How Far Should Grow Lights Be From Plants? And How Long Should Grow Lights Be On For Each Day?

In this video, we address two key questions about grow light use for the at-home grower
1) How Far Should Grow Lights Be From Plants?
2) How Long Should Grow Lights Be On For Each Day?
At the end of this video we provide some useful tables to will allow you to determine the right distance for your plants and their lights.
00:00 - Introduction
00:21 - Table of Content
01:52 - Daily Light Integral
03:02 - Light Duration & Photoperiodism
05:05 - Grow Light Duration Chart
06:45 - Light Intensity and PPFD
For additional information about the content discussed in this video:
DOWNLOAD THE GROW LIGHT CALCULATORS from this video (and more):
www.geturbanleaf.com/pages/gr...
GROW LIGHT DISTANCE:
geturbanleaf.com/lighting/how...
GROW LIGHT TIMING:
geturbanleaf.com/lighting/how...
WHY PLANTS NEED TO SLEEP:
geturbanleaf.com/lighting/pla...
SHOP OUR GROW LIGHT COLLECTION:
www.geturbanleaf.com/collecti...
Find us online:
- Private Facebook Group (Indoor Edible Gardening): / growwithurbanleaf
- Instagram: / geturbanleaf
- Facebook: / geturbanleaf

[@GetUrbanLeaf]

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE GROW LIGHT CALCULATORS HERE www.geturbanleaf.com/pages/grow-light-calculator-sign-up-page

[@H.R.H-Amina_Bin_Shafiq-SHAKTI]

i signed up but i didnt get the grow light calculators, thanx

[@Liguorienne]

@@H.R.H-Amina_Bin_Shafiq-SHAKTI same thing for me

[@saifkab5714]

i signed up but i didnt get the grow light calculators also.

[@GetUrbanLeaf]

@@saifkab5714 sorry to hear that! I just checked the automation on our site (powered by Klaviyo) and it appears to be working fine. I can also see someone here that looks like it could be you who received the email at 3:01am yesterday. Please could you check your spam for me?

[@amandam.2430]

@@GetUrbanLeaf Hey there, I also signed up but didn't receive the calculator. Also checked spam but nothing there :/

[@SignatureEdits]

This was fantastic. Thank you for the time you put into this!

[@rcrhinehart66]

I'm setting up a growing area here in Boston for the winter. I was getting SAD due to PPFD/PTSD from TMI on the WWW. Thanks for finally making all of this crystal clear! Liked and subscribed.

[@joannparker1977]

I appreciate your expertise. I grow succulents. And now that we’re entering the coldest part of winter, I’ve moved them indoors. And they’ll be inside for many weeks. I’m already seeing signs of light deprivation on several of them.

[@Inikatamami]

This is amazing.. thank you for making this content.. love it! I just started planting and this help a lot

[@klemmr3233]

This is golden content, thanks. Day length has caused all kinds of issues for me.

[@asterixky]

I feel so bad for your wall and furniture getting so wet, but thanks for all this great info. 👍👍

[@terrim.602]

Fabulous video!! Definably watching it again and subscribed!

[@Dbeattie299]

Great video! Thank you for making it simple with the sprinkler and bucket analogy for the under educated like meI fully understand this, btw you would make a great science teacher or teacher in general!

[@valeriesanchez3074]

Have a mars hydro ts 1000. Set dimmer at 50% for seedling/veg with an 18-24" distance from canopy. Timer at 16 hours on per day. Flowering 12" distance dimmer at 75% timer set for 12 hours on daily. Has worked wonderfully.

[@orchiddo1]

If there are some practical tips for the most common plants, it's wonderful. Thank you for the knowledge.

[@ezer9062]

Great video! Helpful content!

[@mikhaelmediaofficial]

Thank you, great video!

[@karianned3211]

Great video!

[@jradplowman]

Great video... struggling with indoor lettuce, but I am realizing that I can't really mix and match plants like I am doing. Thinking of hanging mylar between my two lights for each plant type.

[@bigmama1202]

I feel like I finally understand. Thank you so much!

[@GetUrbanLeaf]

glad to hear it! grow lights are actually pretty simple, once you understand a few basic concepts ;)

[@asddsfdsaasdf]

beautifull way to explain physics thank you

[@alexandraperez4573]

Wow 😱😱😱 Thank you

[@AnthonyHillard]

Great. Job....

[@thatsnotallSailor]

Thank you

[@AnthonyHillard]

Great job vool

[@MARTINREN1231]

I know that phone lux meters are very inacurate, but my current lights show between 3500-4000 lux depending on the distance. Now, i dont know if thats enough but im waiting for more lights to come. Im currently planting : Basii, Bell peppers, Cherry tomatoes, Lemon mint and Perilla. Also, as of now, im lighting them up 24/7 . I might change it up as soon as the extra lights come.

[@H.R.H-Amina_Bin_Shafiq-SHAKTI]

I would really like spread sheet but when i sent in my email i didnt recieve the download. thanx

[@SHPAK_KKK]

I didn’t quite understand what these numbers inside the table mean. Do you have a video that discusses this topic in more detail?

[@MilliePat]

I am a tiny home gardener, some veggies and flowers. I need a simple direction such what lights to use, how long and what distance from seed to seedling?

[@GetUrbanLeaf]

Hi Millie, are you working with a specific budget?

[@MilliePat]

@@GetUrbanLeaf I want to spend $20 to $35 on LEDs that are easy to hang under wire shelves. I've purchased the so-called Grow Lights in different styles, which stopped working after 12 months. I've also purchased a $120 light with the long bulbs, which was very difficult to hang and adjust. I can replace the bulbs, but I can not replace an LED strip. There are at least 50 videos on seedling lights, and only 1 or 2 provide easy-to-understand info on lights, timing, and distance. The ease of adjustment depends on the type of light and the manufacturers.

[@xxx650xxx650]

Hello, thank you for the helpful information.Great video. where do I find the Grow Light Distance Calculator? Thanks in advance

[@GetUrbanLeaf]

www.geturbanleaf.com/blogs/lighting/measuring-light-for-indoor-plants Here you are!

[@DavidParkerToronto]

@@GetUrbanLeaf the link doesn't accept my phone number, and nothing arrives after several attempts to receive the DLI calculator...

[@GetUrbanLeaf]

@@DavidParkerToronto sorry about that! We are looking into it and will get this fixed asap. There are some somewhat sensitive email automations behind this that can break sometimes...

[@DavidParkerToronto]

@@GetUrbanLeaf someone kindly emailed me the link - thank you!

[@DavidParkerToronto]

@@GetUrbanLeaf Someone kindly emailed me the link - thank you!

[@arthursulenski799]

I am retired in Costa Rica and am setting up an LED grow light system. i will be raising inside veggies that we can't get here. Any help/direction you can give would be great. Thanks for what you do.

[@GetUrbanLeaf]

That sounds like a fun project Arthur, what are you growing?? Our website is loaded with information about how to grow various edible plants indoors and in urban spaces. We also have a free eBook and various other resources that can help you achieve your goals. Welcome, and great to have you here!

[@arthursulenski799]

I will be planting potatoes, peppers, radishes, dwarf carrots, actually many dwarf plants including tomatoes, lettuce, beets, okra and others. It will take a lot of experimenting. I have 12, 4' Barrina grow ligths, may not the best but what it is what I could get. @@GetUrbanLeaf

[@caleb_7777]

Entered my email as well, received nothing in return. Might I assume that in order to actually acquire the spread sheet, that agreeing to receive the text notifications would make it possible??🤔

[@Metqa]

I have three old shoplight style fixtures bought from the thrift store and the last box of fluorescent bulbs sold at Lowes on discount before everything went LED. I don't have the budget to replace or buy new fixtures or LED ballasts and bulbs, so I'm working with what I've got until it all breaks down. It costs $20 to replace a ballast with LED terminals but I still have fluorescent bulbs to use up. Knowing that I can help keep my bok choi from bolting by adjusting the number of hours of light will save me from having to "replace" everything with "better" lights that I can't afford right now. My biggest frustration was the plants bolting. How were they bolting, they are inside air condition, with grow lights?

[@StanWatt.]

Looks like the helpful downloads are long gone.

[@ishichan1864]

do you start open growlight at night or day

[@GetUrbanLeaf]

Plants do need a period of darkness every day, so we usually recommend the lights be on during the day. However if you're in an area that has no natural light then there's no reason you couldn't 'switch' that.

[@samararauch4047]

So much explaining but never got the answer to the title of the video

[@GetUrbanLeaf]

thanks for the feedback. We wish there were a simple straight forward answer. But the truth is that until you invest some time and effort to understand how this works, you are unlikely to get your lighting setup correct....

[@mastertechnician3372]

Hydro Farm Radiant 8 is the way to go. By all parameters it is the closest thing to sunlight light . Either vented or unvented models are available. LED lighting has very limited light spectrum, and plants are very sensitive to color of light and a very little interference can be critical , while HPS lighting provides full spectrum and 2 x 2 ft light reflectors of Radiant 8 cover area of 4 by 4 ft ( or even more) of growth area. You can chose 4 position ballast or even dimmable ballast that is perfect for growing seriously.

[@sudiptodas0001]

Thanks, gonna go blast my plants with a laser to get them their daily requirements in 1 hour Jokes apart great analogy and great information, Bravo!

[@shangcvs38]

My go you are making this SO Complicated. Pretty simple the Sun in the Summertime does about 18 Hrs of Light, so set your light timing at 18 Hrs. But We need to know how far away do you set your light from germinating to seedlings so you don't burn the plants, and then say after about a month how far away do you set the light. Pretty Simple. Use the old adage, KISS Keep It Simple Stupid. I still don't know how far I hang the lights for the germinating seedlings.

[@GetUrbanLeaf]

thanks for the feedback! I wish it were that simple. comparison to the sun is irrelevant because it puts out a different rate of light. So asking "how far should my light be from my seedlings" is like asking "how long is it going to take me to fill my bucket with water?" ....when you haven't told us how big the bucket is or how fast the tap is running. Anyone who tries to give you an answer without knowing these things is simply guessing, and we don't think that really helps anyone....

[@AnthonyHillard]

G Rd

[@UrbanGardeningWithD.A.Hanks14]

Just a tiny suggestion if I may: You mentioned meters squared, or M2. Since you're in NY now, and most of the audience is probably somewhere in America, you may want to convert to what we recognize and understand: Square feet, or SF. I tend to bolt when I get measurements in metrics. Not trying to be mean or condescending; just a suggestion.

[@dillmarmi]

Disagree from Europe

[@klemmr3233]

Add a zero. It's 3.25ish squared, so around 10.75:1. 10:1 works OK.

[@Nenad31]

Disagree from a guy from Switzerland

[@DogSaveTheBreen]

Teach yanks the metric system 😂😂🎉🎉

[@Darkrylepalaret]

I'm also from EU but I also recognize that it would be fare to have both units.

[@jefftay9850]

wow not very helpful video still don't know how far to put light ?

[@janedarc7731]

Love this channel and subscribe but this vid was way over my head. Any chance you have some advice on succulents and grow-light times and distance? Growing food in my NYC apartment is beyond my skill set at the moment but I’m still upset about a beautiful new string of bananas I killed by accident last year. I loved that plant and never neglected it. I even watched about 15-20 KZbin videos, and read several blogs on how to care for them, yet still it died. I won’t bore you with the list of everything I kept my eye on as I tragically watched it go down the drain, regardless of the measures I took.😫 As you can see I’m still sad about it, but winter is coming to NYC and I have a snake plant, aloe plant, string of pearls and a couple other little guys I don’t know the name of, to think about. They all seem happy so far but I fear for my adorable string of pearls😉 I had to move them from my windowsill, because my heat source and windowsill are one and the same. I keep them together on my desk where they still get some light, and supplement that with a small inexpensive, full-spectrum LED grow-light from Amazon. Any advice on time and distance would be most appreciated!!🙏

[@GetUrbanLeaf]

Oh dear! We recommend you get one of these, put it in whatever lamp shade/stand you prefer, and place it 2-3 feet from your plants. www.geturbanleaf.com/products/vita%E2%84%A2-grow-light

[@joconnor5241]

would be nice if your link would ACTUALLY provide a spreadsheet!

[@GetUrbanLeaf]

It does! Just put your email and we’ll send it over

[@DavidParkerToronto]

@@GetUrbanLeaf I did this as well and no spreadsheet came