Lighting Need advice on PAR meter

[billymac]

Is it necessary to have a PAR meter and if so is a cheap one OK? I see them on Amazon from $35.00 to $500.00. I have never used one but if will help my grow i def will get one, been 7 yrs. since i have done a grow, and never in a tent, so i need this grow to be really good considering the many $$$ i have put out so far,

 

[Death The Cultivator]

Is it necessary to have a PAR meter and if so is a cheap one OK? I see them on Amazon from $35.00 to $500.00. I have never used one but if will help my grow i def will get one, been 7 yrs. since i have done a grow, and never in a tent, so i need this grow to be really good considering the many $$$ i have put out so far,

I believe it is necessary, just like a water test, but it is expensive. A PAR meter will allow you to measure the PPFD at a given point. Apogee is the best place to buy one and there are several models to suit different budgets.

There is the SQ210 or MQ that comes as a USB attachment or handheld display and starts around $250. It measures a narrower spectrum than the more expensive SQ520 and it's handheld version at $500+. This one measures the entire spectrum in regards to horticulture.

A LUX meter is an option but only works if you have the unique spectral distribution conversion factor for your specific light. Lux meters, conversion calculator, etc. wont be accurate compared to a PAR meter. @elcoloan recently purchased one and could give you his opinion

 

[billymac]

I believe it is necessary, just like a water test, but it is expensive. A PAR meter will allow you to measure the PPFD at a given point. Apogee is the best place to buy one and there are several models to suit different budgets.

There is the SQ210 or MQ that comes as a USB attachment or handheld display and starts around $250. It measures a narrower spectrum than the more expensive SQ520 and it's handheld version at $500+. This one measures the entire spectrum in regards to horticulture.

A LUX meter is an option but only works if you have the unique spectral distribution conversion factor for your specific light. Lux meters, conversion calculator, etc. wont be accurate compared to a PAR meter. @elcoloan recently purchased one and could give you his opinion

Damn this shit can get confusing for an older fart - with all the money i have spent so far think i will opt out until later, thanks for the info.

 

[Death The Cultivator]

Damn this shit can get confusing for an older fart - with all the money i have spent so far think i will opt out until later, thanks for the info.

What you can do is make sure you purchase from a good retailer that has ppfd plots and height charts showing given numbers for certain heights and spaces. Then just follow those recommendations. It doesn't have to be so precise but if you're going to measure light in the future it would be with a PAR meter

Which light do you have?

 

[billymac]

What you can do is make sure you purchase from a good retailer that has ppfd plots and height charts showing given numbers for certain heights and spaces. Then just follow those recommendations. It doesn't have to be so precise but if you're going to measure light in the future it would be with a PAR meter

Which light do you have?

got me a 315 watt cmh-never used one b4-checked out cmh thread here, they seem to do pretty good

 

[elcoloan]

If you wanted to dial in your grow as much as possible, and also share your findings with others while doing so, I'd say it's necessary. But if it's just for curiosity sake and you don't have the cash to spare, just rent one if you are in the US.

If you will buy one, don't buy cheaper ones. I used several LUX meters and followed several conversion guides, but all were off from what my SQ520 reads by at least 100 PPFD. I'd expect cheap PAR meters to have the same problem. Additionaly, I recenlty got in contact with a person in my town who just bought a cheap PAR meter and his reading sound way off. We have yet to confim this side by side, but he measured a light at a store where I had taken my PAR meter a few months ago and measured some lights he also measured and got lower and inconsistent readings.

An Apogee PAR meter is an expensive purchase, but worth it if your really want to know with more precision what your light is putting out and if your in this for the long run. I got mine for 400 USD, and don't regret buying it, just as I don't regret having recently bought better pH and EC meters that also seemed like a high investments at first.

 

[Death The Cultivator]

got me a 315 watt cmh-never used one b4-checked out cmh thread here, they seem to do pretty good

CMH aren't bad at all. @Vapo has a thread dedicated to them. You shouldn't have much issue finding PPFD map from the manufacturer for suggested distances.

 

[billymac]

Thanks for all the info, mostly Greek to me-(I bought a 315 watt lec and took me a week of reading forums to realize that i had a cmh) but I'm learning, last grow been a while and all i had were lights. fan and temp-rh therm. Hopin this will all help me kick it up a notch -"Knowledge is Priceless"

 

[Death The Cultivator]

Thanks for all the info, mostly Greek to me-(I bought a 315 watt lec and took me a week of reading forums to realize that i had a cmh) but I'm learning, last grow been a while and all i had were lights. fan and temp-rh therm. Hopin this will all help me kick it up a notch -"Knowledge is Priceless"

Fluence Bioscience had a seminar that was pretty enlightening from a general perspective but echoed many of the same things Harley Smith talks about in maximizing yield.

 

[saskraider12]

Is it necessary to have a PAR meter and if so is a cheap one OK? I see them on Amazon from $35.00 to $500.00. I have never used one but if will help my grow i def will get one, been 7 yrs. since i have done a grow, and never in a tent, so i need this grow to be really good considering the many $$$ i have put out so far,

Download the Korona app on your phone. It works and its free.