Lux meter

Amarok

bad mother chucker
Staff member
Moderator
Having changed my light fixture this round, I find myself scratching my head wondering if I’m providing too little or too much light. Who here uses a lux meter to help manage light intensity?
I have a cheap one I picked up years back. It can be handy. It was one of the things that reinforced my use of SIL lighting, as they enable a more consistent spread, imo.

It is illuminating (I made a funny, :brainfart: ) how much of a difference a few inches can make in light intensity, either vertically or from side to side.
 

Jewels

Tilts at Tables
variation from reading to reading seems too high.
Absolutely.
6 inches to the left will often half the intensity.

I noticed the real expensive quantum metres have domed tops.
The flat glass in front of a camera lens may momentarily confused the sensor. (Although some models of phones do have domed lenses on their proximity sensor. )
** edit
Front facing cameras will not have domed proximity sensors***
The accuracy of the absolute values are not important, but: as the eye is such a poor measure of intensity, any tool is better than guessing.

Perhaps the best way to find appropriate light intensity is exactly the same as tuning the gain on a car stereo.

Position yourself in situ with a reference track. Increase intensity until an unacceptable level of distortion occurs. Back it off 10%
and you're done.

Same is true with plants.

Way too close and cells will be denatured. Greenery will crisp up immediately.

Kinda too close and single sugar bud leaves will curl down

Just a little little bit too close and the white angel hairs well show burt ( butt + hurt ) tops. Sneak back a couple inches from that and you are perfecto.

,,, you have seen all of that stuff in your own experience and I can directly relate to ppfd numbers,,,,,

The magical number is ,,,,,,,it's never that easy.???

Everything is always a moving Target. Depending on humidity, convection ,temperature ,,blah blah conditions blah blah blah ,,,,,
a plant can handle different intensities shifting on the daily.

I have seen over intensity at 900 ppfd and produce a negative effect.
I have seen plants flourish at 2,000 ppfd.

The metre is hella fun to be sure, and I have always enjoyed playing with that toy. However, when you consider that every grower is tasked with tuning their plants to their light within their own environment~ the tool truly becomes a toy.


You may be coming to expect my slightly off topic rambling,,, and it's not like you asked ,,,,but I would have to say that the units are inconsequential ,,as the conditions themselves dictate the ability of the plant to deal with increasing intensity of light , as one begins to sneak the light closer and closer

This voice to text is a riot and I can't edit on this Frozen phone anyhooww

One more Point since I am on a roll here

Law of inverse Square.

By the time you get one bud close enough to the bulb to have a negative effect it is very likely that the other buds are not receiving enough light.
Wha da ya do ?
 

Frimpong

🔥Freak Genetics🔥
Absolutely.
6 inches to the left will often half the intensity.

I noticed the real expensive quantum metres have domed tops.
The flat glass in front of a camera lens may momentarily confused the sensor. (Although some models of phones do have domed lenses on their proximity sensor. )
** edit
Front facing cameras will not have domed proximity sensors***
The accuracy of the absolute values are not important, but: as the eye is such a poor measure of intensity, any tool is better than guessing.

Perhaps the best way to find appropriate light intensity is exactly the same as tuning the gain on a car stereo.

Position yourself in situ with a reference track. Increase intensity until an unacceptable level of distortion occurs. Back it off 10%
and you're done.

Same is true with plants.

Way too close and cells will be denatured. Greenery will crisp up immediately.

Kinda too close and single sugar bud leaves will curl down

Just a little little bit too close and the white angel hairs well show burt ( butt + hurt ) tops. Sneak back a couple inches from that and you are perfecto.

,,, you have seen all of that stuff in your own experience and I can directly relate to ppfd numbers,,,,,

The magical number is ,,,,,,,it's never that easy.???

Everything is always a moving Target. Depending on humidity, convection ,temperature ,,blah blah conditions blah blah blah ,,,,,
a plant can handle different intensities shifting on the daily.

I have seen over intensity at 900 ppfd and produce a negative effect.
I have seen plants flourish at 2,000 ppfd.

The metre is hella fun to be sure, and I have always enjoyed playing with that toy. However, when you consider that every grower is tasked with tuning their plants to their light within their own environment~ the tool truly becomes a toy.


You may be coming to expect my slightly off topic rambling,,, and it's not like you asked ,,,,but I would have to say that the units are inconsequential ,,as the conditions themselves dictate the ability of the plant to deal with increasing intensity of light , as one begins to sneak the light closer and closer

This voice to text is a riot and I can't edit on this Frozen phone anyhooww

One more Point since I am on a roll here

Law of inverse Square.

By the time you get one bud close enough to the bulb to have a negative effect it is very likely that the other buds are not receiving enough light.
Wha da ya do ?
Use your best judgement ?
 

One Drop

In Bloom
Every time I m in tending my grows .
 

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