thank you so much for your time i appreciate you seriously
Currently using a dr. meter digital led Lux meter and i found a chart online of lux to umol or whatever.
i was gonna buy the xs 1500 pro looks like a amazing par map but the problem is i want a UVB t5 h0 fixture in the middle of my tent like right in the middle so i am thinking about buying the migro array 2 so i can put a migro 310 uvb fixture in the middle.
the only thing i dont like is with the migro array 2 if you have it 6 inches away the center is 900 umol and the corners are 600 umol and with a uvb light i will hang my light like 14 inches above my plants :O at this height ill get like 500 umol in center and 250 in corners ? or somecrap :O super crappy low par i dont know what too do
((
ive grown buds without any uv spectra and honestly i dont like the stone its super weak and crappy not potent at all so i need UV spectra.
Photone is the big dog for a software light meter but I put them all in the same category of "use only as a last resort". If you can calibrate the app, that's good but you're still in the position of having to put your $$$ phone into a tent. My preference, $$ no object, PAR meter (Li-Cor or Apogee $600); light meter (Uni-T Bluetooth model $32); manufacturer's recommendations; software solution.
I'm not knocking the software approach, per se. Full disclosure - I've been writing software since the late 80's, mostly running my own business but did work for Apple for three years (they're just another big company). I've corresponded with the guy who wrote Photone and…I feel his pain. It's a tough problem and it's always a moving target because companies that make phones change sensors. On that basis, and with alternatives that are known quantities and a lot cheaper than dropping a mobile into the drink, I'd avoid them.
And, yes, I've tested Photone, twice in fact. It failed completely with a blurple a few years back so I went with the Apogee and picked up the Uni-T.
The LUX to PPFD conversion factor varies according to spectrum. I've attached PDF that I wrote (it's actually in Excel). Check the list for your light. Perhaps there's a more accurate conversion factor. Having said that, it's tough to get 1200 out of a small light, even if the reading taken at the light face. Manufacturers just don't put a lot of engineering into lights that size. And you're not getting 1200µmols at a normal hang height of 12". Again, $32 for the Uni-T will "remove all doubt".
Re. Migro - I understand the attraction. I used a two bar Growcraft veg light but, for a seedling, it's overkill so I hang a Vipar XS 1500 (the older model
) in the middle. Works really nicely.
My comment on the Migro lights (I knew you'd ask) — they're a relatively low power light and that's one of the reasons why Migro can sell at that price point. I noticed the price + PPFD difference as soon as I saw them for sale and figured it was a smart business move on Shane's part — sell a light that's not as strong as the competition but at a lower price. After all 800±µmols is "good enough", right?
I think my assumption was incorrect based on a YT video that Shane did when he interviewed Bruce Bugbee. I've watched most of, if not all of, Bugbee's videos and have read a lot of research into grow lighting by Bugbee, Westmoreland, Chandra, Zhee, and others so I suspect I have at least a decent understanding of the issues. When Bugbee talked about the light saturation point, Shane did not understand what Bugbee meant. The good doctor realized that and talked around it. The LSP for cannabis, in ambient CO2, is 800-1000µmols. in the video, Shane looks completely flummoxed about light levels that high. That floored me. First, if you don't know what the light saturation point means, you haven't read "the research". Hell, you haven't even really got into the basics either of plant bio or of grow lighting. On the other hand, what that made me think is that he wasn't selling a moderately powered line of lights because he truly didn't think that 900µmols was best. That line of thinking, which I attributed to him being a savvy businessman, might well have been a result of ignorance instead. Don't know one way or the other but it did give me a different perspective on his products.
Anyway, back to earth…
The design of the Migro array is a really great design, they're a very reasonably priced light, and grower's will get a good crop out those lights but there's a reason why they're priced where they are.
Re. UV - it's not the lack of UV that's getting sub-standard weed. Step back for a second and think about how many millions of tons of really good weed have been grown without UV enhancement. Second, have you checked into the research on UV? I read up a bit on it about a year ago and the research on it was unconvincing for me. Perhaps that's changed? If so, send some links if you would.
