grouchyoldman
New member
Greetings GWE, just a flyby visit but this topic caught my eye.
I've been using Photone for a couple of years now with great results. Here's a couple of tips:
- An easy way to calibrate Photone is to compare it to the PPFD map included with most modern LED lights. If Migro has reviewed your light you can use their map for this purpose. Just set your Photone camera on the floor, adjust the height of your light to whichever map you are using then move the phone under the light to compare your readings with the PPFD map. I use ViparSpectra XS-series lights and my Photone test readings matched the published PPFD maps that came with the lights almost perfectly. I can even compare the readings after a year of use and see how much the intensity has fallen off (Not much!).
- Here's a basic set of guidelines for PPFD ranges at various stages of growth.
Seedlings, youngsters: 100 - 300 PPFD
Veg Cycle: 300 - 600 PPFD
Flowering 600 - 900+ depending on the strain and with careful monitoring since these lights are strong enough to cause problems if you overdo it. I've gone as high as 1400 ppfd and some plants loved it. Ramp up slowly and carefully.
- Then there's the tradeoff between light height and intensity adjustments. My experience has been a preference for keeping the light farther from the plant and turning the intensity up to the appropriate PPFD level during veg, then using the opposite approach during flower (lower the light & reduce the intensity to get the desired PPFD at bud level). This works best with a horizontal canopy.
-Finally, in the end, it's all about DLI (Daily Light Integral)! The total amount of photons flooding your plant each day will be the key to success as it best captures all the variables. Happily Photone measures DLI as one of the freebie selections. DLI levels are very strain-specific, so monitor and adjust as you see how your plants respond. DLI between 20 - 40 is a useful starting point, increasing over that range as your approach late flower. I've read you can go higher if you are using CO2 in the tent.
I hope this is useful.
-Grouchy
I've been using Photone for a couple of years now with great results. Here's a couple of tips:
- An easy way to calibrate Photone is to compare it to the PPFD map included with most modern LED lights. If Migro has reviewed your light you can use their map for this purpose. Just set your Photone camera on the floor, adjust the height of your light to whichever map you are using then move the phone under the light to compare your readings with the PPFD map. I use ViparSpectra XS-series lights and my Photone test readings matched the published PPFD maps that came with the lights almost perfectly. I can even compare the readings after a year of use and see how much the intensity has fallen off (Not much!).
- Here's a basic set of guidelines for PPFD ranges at various stages of growth.
Seedlings, youngsters: 100 - 300 PPFD
Veg Cycle: 300 - 600 PPFD
Flowering 600 - 900+ depending on the strain and with careful monitoring since these lights are strong enough to cause problems if you overdo it. I've gone as high as 1400 ppfd and some plants loved it. Ramp up slowly and carefully.
- Then there's the tradeoff between light height and intensity adjustments. My experience has been a preference for keeping the light farther from the plant and turning the intensity up to the appropriate PPFD level during veg, then using the opposite approach during flower (lower the light & reduce the intensity to get the desired PPFD at bud level). This works best with a horizontal canopy.
-Finally, in the end, it's all about DLI (Daily Light Integral)! The total amount of photons flooding your plant each day will be the key to success as it best captures all the variables. Happily Photone measures DLI as one of the freebie selections. DLI levels are very strain-specific, so monitor and adjust as you see how your plants respond. DLI between 20 - 40 is a useful starting point, increasing over that range as your approach late flower. I've read you can go higher if you are using CO2 in the tent.
I hope this is useful.
-Grouchy
