Purchased an LED grow light for my plants

Kynewt

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Unfortunately living in a downtown area so i do not have a yard. I do have an east facing window on the second floor but am worried its not enough light. I purchased this LED: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07TVD1Y3K/ref=ox_sc_act_image_4?smid=AQS92QZGR4BJ0&psc=1

i was wondering that when it comes in if I should slowly increase the light every few days?(it has a dimmable switch) Or if i should just set it up 2ft away full bore. This unit from the reviews ive read keeps pretty cool and doesn't get too hot. ive heard of people moving there plants from inside to outside has caused them to drop leaves because of the sudden intensity of light increase. Obviously these lights dont compare to actual sun ray intensity so do you think i will be okay?
 

canadianlights

Yamadori
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I'm not sure what kind of bonsai and how many you have, but that seems like it will definitely suffice if you are able to keep the plants under there relatively close to the light (but not so close that they burn!)

Normally trees will drop their leaves due to the light change, but because the light indoors is not sufficient, not the other way around. Expect some leaf drop, but it is no big deal :)
 

Kynewt

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I'm not sure what kind of bonsai and how many you have, but that seems like it will definitely suffice if you are able to keep the plants under there relatively close to the light (but not so close that they burn!)

Normally trees will drop their leaves due to the light change, but because the light indoors is not sufficient, not the other way around. Expect some leaf drop, but it is no big deal :)

would you recommend the manufacturer’s 24” height?
 

cbrshadow23

Shohin
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Great choice in lighting! I have (2) of this exact same light. It's PLENTY of light for any type of plants you put under it.
I've done lots of testing with these lights using a quantum PAR meter. At 6"away from (1) of these lights, my plant canopy gets 3,000ppfd, which is more than our mid-day summer sun in California. Here in northern California at 2:00PM in the summer we can reach 2,700ppfd for about 1 hour, then it tapers from there. With these lights you can hold 3,000ppfd for 18 hours straight if you wanted to. Just incredible.

Just a few things to keep in mind:
1) If your plants haven't been getting much light up to this point I would start with the light dimmed or else far away from the plants. Start at 24-30" away, then move closer each week. Giving them too little light wont be an issue, but burning them can be an issue with this light. You'll see in just a few days how they're responding. If you see any burn you can move the lights further away or dim them more. The 3rd variable is time; you can control the total light they get by increase or decrease of amount of time per day that they're on.

2) When you turn on these lights for the first time you'll be shocked at how much light comes from them. I'd create a small enclosure with cardboard lined with reflective mylar. I had mine near a window at first and it lit up the whole yard and street.

3) Keep in mind that the power of the lights go up exponentially as you get them closer to your plants. At the same time the spread of light narrows. Increase efficiency a LOT with some mylar reflective material. This will also help with getting light to areas other than the very top of the canopy.

4) It's worth it to get a cheap fan. These lights don't "require' a fan at all, but you're less likely to burn more sensitive plants if you run a fan across the canopy.

5) Lastly, get a timer. I use a 'smart outlet' from amazon and control things with a phone app. The smart outlet is like $12 and very much worth it.

What type of trees do you have?
 

Kynewt

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Great choice in lighting! I have (2) of this exact same light. It's PLENTY of light for any type of plants you put under it.
I've done lots of testing with these lights using a quantum PAR meter. At 6"away from (1) of these lights, my plant canopy gets 3,000ppfd, which is more than our mid-day summer sun in California. Here in northern California at 2:00PM in the summer we can reach 2,700ppfd for about 1 hour, then it tapers from there. With these lights you can hold 3,000ppfd for 18 hours straight if you wanted to. Just incredible.

Just a few things to keep in mind:
1) If your plants haven't been getting much light up to this point I would start with the light dimmed or else far away from the plants. Start at 24-30" away, then move closer each week. Giving them too little light wont be an issue, but burning them can be an issue with this light. You'll see in just a few days how they're responding. If you see any burn you can move the lights further away or dim them more. The 3rd variable is time; you can control the total light they get by increase or decrease of amount of time per day that they're on.

2) When you turn on these lights for the first time you'll be shocked at how much light comes from them. I'd create a small enclosure with cardboard lined with reflective mylar. I had mine near a window at first and it lit up the whole yard and street.

3) Keep in mind that the power of the lights go up exponentially as you get them closer to your plants. At the same time the spread of light narrows. Increase efficiency a LOT with some mylar reflective material. This will also help with getting light to areas other than the very top of the canopy.

4) It's worth it to get a cheap fan. These lights don't "require' a fan at all, but you're less likely to burn more sensitive plants if you run a fan across the canopy.

5) Lastly, get a timer. I use a 'smart outlet' from amazon and control things with a phone app. The smart outlet is like $12 and very much worth it.

What type of trees do you have?
Awesome info! Thank you so much! I have an hawaiian umbrella, green island ficus, tamarind, 2 golden gate, dwarf jade and weeping fig. They all currently sit on a 48”x24” coffee table
 

cbrshadow23

Shohin
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Awesome info! Thank you so much! I have an hawaiian umbrella, green island ficus, tamarind, 2 golden gate, dwarf jade and weeping fig. They all currently sit on a 48”x24” coffee table

Yeah those tropicals can all take a ton of light, so I'd slowly increase and see what the limit is. I put dwarf jade under my lights and I see much better growth there than I do outdoors.
You're definitely going to want some type of enclosure though, mark my words haha. You'll be shocked and how bright they are.
 

Kynewt

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Yeah those tropicals can all take a ton of light, so I'd slowly increase and see what the limit is. I put dwarf jade under my lights and I see much better growth there than I do outdoors.
You're definitely going to want some type of enclosure though, mark my words haha. You'll be shocked and how bright they are.

Any type of enclosure you would recommend? I currently keep my bonsais in my living room with the windows open(humidifier on the way from amazon). I planned on running them 10-12 hours on considering i wake up very early from work and work 10 hour shifts so i would never see it on. If i just put where it is now am i going to get questions from the cops on what I'm growing to cause the street to glow?
 

Kynewt

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Yeah those tropicals can all take a ton of light, so I'd slowly increase and see what the limit is. I put dwarf jade under my lights and I see much better growth there than I do outdoors.
You're definitely going to want some type of enclosure though, mark my words haha. You'll be shocked and how bright they are.

This is what my current set up spot looks like...not all trees present but yeah
 

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cbrshadow23

Shohin
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Nice trees! Yes the front of your house will glow with the lights so close to the windows, even with the blinds closed. You could try it and see what you think, but might consider putting your trees in a different place. I can't say it enough: You'll be shocked at how bright these lights are haha.
The best option for efficiency is a grow tent. There are a ton of options on Amazon with all different sized tents. I bought a mid-range tent and it's very good. If I have my (2) lights on inside the tent I could have it in my dark bedroom and it would be completely dark. You don't necessarily have to use a grow tent or even have reflective walls around your plants, but it makes it easier to live with and you'll get better results.
 
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