Table of Contents
What light spectrum is best for vegetative?
Red Light Spectrum (600–700 nm)
Red light wavelengths (particularly around 660nm) encourage stem, leaf, and general vegetative growth – but most commonly, tall, stretching of leaves and flowers. A balanced pairing with blue light is necessary to counteract any overstretching, like disfigured stem elongation.
How long should my lights be on for veg?
Leave the Light On
Leave the grow light on for 16 hours each day. Turn it on in the morning just after sunrise and shut it off 16 hours later. Vegetable seedlings need eight hours of darkness, too. An easy way to accomplish this is to plug the grow light into a programmable timer.
What light cycle should you use for vegetative growth?
Most growers that grow their plants indoors begins from the point of 12 hours of darkness immediately the plants have reached the desired size and shape during their vegetative stage. Usually, most growers prefer an indoor vegetative period of 4-8 weeks under a 24/0 or 18/6 light period.
Should I use MH or HPS for veg?
While either type can be used for the full growing cycle, when combined, using an MH grow light for vegetative growth and flowering under an HPS grow light is the most recommended HID grow light setup because utilizing the strengths of both types at the right times produces the best results.
What color of grow light is best?
What Color Light is Best for Plant Growth?
How does purple light affect plant growth?
Violet or purple light has a shorter wavelength and higher energy, and is thought to be effective as a secondary light source to facilitate growth and development of a plant's leafy vegetation.
Can I change the light cycle during veg?
Once you decide on your vegetative timetable, it is time to think about how you will switch the light cycle. This plant has been in flower for two weeks and displays young, white flowers. Most growers use an 18-hours on/6-hours off light cycle for the veg phase. Some prefer to use 20 on/4 off, which is also acceptable.
How long should I run my grow lights?
To be effective, grow lights really need to be on for at least 8-10 hours a day. This can vary up to 16 hours, depending on the conditions. That's why LED grow lights are so popular – when they have to be left on all day, it's best to use an energy efficient type! Always position a grow light above the plant.
How far away from plants should T5 grow lights be?
Although T5 lights are famous for emitting very little heat, this doesn't mean you can put the bulbs an inch above plant canopies, as this distance will still damage the plants. The best height for a T5 grow light is about 6-8 in. above the plants, but you should increase that gap to 12 in.
How much does it cost to run a T5 light for a month?
So running two 4 foot panels with 4 lamps each and 12 hours per day, cost me around 62 cents per day. This adds up to around $19 per month.
Can you use HPS for the whole grow?
MH (Metal Halide) bulbs are perfect for the vegetative stage and HPS (High Pressure Sodium) bulbs are perfect for the flowering stage. Either one can be used for the whole grow, though most growers who choose just one opt to use HPS for the whole grow.