How Far From a Plant Should an HPS Bulb Be?
Sometimes, the weather or yard space will not cooperate with your growing plans. In those instances, using a light indoors is possible, but the type of light does matter. High-pressure sodium lights, also known as HPS grow lights or blubs, are an effective, if expensive, option for lighting your indoor garden. The placement of these lights is different from the placement of a fluorescent bulb. If you do not have the HPS bulb at the right distance from the plants, you could seriously harm the living matter in your indoor garden.
For HID grow lights, you can use the “back of the hand” test as a general rule.
Simply hold your hand just above your plants where they are closest to the light, with the back of your hand facing the light source. Hold it there for about 30 seconds.
If your hand starts to get too hot for comfort, then the light will be too hot for your plants as well and you want to hang it higher. If your hand could be closer and still not feel discomfort, go ahead and bring the light closer.
You want your hand to get hot, but not unbearably so.
To get an idea of how high to hang you light to start with, consult the chart below. I’d always begin with the light at the upper end of the range and gradually lower it.
So, for example, a 1000w HPS distance from plants for bloom would start at 36 inches and gradually move closer.
Here’s a suggested guide on how far you should be placing the HID grow lights away from your plants based on the wattage:
Remember that this shouldn’t be something to miss when growing plants indoors!
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