{"id":3680,"date":"2023-06-13T02:16:23","date_gmt":"2023-06-13T02:16:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ledstreak.com\/?p=3680"},"modified":"2023-06-13T02:16:26","modified_gmt":"2023-06-13T02:16:26","slug":"how-close-should-led-grow-lights-be-to-plants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ledstreak.com\/how-close-should-led-grow-lights-be-to-plants\/","title":{"rendered":"How Close Should LED Grow Lights Be to Plants: 101 on LED Grow Light Distance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How close should LED grow lights be to plants? This is important because placing your grow lights correctly promotes productive indoor plant growth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So is this distance standard for all plant types and all growth stages? Or how do you determine the right distance? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article explains how far you should place LED grow lights and the factors determining how far you should.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Does LED Grow Light Distance Matter?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Without a doubt, it\u2019s essential to have the optimum distance of LED grow lights<\/a> from the plants for two main reasons:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One is to ensure the delivery of the right light intensity. With the right distance, it provides the required amount of light, which helps a plant grow healthy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So it would be best to position the lights to provide adequate photosynthetic active radiation needed for photosynthesis<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second, to avoid the adverse effects of incorrect grow lights distance. Because if the light is too close, it will scorch the plants. And if you place the lights too far from the plants, it will cause irregular growth.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, the plant will present symptoms of distress, such as stunted growth or a white or yellow discoloration known as bleaching. Also, you\u2019ll notice the leaves pointing upwards or the plants growing facing toward the light as they struggle to get enough of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Far Should LED Lights Be From Plants?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The distance between the lights and the plants can generally range between 2 to 24 inches. See, different plants have varying light needs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So to position your plants well, you can start at 18 to 24 inches between the plants\u2019 canopy and LED lights. Then, observe the plant and vary the distance until you find the one that suits your plant best.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember that several other factors determine how far you\u2019ll place the lights, as we\u2019ll see below.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Far Should LED Lights Be From Seedlings?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Now the seedling stage is a very tender and vulnerable one. That\u2019s because it\u2019s prone to excessive water loss. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, keeping the LED grow lights a little higher up from your plant\u2019s canopy is best to ensure the soil does not dry up. Also, it helps reduce transpiration<\/a> levels.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During this stage, the plant also requires less light. And here, the beam size and wattage will determine the LED grow light distance for the seedlings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, place the lights 25 to 36 inches above the soil. Otherwise, exposing the seedlings to too much light will hinder a fast growth rate. Worse, it could damage the plant altogether.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Factors That Influence Plant Placement Distance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Plant Type<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Different plants have different light intensity requirements. For example, decorative indoor plants, such as snake plants, need less than 4 micromoles per square meter per day of DLI (daily light integral)<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, leafy plants like lettuce and herbs need four to five times more daylight, while other plants, such as tomatoes, require even more light.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Young<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

(Caption: Young tomato plant with LED light closer to it) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beam Width<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Regarding beam width, manufacturers design LED lights to provide concentrated or dispersed light emissions. Thus, you may notice that some lights have exposed LED chips. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These can emit light in all directions. Also, they cover a huge area. But as great as such lights sound, they have a caveat. Generally, they tend to have lower light intensity.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, some LED lights have light-concentrated lenses. These concentrate an array of light on a specific area. These have high light intensity but cover a smaller area of the plants.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a rule of thumb, place a more concentrated LED light away and one with a wider beam closer to the plants.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wattage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Now high-wattage LED lights produce more light. Therefore, placing such lights further away from your plants is reasonable. On the other hand, it\u2019s safe to position the low-wattage LEDs closer to the plants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, check the wattage<\/a> of your LED lights to determine the appropriate distance to place them from the plants.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plant Maturity Stage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At different stages of maturity, plants require varying amounts of light. The followings are some plant stages and their LED light placement needs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n