LUX vs PAR Meter | Can You Use a Lux Meter with Grow Lights?
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- čas přidán 11. 09. 2024
- In this video I show the difference between using a standard light meter and a quantum flux par meter.
Can you use a lux meter to measure grow light intensity? YES and NO. Lux meters test mainly the green part of the visible spectrum and therefor will not give a consistent readout between various types of grow lights. PAR meters test the entire visible spectrum and can be used to test any type of light so long as you use the proper model and is a reliable brand.
How to calculate PAR with a lux meter - • Calculate PAR With A C...
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CZcams is the greatest library on earth. Watched like 30 videos on grow lights so far and learned a huge amount of information already.
Hours spent googling and every question I had was answered here in 12 min...thank you
same
I love how you back everything up with examples, great video explanation
If you know the ratio of total lumens output to total PPF output then you can trivially calculate PPFD from a lux reading. Usually the manufacturer gives you the lumens and PPF for their product.
PPFD = Lux * (PPF/Lumens)
HLG provides a calculator online to convert Lux to PPFD for their various products.
There is even a website if you search "lumen to ppf calculator" that has common spectrums built in.
That's incorrect. It is not possible to convert Lux to PPFD absolutely accurately without providing the light source's spectral power distribution (SPD). In reality, however, obtaining a light source's exact SPD is not an easy task for the average grower - it requires expensive spectrometer equipment. It is easier to buy a par meter. Lux is still important just not to measure photo actively radiation (PAR) Peace
All I've got is one of those 3 way light/moisture/pH meters. Lol
That was helpful comparison info. Thanks. (I just got a TS1000)
Does that shit work bro
@@weedweed723 The light meter gives a vague idea. Moisture and pH seem to work fine.
have been growing bonsai tree's under lights for 35 yrs. and this free par meter would be an asset for sure
"I want that Hydro-farm PAR meter". I use a lux meter now for rough readings, so it would be great to have. Great video!
NO
Google "lux to par", there are calculators / conversion factors for different light sources, and they're GREAT!
Not everyone is willing to spend 500$ on a light meter
pin this comment people should know before they spend good money on a par meter
a conversion factor table is also available on the website of apogee instruments - the same company that made the PAR meter shown in this video
Was going to say the same thing. I just picked up one on amazon for 20 bucks
The calculator here for my light is spot on for the manufacture PAR footprint.
Just have to
Select the type of light you are using.
I still don’t think it will be as accurate as a PAR meter as it doesn’t measure the PAR spectrum. But as a tool for estimating I’m pleased with it
www.waveformlighting.com/horticulture/convert-lux-to-ppfd-online-calculator
The problem with those calculators is their dependent on knowing the spectrum of the light. This works very well for non led grow lights, as their technology is much older and the spectrum is far ore consistent. LED's are all over the place, and with mixed diodes putting off different spectrums this is even more true. For high end boards (samsung diodes and other high end leds) you can normally find good conversions from light companies (I know hlg has them on their site for all the various quantum boards.).
a cat it’s $600 close enough lol
Great video brow, very grateful for it! You should do one comparing the par meter measurements for different color led's, 2700k, 3500k, 4000k, 6000k. People would literally kill for that info on indoor grow forums lol
Thomas M Galt see link in description
For WHITE LEDs just multiple your lux meter reading by 1.5 and you will get almost spot on "PAR" reading. You can check this on many other videos. On this video you have 332 lux, multiple it by 1.5 and you will get 498. Almost spot on to 507 value .
allthesecontinents I’ll try that
Iv been using the lux meter and thought I was doing it wrong but your comment it right
@@sk8ercory94 this is valid only for "full spectrum" (white) LED's.
That's 33200 lux. 332 lux would be very dim.
I would love to own the hydro farm Par Meter. Love your lectures.
I do have a huge passion for growing houseplants, but the real reason why I clicked this video is because this guy is really easy on the eyes. 😍 lol
You answered all my questions rapid fire and I loved it! Thanks.
"I want the Hydrofarm par meter"... Thank you for the chance to win. 🤟🏿✌🏿👍🏿
THANK YOU!!! Thank you for this informative video. I'm making the change from the older 'Blurple' LED to newer Quantum board 'White' light. My growing guru hydro shop owner says be very cautious with the newer light, can cause light burn if not careful. A PAR meter would be so beneficial, but beyond what I can afford. This would be a God Send for my next grow.
"I want the hydro-farm par meter". I will give it a good home and put it to good use! Thanks for the video...😆
I have a pHD in Biology and would love to have it for my classes on photosynthesis..... NY here....
How many lux or watts does a grow light put out
Bro i need that so bad can please have it i love your video content & TY for you do for the community...keep making great videos...✌
you could say the PAR meter measures protons, ie solid core, where the lux meter measures the light rays which are waves
Articulate and straight to the point. Thanks man for the video!
"I want the Hydrofarm par meter" I'm already subscribed and hit the bell!
Thank you very much for the quality video you are sharing.
That orange one has foot candles also. I would love to see a quick test comparison numbers between those two.
Jzuz you are chiziled and.. Seriously informed. Excellent vid. Thanks!
"I want the Apogee MQ-500 par meter".
The free light intensity app on your phone is a lot more useful than you realize. It's not perfect, but with full spectrum LED, it does a good job.....
I want the hydro farm meter!! And thanks man for another great video! There is a reason I subscribed to your channel and this video is a perfect example! Thank you!
How about using a Read Instruments R8140 LED Light Meter that reads in LUX and foot-candles at preset and custom set color temperatures? Wouldn’t that with spreadsheet conversion tables offer the best of both worlds?
This answer my questions. You are the man!
PAR is 400 to 700 nm or roughly red to blue light, however this is an over simplication of the radiation that plants use as they use radiation below and over this spectrum (300 to 800nm 1970s research), (Cree did lots of research on this year's ago). What it boils down to is we are still not measuring the photosyntheticly absorbed radiation properly. Reproducing the exact spectrum of the sun is required (at ground level on earth) to reproduce the radiation used by plants then taking away narrow bands of radiation to see what effect it has on plants and their growth, this has not been done to the best of my knowledge.
A Lux meter is good enough to ball park the amount of light (white light) to see if you are indeed providing enough. The difference on Amazon is about $500 US or $1200 Canadian for the PAR vs a cheap Lux meter.
HI RYAN, Thank you for being clear with your experiments of BASILIC, PEPPERS.
I appreciate your experiments. These are great videos.
I need your help, you could compare the "nutrient solution" that you use with other brands, also what "nutrient solution for soils or hydroponics" would use and in what quantities if you transplant hydroponics to cultivation in soil or pots. In my apartment I have a very small garden that is why I use more pots and that is why I am very interested in doing a pot transplant after I grew in hydroponics.
Excellent, this was exactly the info I was looking for. Thank you
Dang I just bought that same lux meter lol. It also measures foot candles but I think that’s also limited to human eye spectrum. So let me get this straight: Lux meter= good for measuring light for people (office/studio lighting for example), par meter= good for plants because they see and can use more of the light spectrum than we can see. Is that right?
Basically
"I want the Hydro-farm PAR meter". I have been struggling with light intensity and I think this would solve my problems .
So for white led, let’s say household ones, from 2700k to 6400k, is it fair enough approximate to a conversion coefficient of 0,015 to 0,017(Lux*coef=PPFD)
Could you test it under this 3 led color? It will be wanderful to have 3 coefficient for this 3 main led color. Thanks
andrewbee82 thanks. I have just uploaded a video regarding this.
This is very well done Thank You
Great video with some very useful information!!!
OMG.. I really could use that meter... I grabbed a 3 in 1 at Lowe's.. and didn't even know how it measure .. it's been ok so far. But just got a new light and not so sure
Only USA ☹️ you got worldwide subscribers brother am from India!. hopefully the next time you think of an giveaway to international people’s too 🙏🏼✌🏼
Would love that meter! Thanks for the info!!
I want the Hydrofarm Par Meter.
Great information.... thanks
Good point by the way in spectrum being different and making it not a " fair test " ;))
What meter would a person use to test the percentage of sunlight coming through cloth in outdoor garden area?
Lux meter. Measure the sun then measure inside and calculate percentage. Or just subtract the difference.
Awesome video my friend...I would love to win the Hydrofarm PAR meter:)) it would suit all of my needs:))
Glad I watched this before I bought that…. App 😅 thanks!
You say the PAR meter tests "the entire visible spectrum". Why would one test the visible spectrum when we are talking plants, not the human eye?
Thanks for that explanation!
I need that Hydro-Farm Par-Meter.. love the videos
Great info! I'm retired & understanding the Par is going to really help. Dispensaries are just too expensive especially living on a budget. THANKS 🪴
I'm okay on the meter, but thanks for breaking the application of both down.
Great video! I need a Hydrofarm par meter too!
PAR Meter Please.
THANKS for the explanation & demo...
Well said and well done.
do you have a link to the hydrofarm par meter? the only hydrofarm meter i can find is the lux meter
Want that meter!!! Need that meter!!
Thank you so much I finally get it.
I saw this video pic and was thinking what the hell do these light meters have to do with paramotors haha. Two hobbies in common
Thank you sir I'm sure 😊
I can make high use for it don't have any but question i got a galaxy s9+ and I'm using an app is it possible to compare smartphones reading with the device you are showing just for the super budget or ppl who only have a smartphone. Please if you can present galaxy and apple comparisons against your top device
Now it makes sence.. thanks
Thanks so much I have a lux meter did not know this I would love to have a par meter that would be awesome thanks
I saw your comment on MIGRO. It would seem that Shane is the outlier between HLG, Appogee and your measurements. HLG lists 1000ppfd as 67,000lux. Though I'm finding it very hard to reach that number with my custom HLG 550 build that has a much more even footprint over 4'x4'.
67,000 X .015 = 1005
not for blurple no, you can make relative approximations with comparing wide spectrum apples to apples,
as in: you can expect the same lights driven at about the same wattage to give about similar lux ratings,
the value is arbitrary in the grand scheme of things, but it can certainly can give you some rudamentary insight on how uniform your coverage is for that particular grow room, assuming you use 1 and the same light type and color temperature.
the quality of the receiver dome can really throw in a wrench when trying to do arrays or strips though, but when measuring bigger sources head-on, it's not completely unusable, turn the receiver towards the light source you're measuring to reduce inaccuracy, besides, the plants will grow with their leaves towards that light too, assuming it's the strongest source for those leaves, it's actually pretty close how they will receive it as they tilt their leaves toward the light source
but in all fairness, If you're going for imprecise, looking under your canopy and seeing how much light lands on the bottom is actually better practice in my opinion, if only for the reason you're not relying on readings, but training yourself to get an eye for how much to trim so the light gets everywhere you want it nicely, always prefer to teach myself by trying something out and develop an eye for it down the road.
actually using blurple lights myself, but supplementing them with 20 watt 6000k leds to keep them from stretching too much,
those bulbs (with the plastic bulb popped off) are used in the little seedling room to increase the chance on female plants,
2 bucks a piece on ali express and they do a decent job at supplementing green for canopy penetration and my own visual comfort, and keeping them a bit shorter for my micro grow
i have 12v PC fans hanging near that blow air around the lights, diagonally downward, to move the warm air from the lamps down to the plants (it's wintertime here, struggling to even get 20c ), cooling the passively cooled panels for better efficiency, and keeping the lamps in motion, like a ghetto rail system, those couple of watts spent pays themselves back immensely
I would love to win that!! I been looking to get one for a while now!!
Great info 👍
"You can use a lux meter to measure distance from plants. Problem is, the differences in color temperature is gonna give different readings".... sooo??? Isnt that why MH usually runs at 400 watts and HPS runs at 1000 watts kept at the same distance? I'm not seeing where I'll run into a problem here....
Power efficency has nothing to do with reading lux or umols. thats basically what ur describing. czcams.com/video/aIrzWlDTtqE/video.html
"Lumens is not the intensity of the light coming out of it". "Lumens is the measurement of the overal light output". Wouldn't the overall output be intensity of the light?
Intensity is the just measuring the concentration of lumens. Usually measured in candela (center hot spot) when talking flashlights. Lux is the measurement of intensity in various places across the beam spread. Which again is nothing more that the concentration of lumens. Lumens is the way you measure output. Any light can appear to have more intensity the more focused it is.
What instrument would measure the light intensity (lumens/square meter) with a breakdown of the spectrum: lux of blue, lux of red, lux of green? (or mathematically segmented more precisely)?
Geezle Puss typically a spectroradiometer is used for that. Expensive
All the LED lights I've seen have their spectrum in the specs. Using either a PAR or Lux meter and that graph, you can easily get the right answer. For example, measuring the green light and knowing the red light is double the green light.
Have you tried the app, Tent buddy or ppfd meter. For android? How accurate is it for par, any chance you could do a video, id like to know for 450nm, 460nm, please. thanks
am I too late to win the meter?
i love this guy.
Question what range should it set at I have a 400wt full spectrum led and a 200wt spider farmer sf 2000
I’m not sure what you mean. You shouldn’t have to set anything. The only thing you adjust on the lux meter is the decimal point. It still reads the same no matter where it’s set. The only thing that changes is your interpretation of the number.
Thanks for the chance to win.. I want the Hydrofarm Par meter.
Question: Can I use Luxmeter to measure darkness of a room? I want to block gaps on my window blinds and I want my progress to be measurable
I don’t think it’s sensitive enough for that.
@@GrowingAnswers I thought so ~ but I tried just minutes ago seems to solve that issue. I did it during day time. I turned every electronics and lights. And measured the lux using my phone(didn't thought I can use phone before I wrote the original comment). Then I left it there for ~20 minutes to average(it averaged at 30lux). Now I just need to normalize between daily weathers to get average. What do you think about Lux sensors of phones, is it comparable to actual Lux meters?
@@ThoughtsonTwo considering meters and phones just use image sensors it all comes down to they way it’s designed and how it’s applied. A phone can only be reliable if it’s calibrated to a known source. Otherwise it can’t really be fully trusted.
@@GrowingAnswers I see, thanks for the info
Good video , thankyou
I sure wish I would have come here first... back to Amazon and thanks for experience.
it is peaking in the yellow not green 510-540 THz witch is the peak of a human eye. PAR is basically the peak of plant aka blue and red. (and also green according to new studies),
Extremely simply put.
Edit : it might be as you said, green but leaning to yellow but anyhow it does not matte much was just trying to over simplify this video in a few words. :) god one thanks.
Easier way...use lux meter app free on app stores...check outside in preferable conditions and use that number as a benchmark for what u want the plants in obviously;))
I don't live in the US but I would gladly pay for shipping if I'm the lucky one :)
Hey I wonder if u know this....how wet should clay pebbles be in dwc pots in rez lid
I’m not really sure what you mean. The roots need to be wet. Not really the pebbles. If ur thinking of drain and fill systems then the pebbles just need to be wet all the time. Net pots don’t really submerse either. Just the bottom of it touches the water or is partially submersed.
@@GrowingAnswers thanks....its like the stem is in the pot and roots are outta the bottom then like 1 inch to reach water but white powdery stuff appeares in the stones after few months and if rinse it all white like talconpowder on water ...smells sweet....I kno they need a dry zone but should that be in the pot or above the stones ......cos the stones always damp half way up and roots always go into them obviously....but new ones if the stem due to wet stones. ..I mean I know one way is to have drippers on the stones :)
Thumbs up, good vid. I'd love to win a par sensor, thanks for the chance.
Plants don't have an even PAR. You meter tells you nothing about how much of the light the plants use, just a slightly better estimate. You'd need the active response graph of the plant and the spectrum graph of the light to get a real answer.
Hi thanks for making this video but what about using a lux meter to check if your bulbs are getting old and not putting out enough basically to check if you need to change you bulbs or ballasts even
Faizah Wahab par meter would do the same thing. Just go by the hours of service.
thanks so in that regard a lux and par meter would both work for that application???
Faizah Wahab sure
Dude, id love a par meter. My indoor game isnt as strong as outdoor.
yikes this thing is $800 in Canada, any less expensive options?
use a lux meter like the one i show
On the par ..on a 1000w for bloom ..how much ppfd is best
Usually 1000 µmol center par measurement is where you want it for flowering. Outside the center PAR somewhere between 700 and 800.
Thanks for the good info. And now I just need to win ur par meter hahaha
Thanks for the video and the giveaway
I want that hydrafarm par meter!! Please please please!?!???
How many leds do I need to grow sumthing
That’s impossible to answer. Leds come in all shapes and sizes. Lights come in a wide range of wattages and various plants require different amounts of intensity to grow.
great video very informative , i would love to win the hydrofarm PAR meter
have any more of those Par Meters you would like to give away?
I want the Hydrofarm PAR Meter
Should you introduce our GROW LIGHT METER SM206-PAR?
Is it cheap? Lol
How to contact you?@@ewreck944You will be satisfied with our price and quality
ewrecc420@gmail.com
nice video, bro
Yo man any chance that PAR Meter is still available
Available on amazon for you to purchase bud!
I wish you would have compared both in full sun outdoors.
I did that in the other videos similar to this
@@GrowingAnswers Ooh, youtube is slowly suggesting your content since subscribing, so one day I hope I find it.
@@lightdark00 I don’t recall which one I did that in though
Nice informative video - send me the Hydrofarm meter bro!!
The led colors werent the issue with the Quantum. Its the wavelengths.
Spectroradiometer is the only true test of leds.....other than plant growth.
Lumens are for humans.
🙏
I'm confused by this comment. different wavelength = different colors. a spectroradiometer will give you the spectrum, the quantum meter will tell the number of photons.
I want the hydro farm power meter I'm subscribed and I liked the video good info thanks