I'm pretty diligent about measuring my light amounts over my canopies. It's been a
huge pet peeve of mine that I don't have an actual PAR meter; just a $25 Lux meter from Amazon.
So I've been doing the math, but basically guessing @ my PAR amounts from my mh/cmh/hps.
I saw this MIGRO video (I know
![Sad :( :(](/styles/smilies/icon_sad.gif)
)
where he uses the Apogee SQ 500 to measure PAR for 3000, 3500, 4000, and 5000k spectrum white LED, MH and HPS and gives a chart reading and calibration for a $30 Lux meter off Amazon...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07Q56D14Z?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
So I ordered one, got it today and tried it out.
![20200818_012025.jpg](/data/attachments/3759/3759081-465c8556cfdefb96b2506b3a93cf7e7d.jpg)
Nothing special. The display is easy to read even under direct light, but the sensor head rotates 270 degrees so that can be avoided.
It reads on average about 5k-7k lower than my other meter does which is why I bought it. For $30 I now have the peace of mind actually knowing what I'm giving to my girls.
If you don't want to watch the video but are interested in the details, here's a couple pictures of the charts for MH and HPS
![Screenshot_20200817-183801_YouTube.jpg](/data/attachments/3759/3759067-a953110af271b504672d1c64c6e57d84.jpg)
I also went ahead and made myself a chart on the wall for 150/300/600/800 PAR->Lux# (they say messy handwriting is a sign of intelligence...or I just really suck @ it. don't make fun
![Smile :) :)](/styles/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
)
![20200818_012536.jpg](/data/attachments/3759/3759068-35559e5857c3b39158af608c86943e66.jpg)
The best part is now that I know how much light I need, I've been able to make adjustments and have figured my costs out to be about $0.13 per/hr when lights are on atm.
So, if you're anal about measuring your light spread (and money) like I am but aren't rich, I would definitely consider taking a look @ the video.
On to the growing part...
I got lights/plants shifted around. Everything is @ a minimum of 600 PAR @ the dimmest point of the canopies.
315cmh running in the veg tent for now.
![20200818_012740.jpg](/data/attachments/3759/3759072-b48a8563afb963d7f2feb771ad17a0a1.jpg)
White Widow #1 is still under 650w hps and I couldn't be happier with the way she looks 1 night after getting defoliated.
Last night
![20200816_235022.jpg](/data/attachments/3759/3759093-47ff334d2006fcf25eeaef11a68d97d1.jpg)
Today
![20200818_012919.jpg](/data/attachments/3759/3759073-0b0ce3bcda62e580d65f05005420b675.jpg)
She's going back to a 12/12 schedule now that the pistils are established.
And thanks to my recent exhaust work and light adjustments, I've found I can only open 1 vent on each tent a wee little bit to maintain a 75F temperature with my fans on low...
![20200818_014658.jpg](/data/attachments/3759/3759080-8e4b1d7db6dc7777b20c369ceb3b9446.jpg)