How High Should You Hang Your Grow Light For Optimal Efficiency?

Plants require lots of light from the end of vegging through flowering and harvesting. The final yield will therefore be dependent upon the amount of light received by the plants during this period.

Whatever lighting system you choose, the principle is the same: hang your light close to the plants so they end up receiving as much light as possible.

The trick is to make sure the light isn't so dim that it causes damage directly beneath the light fitting, where the light and heat are the most intense.

Purchasing HPS grow light from a good manufacturer will help to achieve maximum production during plant harvest.

Why should the grow light be hung as low as possible?

Grow lights with reflective surfaces such as HPS and LED grow lights cast a wide beam of light. Even if grow light is hung low over the canopy, a few lights will pass through the plants and strike the sidewall of the grow tent.

An HPS system hung at the optimal hanging height loses a significant amount of light due to reflective losses.

Reflective losses reduce the PAR light yield from a 600W HPS hung only 40cm well above the plant canopy. Whereas, the 600W HPS system's ideal hanging height is only 40cm (16").

Even at this low height, a lot of light will shine through the sidewalls and reflect onto the plant. The reflective materials will not capture all of the light, and some light will be lost (heating the walls).

The more the light that shines on the walls and the vastly higher the reflective losses, the higher the light is hung.

As a result, placing the light as low as possible improves yield, but how low is too low?

How low can you hang your grow light over your plants?

When ensuring that the plants are not harmed by hanging the grow light too low, there are two factors to take into account.

• The intensity of light (PAR intensity)
• The temperature of the leaves

Plants will be harmed if the intensity of light is too high or the leaf temperature becomes too high.

The difficult part is determining when the PAR intensity or leaf temperature has reached its limit without harming the plants.

Maintain the optimal distance throughout the growing season

Once you've determined the best hanging altitude for your grow light system, you must keep raising the light as the canopy grows higher.

It is easier to monitor grow light height if you use a net. Simply tuck plant pieces that sprout through the net back underneath it to create a relatively flat and static canopy. This means you'll have to make fewer adjustments to the grow light height.

If you do not use a net, the height of the cover will be uneven. You will need to make adjustments to accommodate the tallest parts of the plants.

Alternatively, organize the plants in a stadium shape. This entails positioning the taller plants around the perimeter of the grow light scope and the smaller plants right beneath it.

This will make up the difference between the light intensity being higher at the center of the plant and lower at the edges.

Are you looking to improve your plant yield?

For optimal efficiency and maximum yield, you need to get a top-notch HPS grow light from a reliable manufacturer. Kindly click here to place your order today.