopy of gorgeous, delicious buds.

Conclusion

Remember that there is no wrong light! You must identify your budget and your goal and choose the one that best fits these requirements. In addition, using your grow lights correctly is also a key. All in all, hope you can learn some after reading!