• Can grow lights be too bright?

    Yes, grow lights can be too bright, meaning the light intensity is high, and as such, the plant is exposed to extra heat. The plant tries to cope with the extra heat in several ways, including using its water reserves to remove the excess heat.
    Unfortunately, this has a negative effect on the plant as it ends up dehydrating itself. It also affects the photosynthesis process, which requires water for the efficient exchange of gases.
    The plant is thus left weak, and the leaves start turning yellow or brown, appearing burnt. Signs of lights being too bright resemble those of too much light since they all lead to extra heat. Besides the yellowing of leaves, you will also have symptoms like crispy leaves which crumble under the fingertips, droopy leaves which show the leaves are dying, and brown patches on the leaves. The soil could also be dry as the heat evaporates moisture from the surface.

  • How to hang grow lights?

    To hang grow lights properly, you should have four main things:
    • Light uniformity
    • A grow light plan
    • The right light hang height
    • Efficient light installation

    Uniform light distribution means all your plants will get the same amount of light and thus grow evenly, leading to higher yields and consistent quality of your crops. You also get an easier time managing your crop environment. A grow light plan, on the other hand, lets you know how many light fixtures you will need for your space and the best hanging arrangement considering the ceiling design, crop canopy, and the target light intensity.

    The right height ensures light is not wasted on the walls or aisles and prevents issues with overexposure to light. Finally, for efficient light installation, consider things like the ease of setup, especially without technical help. You should also plan out the electricals beforehand in accordance with your light plan, as it saves time when doing the real installation.

  • How long to keep grow lights on house plants?

    How long you leave the grow lights on depends on several plants, but the most important is the kind of plant you have. The general rule is to ensure your plants get 8 – 10 hours of light.
    However, there are plants that require plenty of light like aloe vera, spinach, orchids, and lettuce, among others. These will need light for up to 16 hours a day. On the other hand, some plants require plenty of dark time, like tomatoes, pepper, snake plant, kalanchoe, maidenhair fern, and more.
    These plants require 4 -6 hours of light. There are also medium light plants that will require 8 – 12 hours of light. Such plants include the African Violet and the Chinese money plant.

  • What light is best for growing weed?

    While new to the cannabis farming industry, LED lights are the best because of their range of benefits. Some of the main benefits include using a customized light spectrum and no need for an exhaust system since they do not emit plenty of heat.
    With minimal heat emission, you use water efficiently as none is wasted through evaporation. Efficient water use, in turn, leads to efficient nutrition use.
    Low heat emission also allows for more light intensity as the plants require allowing you to have maximum and rich content yields without negatively affecting the plants' health. LED lights are also easy to use and set up, making them cost-efficient in the long run and perfect for beginners.
    They are also energy-efficient, cutting your operation cost. Overall, LED lights lead to better quality weed, including elements like potency, scent, and trichome development.

  • How to use QUX full-spectrum LED grow lights?

    Full-spectrum LED lights are the ones that provide most of the light plants need for photosynthesis and growth. This range of light is the Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR).
    While full spectrum LED grow lights do not technically produce the full spectrum of light like the sun, optimizing their performance within the PAR range leads to better yields and plant health.
    Full-spectrum lights from QUX are also the closest you get to having natural light. They have blue and red lights and then add phosphor coating of a mixture of green and yellow, which helps produce white light.
    Blue and red lights are most crucial to the growth of a plant, with blue light responsible for stimulating vegetative growth and red light responsible for budding and flowering. Too much blue light and the plant will be bushy but lack any buds or flowers.
    Too much red light inhibits vegetative growth resulting in weak plants. The broader the spectrum, the better quality of the plant.

  • Can you leave grow lights on 24 hours a day?

    No, it is not advisable to put grow lights on 24 hours a day unless you have plants that usually do not mind extra light. Leaving grow lights on 24 hours a day leads to light overexposure, making the plants produce more light than they can produce. As a result, they end up wilted and dead.

    You can tell when a plant is getting too much exposure by the yellowing of the leaves. Most plants will require some dark time for photosynthesis. Few plants are okay with leaving the lights on 24hrs, and mostly they are vegetative plants and include plants like:
    • Cacti
    • Orchids
    • Spinach
    • Coleus
    • Lettuce

    Most plants tend to require some dark time or a few hours of light; thus, leaving the grow lights on all day will affect their development. All flowering plants also need time off to bear fruits and flowers. Besides plant health, leaving the lights on will also affect your energy bills unnecessarily.
     

  • How far should LED grow lights be from plants?

    If your led lights are too close to the plants, they can cause overheating, while if you place them too far, the plants will not get sufficient lighting. The general rule is to place your LED grow lights 12 -30 inches from the top of the plants. Where exactly you place, depends on the number of lights you are using, their wattage, the height of the plants, and the plants' stage of development. For some guidelines:

    • Seedlings need low light intensity to prevent them from drying, so place the light furthest, 24-36 inches from the top of the plants until the first two weeks. Then you can lower them after the roots are established.

    • In the vegetative stage, plants need more light for photosynthesis, so place them between 12-24 inches from the canopy.

    • At the flowering stage, their demand decreases, so you can move the lights back to 18-24 inches above the plants' canopy.