The Amount Of Light Needed For Plant Growth?

Plant light requirements vary based on various factors, such as plant species and growth goals. High-light or full-sun plants need at least 60,000 lux, medium-light or partial sun plants need at least 35,000 lux, low-light or partial shade plants need at least 15,000 lux, and very low-light plants or heavy shade plants need around 1000 to 5000 lux or less. To determine the required light and type of fixtures, it is essential to determine the quality and hours of natural light in your space.

Plants require a visible spectrum of light ranging from 380 to 700 nanometers, which is 400nm. Before getting a plant or starting seeds, determine the quality and hours of natural light in your space and choose plants with light requirements that match your indoor environment. Clones/seedlings should be 5,000-7,000 lux, using fluorescent, while vegetative growth should be 15,000-50,000 lux. Most plants will survive at 10x lower values than specified but won’t thrive, so low-light plants can grow in a 50 lux living room.

Medium light requires 807 to 1614 Lux, while high light requires 1614 to 10764 Lux. Water requirements are dry, and most plants require good and consistent light intensity. Direct bright light (sunny spot) should be between 20.000 and 50.000 lux, while indirect bright light (partial sunny) should be between 10.000 and 20.000 lux.

Level 1 plants require more than 11,000 lux and direct exposure to the sun for more than four hours per day. Level 2 plants need a minimum of 2500-7500 lux to maintain a 14-hour light period. The optimum energy needs for plants are around 4000-5000 lux for 6-8 hours a day, but this is for optimal growth. Most plants need a minimum of 10,000 to 20,000 lux of light for healthy growth.


📹 HOW MUCH LIGHT ARE YOUR PLANTS GETTING? | Test with a light meter

You are growing indoor houseplants, so why aren’t your indoor plants flourishing? And is this the right space or spot for my indoor …


What is the light intensity required for plant growth?

Herbs and vegetables require a light intensity of 20-60 watts per square foot of growing space. In the absence of natural light, a 400-watt metal halide can provide 45 watts per square foot in a 3 x 3-foot area, as opposed to 25 watts per square foot in a 5 x 5-foot area.

How many lumens do plants need to grow?

To provide effective light for indoor plants, a light bulb with a lumens per square foot of 400-1000 lm is recommended. Fluorescent tubes are the best plant grow lights, offering a full spectrum of color and mimicking outdoor conditions. The intensity of the light should be considered, as more intense light requires plants to be further away from the source. The two most common bulb types for grow lights are compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and high intensity discharge (HID) bulbs. CFLs are considered better for energy efficiency and longer life span, but consider your plant’s individual needs. To mix and match plants, consider the following 7 plant combination ideas.

How much light does a plant need to grow?

The majority of vegetables and flowering plants require a minimum of 12 to 16 hours of light per day, with the latter requiring a greater duration of illumination. It is recommended that at least eight hours of darkness be provided per day.

Is 3000 lux enough for plants?
(Image Source: Pixabay.com)

Is 3000 lux enough for plants?

Plants require light intensity of 3000 lux or less, but at least 2000 lux, which is a location near a window with enough light without direct midday/afternoon sunlight. This light is sometimes referred to as filtered or indirect light. Indoor plants can be easily chosen and purchased, but arranging for their growth is a challenge. To ensure plant survival, it is essential to provide sufficient light. Plants use light to produce sugars, which serve as their main fuel, from carbon dioxide and water.

The by-product is oxygen, which is then used by humans. Housekeepers should have a basic understanding of photosynthesis to ensure their plants thrive and bring joy to their lives. It is best to determine the care requirements of a plant before choosing one and make an informed decision about which one is the right one for you. This helps ensure your plants grow beautifully and bring you joy.

Is 10000 lumens too bright for plants?

In the vegetative phase, plants require 2000-3000 lumens per square foot, while in the flowering phase, 5000-10, 000 lumens are recommended. ETi Lighting offers grow lights with a 3000 lm light spectrum suitable for indoor gardening. Common indoor plants include spinach and lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, kale, mushrooms, and green beans. Spinach and lettuce require 200-400 lumens per square foot, tomatoes 600-1000 lumens, carrots 600-1000 lumens, kale 200-400 lumens, mushrooms 10-20 lumens, and green beans 200-400 lumens. ETi Lighting GL-22-MV is a product that features 3000 lm and a suitable light spectrum for indoor gardening.

What light intensity do plants need?
(Image Source: Pixabay.com)

What light intensity do plants need?

The text provides information on the optimal lighting conditions for plants, focusing on medium-light plants, high-light plants, and the distance between plants. Medium-light plants require 250 to 1, 000 foot-candles, while high-light plants require at least 1, 000 foot-candles or 20 watts per square foot of growing area. For low- to medium-light plants, two fluorescent tubes are sufficient, but adjustments can be made by regulating the distance between tubes and plants.

High-light plants require special lamps with higher intensities for best growth and flowering. Fixtures containing three to four fluorescent tubes are necessary for these plants. Most plants should be placed 6 to 12 inches from the light source, as the intensity of light drops rapidly as the distance from the light bulbs or tubes increases. The brightest spot under a fluorescent fixture is directly beneath the center of the tubes, as fluorescent tubes do not produce as much light at the ends as they do in the center.

Is 7000 lux good for plants?

Growing plants indoors under grow lights requires careful attention to lamp size and type, plant height and density, and distance between the lamp and foliage. Fluorescent lamps provide 5, 000-7, 000 lux for clones/seedlings, while MH lamps provide 15, 000-50, 000 lux for vegetative growth, and 45, 000-70, 000 lux for flowering. Lux meters are useful for checking if all foliage is receiving the correct amount of light. Ensure to check both high and low for optimal plant growth.

Is 10000 lux good for plants?
(Image Source: Pixabay.com)

Is 10000 lux good for plants?

Light is measured in lux in most of the world, except in the USA where foot/candle is used. Lux is the International System of Units for illuminance or illumination level. Different types of plants include deep shade (500-2, 500 lux), low light (2, 500-10, 000 lux), bright and indirect light (10, 000-20, 000 lux), and direct indoor sunlight (20, 000-50, 000 lux). The different ways of measuring light at a site include:

  1. Sunlight: Between 500 and 2, 500 lux, ivy, Aglaonema, Aspidistra, Sanseviera, Zamioculcas, and ivy.
  2. Low light: Alocasia, Caladium, Calathea, Cisus, Philodendron, Phytonia, ferns, Kentia, Peperomia, Syngnonium, Spathiphyllum, and spider plant.
  3. Bright and indirect light: Aphelandra, Tradescantia, Azaleas, Schefflera, Cyclamen, Monstera deliciosa, Dieffenbachia, Dracaena marginata, Phalaenopsis, Ficus benjamina, Ficus elastica, Brazilian trunk, Yucca, and Pothos.

How many lux for plants?

The Lux range is subdivided into three categories: low (270-807 Lux), medium (807-814 Lux), and high (1614-10764 Lux).

What is optimal light for plant growth?
(Image Source: Pixabay.com)

What is optimal light for plant growth?

Plants thrive when exposed to light between 2, 700 and 7, 000 Kelvin, which is similar to natural sunlight. In the past, growers used red and blue LED lights to provide this full spectrum of light, as white LED lights did not exist yet. However, new technology allows for the full spectrum and brightness of light needed, ranging from 2, 700 to 6, 500 degrees Kelvin, with white LED lights.

Using red and blue lights is unnecessary and can disrupt sleep, as blue light affects the body’s levels of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin more than any other wavelength. It is recommended to avoid electronic devices before bed. The most common type of grow-light bulb is the T5 and T8 LED Tube Light, which is typically found in approximately 6, 500 Kelvin, the color temperature of daylight.

Bulbs with a 2, 700 Kelvin color temperature are beneficial for plants during the vegetative stage of growth, while those with a 2, 700 Kelvin color temperature are warmer and more red and orange-colored. Some growers use red lights to deliver this color-temperature to plants.


📹 How Many Lux Does Cannabis NEED At Canopy? + Digital Illuminance Meters Overview

Discussion of light intensity and illuminance and what lux values Cannabis plants need to grow in vegetative or flowering at …


The Amount Of Light Needed For Plant Growth
(Image Source: Pixabay.com)

14 comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Finally a article that properly represents HID lights. there are too many people making articles to sell LED’s. I chuckle every time I see a article claiming that a $1000 650 watt LED will replace my 1000 watt Hortilux HPS. With a flat white parabolic reflector I can put my light within 24 inches from the canopy with most strains. Thank you for speaking the truth, and just so everyone out there knows that if you don’t have 800 or 1000 par that you can still flower if you only have 600 par if you don’t feed too heavily, Don’t go over 900 ppm PH to 6.0 for hydro and 6.5 in soil or coco and you should be fine. Love your articles Lex, you have obviously been growing a few years. God bless you and yours.

  • Dude.. Everytime I encounter a new question, i come to YT and search it… You are ALWAYS in the top results with super nerdy information WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT I AM LOOKING FOR. thank you kind sir. Been experimenting with led light. Can seem to get to an optimal height for my 1 autoflowering critical purp. Seems it hasn’t grown or changed in about a week. (plant is going on two weeks old)

  • Thanks lex for another very informative article! I have a question off topic however. It is to do with tinctures. Many recipes call for decarb of flower, soak in alcohol for a period of time and then a strain. Simplified version. My question is this, can we use fresh cut flowers? This saves on dry/cure time. Flower usually sits for two weeks anyways. If this is okay, how can we scale the recipe? For example if I use 4g dry/cured flower per 1oz/35ml of high proof alcohol. When using fresh off the plant flowers they’re full of water etc and thus heavy in comparison. How can we figure out how much to use. Without a trial an error. Ball park guessing/educated workings….. I see it’s more than one question, but it’s all relevant right? Much love fella. I look forward to your speedy response as always!

  • Thank you for doing this article for I’m in the process of using several different lights and it seems that most site are recommending huge lux numbers that my powerful lights could only reach if I burned the plants. I saw numbers like 50,000 to 65,000 for flowering and 15,000 to 50,000 for veg. Thanks for clearing that up for many of us. Peace!

  • thank you.. im outdoor in the north east.. the back yard is mostly bright direct sun.. morning is dappeled light and sunset time frame, the yard is bright, yet in shadow.. last year was okay in a darker spot..nl5 should give more.. i just chose security.. i pickd wedd cke in the brightest area, but it doesnt get full sun during all daylight hours.. at least 6 hours full sun now.. veg was like 10 hours.. any guess on this years veggie crop? id love to hear..

  • you know this may have really helped me out today. Ive been wondering why my girls in veg have been showing signs of stress, and It may have been me cranking my Quantum Boards up too high. I have a LUX meter on my phone ( not very accurate ) but it gave me an idea of how intense these lights are. Cranked half way up and at around 3 feet It was saying 35-45k at canopy around the centre of the tent. First run with these boards as ive just upgraded from some citizen clu048 1212 arrays, and these boards are better in every way so far. They have 3500k, 5000k, 660nm, 730nm and 385nm. Ill give them a few days turned down and see if they turn around.

  • Thanks for this article Lex its the one that i really needed. I ordered a Lux Meter from HydroFarm in all honesty i thought it also read the PPFD but it does not and i had no idea what Lux value cannabis would grow in. So this article actually really helped me. The lux at the canopy of my plant was at 45000. So i moved it up to get into the range suggested.

  • I’m an outside grower, but the last 3 years I have experimented with growing inside, no tent just a small area with aluminum foil on 3 sides. I use a 600 watt full spectrum and a homemade t-5 with full spectrum strips down 2 sides, I have tried several varieties and purple granddaddy has done awesome this year in 2,3 gallon pots the plants in 3 months from germination are now 5 foot tall and 4 foot around and I picked my seeds out to be females and both are . I have tried several strains and this one has done the best, I’m old school and would love to get my hands on the 70,s era maryjane seeds. Thank you for clearing up the questions about lux and candle power, you answered my questions where most could not thank you .⚡️⚒️🇺🇸🦅🪴👍🏻🐝

  • Hi Lex, love your website and the way you explain things. Very pleasing to watch and learn! I wanted to ask you something about light. I’m growing a single plant in a small 36”x20”x63” Vivosun grow tent equiped with an intake fan at the bottom, an exhaust fan at the top, and a oscillating fan to move air around. I was using a Mars Hydro Reflector 96 (rated perfect for this size of grow tent). I first attempt to grow vegetables such as lettuce and cucumbers…but i laways felt like the blurple color of the light was changing the plant structure quite a lot (and not in a good way). The plants aren’t reaching for the light and bush too much (with leaves staying small and curling). First, I though the light was too close to the plants (even though it was set a the recommended height)… but it never got better. Plants grow quite fast, but in a strange way. Now i’m growing a Blueberry strain. I started the seed with the Mars Hydro light, but again… too short and bushy (tight nodes) at 24” height (rated at 680 PAR at center in full BLOOM mode, at 18”). So i bought a new affordable light on amazon that i felt was a pretty good deal. It’s an AGLEX 1200W COB (veg 113w, bloom 208w), with 2x 5500K Bridglux COB with 60º lenses (extreme PAR values), + RED, BLUE, UV & IR Epistar dual-chip boost for BLOOM. It’s kinda like an OPTIC 2 replica (with differences in the color blend, but has a very good full spectrum and same true wattage at the end). So far, my plant is LOVING IT, leaves are getting big and straight.

  • Lex first off what a great show. I just got my Dr Meter and checked the Lux. It was 45,000 so I raised the light to about 2 feet from the plant. It now reads 35,000. I know the optic 2 runs hotter than other LEDs I’ve have had in the past so do I still need to go up with the light? I have the room to go up. Just wondering what is better for the plant.

  • I’m running fast bud genetics and using 1000w HPS DE and LED lights and have taken measurements with my phone and a diffuser. These plants can soak up as much as 80 thousand lux and seem to love it. During veg, anything over 40 K seems to keep the plants too compact under the LEDs. Different strains my have a lower ceiling compared to other’s for the light the can use.

  • Hey Lex thank you for the article. Im on my 6th grow and Ive noticed something about LEDs that I dont see mentioned. Thought Id see if you have noticed this too. If you place LEDs too close to a plant (say less than 12 inches/ especially when in veg) They tend to have shorter internodal spacing and a general bushier build. As I said only a few grows and this is comparing clones from bag seed so was hoping you could tell me if its in my head or not. Thank you.

  • I dont like to ruin the party but utelising LUX on growlights especially LED lights or sun light wich might be the most usefull to messure lux if ya wanna be cheap is not that usefull because the plants dont care about LUX largly exept heat but its all about PAR wich is the photosythetic active radiation. And for outdoor ya would use LAI anyways wich is not essentially needed for indoor operations. If you wanna get rly nerdy and you got too much money you can also look at YPF altho that aint that effective currently because there are lil to non references. But I keep short for here not including A bunch of facts surrounding light messurments and the utilisation of those in Horticultue. Lex you should maybe include atlest PAR and PPF+PPFD pretty dissapointed (Yes I am aware that people at home wont gonna invest in an PAR reader wich is logical but the knowleadge/Concep they should atlest understand especially if they look at LED lights wich particularly because of that react totally diffrent from other grow lights

  • I understand my idol robbed me telling me I won a lamp then tell me I gotta pay $150 shipping then I contact Mars Hydro & find out there’s nothing… if & when I do YouTube I’ll make sure my fans don’t get robbed. I’m gonna comment til every damn article says there’s no such thing as a giveaway. I’m wrong person to fucks wit. Would been easier & better to just pay up instead trying screw over fans