How Much Light does the Sun Produce in PAR | The Apogee MQ 500 Quantum Flux PAR Meter

[@jonathantolley9632]

Thank you for taking the time to share this information with us all!! This is extremely helpful for a new grower like me!

[@MikeKincaid79]

Hey, no problem Jonathan! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@JoeyPeeps157]

Seriously, in two minutes and twelve seconds, from :56 - 3:08, I learned how PAR actually works! He explained it perfectly, not a bunch of useless info crammed into it, just straight and to the point.

[@MikeKincaid79]

I really appreciate the comment. This one took a lot of time to put together and my hope was to make the info simple and easy to understand.

[@JoeyPeeps157]

@@MikeKincaid79 it was very easy! Thank you!!

[@zaviahopethomas-woundedsou9848]

This is fascinating information! It helps me understand the need to slowly harden off my vegetable starts that I did inside!

[@MikeKincaid79]

Exactly!

[@MyriophyllumTuberculatum]

You can"t even describe sun by spectrum because it's perfection, thw for the video !!

[@kincaidwoodworking8578]

Dude! Great info. You know I like anything with numbers. It satidfies my engineer side. Can't wait to find out if that garden below my hill will work out!

[@MikeKincaid79]

Thanks, Scott! I'm looking forward to getting that area mowed for you.

[@MultiBthompson]

Fantastic video, great use of diagrams for visual explanations. Really learnt something of this. Thank you for posting 🙏🙏

[@MikeKincaid79]

You're welcome, Benjamin!

[@dymondwillow2]

how different is the number from putting a plant on a southern windowsill vs putting a plant outside in the "same" location...

[@MikeKincaid79]

Good idea, I'll write it down.

[@henpeckedlizard9873]

Update on that fig cutting I rooted in the middle of the summer: It now has Figs! First year!

[@tonydavies8683]

now you can set up cuttings > growth > flowering "boxes" so you can grow when and how you want, with most if not all house plants. Maybe some of the finicky starts might work in that set up too Rhododendron for instance.. never hurts to try right? only thing with my place is a tinny north face. i set up a really small green house with a shade blocking them from direct sun working well enough. i have at lest 4 rhody starts that i know i can get to make it, 8 cut leaf maple "crimson queen" a bunch of mugo pine and almost as many Golden Emerald Arborvitae juniper. been having a blast planting the stuff i cut down with a chance to have my own most are trimmings off my uncles trees the rhodys are from my yard. my friends have maples and the seeds keep sprouting under it so they let me have them. and last year i trimmed a bonsai spiny blue juniper and have 6 starts going of it cant wait till next spring im going to have a lot of fun!

[@MikeKincaid79]

Sounds like you've got your year laid out for ya!

[@darcypotterpotter6214]

nice shade reading for cuttings , i use 150-175 as my goal with cuttings indoor in a tent with LED light

[@jimski5358]

Can you compare your par readings to lux meter readings when you next test par levels ? You will need to get a lux meter ali express has one for £7 that works well. Thanks

[@MikeKincaid79]

Yes, I'd love to do some comparisons for you. I'll work on picking up a lux meter. The problem with them is that the lux meters read the light mostly in the green wavelength so if a light is high in red and blue but low in green then the lux meter will read low and the PAR meter will read high and vice versa.

[@jimski5358]

@@MikeKincaid79 www.aliexpress.com/item/4000031752838.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.27424c4dflPlgb

[@jimski5358]

@@MikeKincaid79 Thats a link to the lux meter I bought from ali express it works great but to have some side by side data with your par meter would be really helpful. any lux meter will be good I look forward to the video .Thanks Mike

[@myteacuppoodles5004]

Is there another video for the inside T8 reading?

[@johnlogan1022]

That is so interesting! I am definitely going to get one of those! Thanks!

[@MikeKincaid79]

Yes, it is really interesting! I love this thing so far and intend to test all kinds of lighting.

[@craigyboy4770]

Hi I would be interested to know if there is any difference in par reading when; Going from outdoors into a glass greenhouse, Going from outdoors into a polytunnel Hope you can get back to me. Thanks

[@savertechworkstation4820]

How do we measure the PAR on daily basis ( i.e. usable light by plant (tomato) inside a grenhouse for 60pots experiment. this is needed to Radiation Use Efficiency

[@PopleBackyardFarm]

Sounds like a nice little tool

[@MikeKincaid79]

Looking forward to doing some comparison videos for you.

[@topp352]

fantastic video Mike.You know me.Anything with numbers and values.

[@MikeKincaid79]

Glad you saw it. This is such a cool instrument. Can't wait to bring it over and do some light testing with you.

[@digsindirt4490]

Looking forward to see the T8 results.

[@MikeKincaid79]

I'll have to get that video going soon.

[@darlatidwell6255]

Probably a good thing to have around. 👍

[@michaelbahr7267]

Best explanation ever. I want one. Left a like!

[@MikeKincaid79]

Awesome, thank you!

[@didanz100]

Awesome just what I have been looking for. Thanks. I am a new subscriber

[@MikeKincaid79]

Great, thank you! Glad you enjoyed the video.

[@aabaaab7305]

Ill be honest with you here. I was starting to feel a bit afraid that your channel might've gone the commercial road, with all the specific products, but now that we're actually getting somewhere oh man I am so excited! Thanks for this very clear explanation Mike. I'm totally hyped. I wanna know all the numbers! Not just summer, but I'm talking indoor, outdoor, all the seasons, shade by different foliage and artificial means, under different types of plastic. And not just raw numbers, but numbers that give some sort of value. Like return on investment for different products, watt/PAR etc. And not just numbers, I wanna see some real experiments. Growing speed, plant quality, fruit quality/quantity under different light ranges, ideally as comparable time lapses. Sorry I'm getting completely out of control here. Cant stop. Need more content! I'm gonna be following this on the foot!!!

[@MikeKincaid79]

LOL, I'll never sell out, it's all for a purpose. I give reviews for products that I can then make cool videos with. It's a mutually beneficial relationship.

[@aabaaab7305]

@@MikeKincaid79 Its people like you that allow me to still have faith in humanity. Stay true :)

[@zaviahopethomas-woundedsou9848]

I bought shop light to do all my seed starting and they worked great, I would love to see how those rate on that meter.

[@MikeKincaid79]

Thanks for the suggestion. What type of lights? Are they t8 bulbs or t12?

[@zaviahopethomas-woundedsou9848]

@@MikeKincaid79 LED shop lights, they look like fluorescent ones.

[@cultivationplus6719]

Very informative. So how come if the plants dont see IR how come light manufacturers use it as a selling point?

[@matthewkizziahcuzia...gott9632]

Test grow lights for sure. Check the reflection of light off of stuff like South side of building or off of windows

[@MikeKincaid79]

Great ideas, Matthew!

[@matthewkizziahcuzia...gott9632]

@@MikeKincaid79 thanks. Another one : low light conditions. Walk around in the house by open windows and out in the yard by the rhodies. This video really has me thinking about light in a whole new way.

[@LittleJordanFarm]

Very cool gadget...I'd be curious this winter ..my primary windows are south and north. Stay well blessings

[@MikeKincaid79]

That's a great idea. Testing the PAR of light from inside different windows during the winter.

[@Runboy7426]

Great Video Mike. Try growing some lettuce to full outdoor harvest size under LED and Fluorescent to show the shortcomings of LED Spectrums.

[@MikeKincaid79]

Good idea!

[@stephemsley9781]

Okay, I have learned about the photon light and I was amazed at the difference between outdoors in direct sunlight, and in your hoop house. And then again, within the boundaries of the hoop house, the variances between down to the ground and up near the top of your hoop house covering. My question is how much Par is there in direct sunlight through glass, on a sunny windowsill and on that same window sill, how much Par when the sun is behind a cloud. Does this affect the reading as did in your hoop house, compared to outside in direct sunlight. I found my seedling behind glass on a windowsill in direct sunlight became leggy. Why is that?

[@MikeKincaid79]

Great question! I'll have to make a video about it.

[@mmmyeahh]

Hello , great video ! Im a little confused and perhaps a silly question but are the readings in micro moles? Thanks

[@MikeKincaid79]

Yes they are

[@darcypotterpotter6214]

i watch all the APOGEE videos not just for information on light but all videos they produce

[@MikeKincaid79]

They are definitely interesting videos and I learn a lot from them.

[@sdqsdq6274]

have u test it on grow lights ?

[@MikeKincaid79]

Yes, I've got several videos of testing grow lights

[@denirn8725]

2 questions: 1) What’s a reading a few feet away but under the shade of a tree’s canopy? Also, 2) wonder if you’d raise-up the transducer (or whatever the sensor’s called) a couple feet outdoors, as you did in the greenhouse, if the light intensity change is significant. We know, Indoors under Grow Lights, the distance from a light source does make a difference between leggy & fuller plant growth. Really good objective method to evaluate WHERE to position cuttings vs rooted plants. COOL GADGET.

[@MikeKincaid79]

Thanks for the ideas, I'll do more videos with these comparisons. This thing is going to be really helpful.

[@nissenilsson5955]

Thank you! :) Now I understand.

[@MikeKincaid79]

You're welcome!

[@taraaustin526]

Hey, Mike! Guess who cut her flexor tendon?! I am 2 weeks post op and stumbled upon your videos. Thank you so much for sharing your story and your progress. It is truly encouraging. I'm curious how you're doing a year out.

[@MikeKincaid79]

So sorry to hear that, Tara. It's definitely a tough thing to go through. I'm just a couple days away from my 1 year anniversary when this accident happened so I thought I'd make a video for those that are interested. I'll have one out soon. Hope you recover fully.

[@fzth-t7s]

"Today we find out how much light the sun produces in PAR" Lol, this information has been available for decades

[@evajunio1852]

I never knew until now Mike. Here in Vegas summer is so hot so maybe it will reach to 10,000 or more outside if I have to try it. My plants are dying, but some of them will recover by fall.

[@MikeKincaid79]

This little gadget has taught me so much.

[@TheRancidmeat666]

Whats "better" this or the newer 620? 620 reads uv and ir but doesnt seperate? Looking to buy. Sales man says this unit is more popular. Why?

[@MikeKincaid79]

The 620 will measure the uv and ir, which might be interesting to see. The reason I went with the 500 was because it measures the full spectrum of lights that the plant sees and uses. There is still a lot that is not understood about the effects of uv and ir on plants and the amount of uv and ir is very small relative to the amount of light you're getting within the 400-700nm range. Most lighting companies are just starting to put uv and ir in their lights but once again, its a very small amount. I suppose it would be better to have a meter that read everything in the entire light spectrum but for what I'm doing here, it's just not necessary at this time. If science figures out that uv and ir are extremely important and lighting companies start including a lot of it then it may be more useful but I don't think it will ever come to that since we've already seen that we can grow some killer awesome plants without uv and ir in the lighting. I'm always open to new ideas though and the price difference is so small that you may want to go with the 620.

[@bobfelix7452]

Wonder why no Dark Side of the Moon reference....but that's OK....thanks for the vid!

[@MikeKincaid79]

lol

[@TheTinkerersWife]

I'm totally geeking out right now, though I'm feeling a little robbed by the lack of this info back in college. We heard about the studies in Israel with flim colors briefly. Back in the mid 90s everything was in lumens...greenhouse films letting in so many "lumens" of light and how that degrades as the film ages...all in lumens. Great job on the info by the way, the graphs were great, and info not cluttered with a bunch of superfulous info the wasn't needed. You rock when it comes to making things approachable Mike. I'll be sharing this info with some folks I know. Thanks again. ~Patty~ I

[@MikeKincaid79]

Awesome, thanks for sharing it, Patty! I love this little instrument and can't wait to do some more testing for you guys. I actually made this video twice because my wife watched the first one after editing it and said she had no idea what I was talking about, LOL. In the second version, I spent a lot of time thinking about what info was needed and how I could teach this to my kids or wife so I appreciate the feedback cause this one took some time.

[@marywassef4931]

I’ve been watching all your videos, but always skeptic 🤨 with interfering adds. But for this one ☝️ I trust you and I’ll go for it 😂. I want one. Get me started..

[@MikeKincaid79]

Haha, I'm not trying to sell you anything. This is just good information and as a plant grower, I love the information!

[@New.phone.who.dis1286]

Do you mean the ads that play during watching the video?

[@michaelharris4725]

Great video Mike! I know it took some effort on your part to present. Looking forward to seeing all the comparisons. There are already numerous good suggestions for you, however I'm curious as to what the reading would be with a full moon. Mike Harris- Darlington SC 👍

[@MikeKincaid79]

That's a great idea! I'll bet it's pretty low but now you've got me curious.

[@michaelharris4725]

That's what I was thinking as well.

[@Stimm002]

This was a really good video although not entirely correct. We used to think plants only used the light in the visible spectrum but recent studies have shown UV light to be beneficial in photosynthesis, the UV increased plant growth by over 12% which is alot when you think about spreading the contribution of different wavelengths across the spectrum. This study was peer reviewed so it has been tested by other scientists and competitors of the orginal study and found to be true repeatedly. It makes sense when you think about, plant evolved to use light as a food source over millions of years, why would they exclude the higher energy wavelengths, especially as the lower part of the UV spectrum isn't damaging so there's no reason they wouldn't use. Eitherway cool video, just thought I'd add this piece of information.

[@MikeKincaid79]

New discoveries are made all the time.

[@Stimm002]

@@MikeKincaid79 yes exactly I didn't mean it to sound like a criticism, sorry if it did. It was just an interesting point to add to the video, which I very much enjoyed.

[@marketsmoto3180]

@@Stimm002 what you're referring to is the difference between PAR and ePAR

[@rozberry8867]

Mike, It would be interesting to see how the level fluctuates during the day & from season to season. I predict peak is at local noon & drops off more rapidly the further before & after noon. Might be interesting to check the light of a full moon.

[@rozberry8867]

Before you ask: yes, I'm an engineer.

[@stevesether]

@@rozberry8867 The light of the full moon is about .002 micro-moles/m^2 (the unit he's measuring in the video). So about a million times less bright than the full brightness of the sun at noon during the summer. It's such a low number that it'd never show up on the meter he's using.

[@briank592]

Great video! Death to LUX/LUMENS !!! To add to this video: PAR is a measurement per a given second. Specifically Micro-moles of photons per area per second. you shouldn't JUST use PAR. we need to included photo period. DLI : daily light integral. DLI takes your PAR value, and calculates its total output over the amount of time exposed to light. If you grow indoors or use supplemental lighting outdoors in higher latitude winter months, you cant just leave your lights on however long you want, even though you have an adequate amount of PAR. For specific plants during specific growth stages you need to supply your gardens with adequate DLI, not just PAR. Think about it, what if you have a PAR of 500, but leave the lights on for an hour, vs. 6 hours? clearly there will be a huge difference in growth. To calculate DLI FROM PAR: Take average PAR value over your desired area, multiple by a conversion factor of .0036, then multiply by the number of hours of given light. It's that easy. the conversion factor is just going from seconds to hours and micromoles to yahayahdayadah not really important here. here it is again, you will memorize this equation as an indoor grower : DLI=PAR*hrs*.0036 I use this equation all day every day with my seedlings up to full plants. Colleges all around the world have done very good research on what plants need what DLI at what time. look up on google your specific plant and the research. example: My seedlings i give around 5 DLI, until i see them pop up then i immediately put them under a higher DLI of 10+. 4-5 DLI is light @ 50 PAR 24hrs a day, OR 100 PAR for 12hrs a day. Different PAR, different photo period, same DLI.

[@MikeKincaid79]

Thanks for the lesson!

[@greenthumbelina7331]

Mike, I'd love to know what the optimum par reading would be for low-light indoor plants, such as pothos, spathiphyllum, or sansevieria. To give indoor low-light plants the best possible growing conditions during the winter months. I realize that humidity and air movement, also play an important part in deciding what the ideal growing conditions might be. This might be a fun experiment! ~Margie

[@MikeKincaid79]

I'll definitely get after it.

[@RuEvEloll]

@@MikeKincaid79 can you explain about polar day? this is when it shines at night as well as during the day, how much lower is the light intensity during such a period?

[@RB-ml7vm]

Awseome info. Only thing i would like to see is a breakdown of each color. Greens blues reds far reds Uv hmmmm be real helpful for diy light builds

[@MikeKincaid79]

I'd love to do that but I'd need a piece of equipment that costs around $2000 dollars. maybe it would be worth it.

[@RB-ml7vm]

@@MikeKincaid79 they wouldn't sponsor you one for doin a review slash product promotion on KZbin? I mean it's free marketing on there part.

[@TRUSTME183]

Is it not x10?

[@oystein18]

A test indoors would have been helpful. In different distances from a window.

[@MikeKincaid79]

I've got a video where I did this during the winter. I can do another.

[@oystein18]

@@MikeKincaid79 Ok, nice. I will try to find it. Wish I had a meter like that, but they are a bit too expensive for me.

[@effiesmith7928]

Cool

[@MikeKincaid79]

Or hot, depending on how you look at it, lol.

[@digsindirt4490]

This seems easier to use than the cheap moisture/pH/light meters.

[@MikeKincaid79]

They all serve different purposes but yes, this is an awesome meter that is easy to use.

[@emadahmed9615]

I feel good to give you the first like

[@386Bikelife]

The sunlight goes through the frozen layer or ionisphere that surrounds the whole globe which refracts the light into a color spectrum

[@davidmcclellan9959]

hi mike i got a biggiest tomatoe plant i go shopping to wal mart i buys bigger pot and soil so replant and replant the summer sqaushes this july 3 is my birthday i will be 51 year old love David

[@darcypotterpotter6214]

1000-1200 max indoor under lights is maxed from everything iv studied and my personal experience adding c02 you can push higher but we can not push the PAR to the same levels that the sun produces with lights indoor if you were to push 2000+ par with a plant under lights you would fry the plants

[@MikeKincaid79]

I have a feeling you're right, lol. That would be some seriously intense indoor lighting and completely unnecessary.

[@RWSBrowning]

I will subscribe if I get a complimentary meter. Deal? This will be great in the aquarium and the hen estate to keep up egg production in the winter months.

[@MikeKincaid79]

LOL, I'd love to pass out complimentary meters. Just not sure the company will go along with it.

[@RWSBrowning]

@@MikeKincaid79 Ask to do a subscriber giveaway.

[@denirn8725]

Mike or anyone able to answer...WHAT'S MIKE KINCAID'S EBAY STORE NAME? Can we buy cuttings on eBay? Thanks anyone.

[@MikeKincaid79]

I don't have anything listed there now but in the winter I may list fig cuttings.

[@denirn8725]

Mike Kincaid - okay makes sense thanks

[@darcypotterpotter6214]

D.L.I is what i pay attention to

[@MikeKincaid79]

I've been hearing more about this lately.

[@camicri4263]

🌞⛅☀🌝

[@tmoneyg4811]

Quick question why do they say 6 to 900 par for flower when the sun is around 2000 and that's where marijuana originally grew

[@MikeKincaid79]

I've often wondered the same thing. The best answer I've come up with is that the sun produces light in the full spectrum, including green light (which contributes to the par total). Most indoor lights don't produce much green light which will decrease the total par. The amount of CO2 in a grow tent vs. outdoors also makes a difference. I don't understand it completely but I do know that if you lower an led light to within a few inches of a plant and get the par up to 2000, it will stress the plant and burn the tips.

[@tmoneyg4811]

Sorry for late response. But yea that brings up another question I had because I heard someone saying that having the light intecity low for veg and with the light close to canopy then when you go to flower u turn light intecity up but the plants get shocked and/or have to adjust to the new light intecity. Was wondering can u just have light intecity up but have light up high also but make sure the par is where it needs to be for veg cycle. Then when u go to flower just adjust height so par is where it needs to be on the canopy. So basically ur just gonna be moving light up and down so par is where it needs to be for the stage of the plant and also that way you'll be stretching plant out during veg so it grows taller. Not sure if I'm thinking about that right or not

[@kkrollingskkrollings3173]

Wow i like to have about 1000 par at the top of my canopy for indoor marijuana, which is about the number most recommended for flowering indoor marijuana, unless running co2 which allows the plant to absorb more light, if the sun outside gives of so much more Par compared to those numbers, really makes you realize that artificial led light is very different than the sun as numbers of 2000 par from a Led light would seriously burn the marijuana plants up as i have had plants to close to the light getting around 1300 or 1400 par and they get light burned quickly. 1000 par is about the Maximum par you can use for marijuana unless running co2 that would still only allow another 150 to 200 par to be absorbed, marijuana is one of the most light hungry plants on earth. We will never fully replicate the sun with artificial light i did not relize such a difference.

[@MikeKincaid79]

Yeah, it's interesting seeing the numbers from the sun vs. inside the hoop house under the plastic. The indoor lights are definitely much different than under the sun and we have to adjust to both. Thanks for your comment.

[@lancehahn4701]

Get a spectroradiometer.

[@MikeKincaid79]

Oh man, I'd love too. Eventually, I'll have one. Have you ever used one?

[@lancehahn4701]

Mike Kincaid yes, I have one, they are the best instrument you can buy for light analysis👍

[@Mickimoss]

wow amazing info. that thing is so expensive, lux meter is so cheap. Chinese ppl should see this and make that thing cheap xD that thing should be stuffed inside an android phone.

[@MikeKincaid79]

Wouldn't that be cool if it was as simple as downloading an app.

[@Mickimoss]

@@MikeKincaid79 as a matter of fact I JUST DID ! It's Doggo Lux Light meter, must be using android's light sensor for auto backllight adjustment. I tried various sources of light, room only 50-300, when i took it outside it went up to 70-400, when I put it under morning light, it went up to 800. A plastic canopy that completely blocks sun produced around 900-1200. And, to my surprise DIRECT SUNLIGHT ===> 90,000 and still went up but suddenly cloud probably shaded it. Sun is crazy. Even though this isn't up to par with PAR meter, but wow, the scale from inside house to outside under direct sunlight is kinda accurate. 123,000 highest using light sensor i've seen on mine on direct sunlight wow. Makes me wonder, can indoor plants growing be as good as sunlight since sun light is crazy. All I see from other vids is nothing beats sunlight for growing plants, but indoor plants isn't that bad with only led light.

[@theoverworkedgardener5648]

Lol nerd 😂 but that's why I get along with you hahaha

[@MikeKincaid79]

LOL, you know it buddy

[@Lobsterray]

I’d like to know what readings you get for cacti seed germination under led lighting and in greenhouse with and without led lights 🦞

[@toddbuettner3956]

That's totally inaccurate because your cover you stated is 50%reduction .i took readings from sunrise to sunset . Agriculture crops get full sun from seedlings to harvest and they grow according to mother nature. She knows best, and water and's soil e.t.c are major variables. So if you can duplicate the intensity in you grow tent on a digital automated end ranging from 200-2500 par from sunrise to sunset you'll duplicate natural outdoor summer growing

[@MikeKincaid79]

Except the sun isn't 12 inches from the tops of the plants.