Lighting in Design Q4 2022

them around 100 W of LED lights, increasing to 160 W by the flowering stage. Ultimately, it’s necessary to choose the LED lights in accordance with their grow light spectrum measured in micromoles. Cannabis is on the higher end of the grow light need, so you will need around 800-1300 micromoles to grow your plants to their fullest potential Setting up the LED Lights Now it’s time to arrange the grow room equipped with LED lights. Here comes the most crucial issue – that of distancing your plants from one another and the lamps. How far should LED light be from cannabis plants? As a rule, lights below 300 W should be positioned 30-70 cm away from the plants, while lamps with power exceeding 300 W should be 70-80 cm above the plants. Still, leave some space for flexibility in the lamps’ positioning, as cannabis needs more LED light during the flowering stage. So, you will need to lower the lamps for the flowering period. Conclusion You can grow cannabis with LED lights like a pro with all these tips, maximising your yield and reducing your garden’s dependence on daylight. Choose your LED lights carefully depending on your grow room’s size and the number of plants you have. Importantly, don’t forget to adjust the distance depending on your plants’ growth stage and monitor their response closely to avoid light burns and yield losses. InDorSun InDorSun is a proudly South Afr ican LED manufacturer whose founders originated from the solar and PV industry developing energy efficient solutions for a wide variety of industries. With manufacturing partner Giantlight, InDorSun has shone the light on cannabis horticultural lighting. Together the companies manufacture LED grow lights which produce full -spectrum light that replicates the colour of the sun. Giantlight Giantlight is at the forefront of lighting technology, specifically solid state lighting and everything relating to LEDs and special effects. The company strives to remain the market leader in new and innovative lighting applications and continually brings new products to the market first. From design through manufacture and installation, Giantlight projects make a visual statement. Giantlight offers a comprehensive effect lighting solution. www.indorsun.co.za

component of cannabis’s photosynthesis, and you as a grower need to take proper care of providing sufficient light to your plants. As a rule, cannabis growers have been using high-intensity discharge (HID) lights for their grow rooms but buying the whole set of lights even for a small plantation is just too costly for a plantsman. Thus, LED lights have gradually gained traction in the cannabis growing business, as they combine affordability with the correct number of lumens needed for growing cannabis properly. If you want to grow cannabis with LED lights, look through our Horticulture Product Range to find everything you need for a safe, productive planting endeavour. Benefits of LED light use As we’ve just discussed, LED lights quickly won the hearts of small-scale growers because of their benefits compared to expensive HID lamps and the CFLs that were insufficient for the flowering phase. Here are the advantages of LED lights over other options: • Affordability. A small LED light kit for a home garden will be much cheaper than a similar set of HID lamps. • Cost-efficiency. A regular LED light consumes way less electricity than an HID lamp would. Thus, you will receive lower energy bills. • Sustainability. Your LED lights will serve you much longer, with their average use time equalling 50 000 hours. To compare, a regular HID or CFL lamp lasts only around 20 000 hours. • Water savings. Some HID lamps may be efficient, but they consume large amounts of energy and emit significant heat, thus causing cannabis plants to consume more water. LED lights are much gentler in terms efficient heat dissipation. So, they won’t dry your plants or substantially increase the temperature in the grow room. Choosing the equipment Now that you’ve decided to use LED lights in your grow room, you might be wondering, “what are the best LED grow lights for cannabis?” In most cases, it’s about choosing the correct PPFD levels required and a reputable OEM brand providing you products of both quality and performance in conjunction with a properly planned design and layout. This way the LED lights ultimate performance is achieved for you if properly chosen and set up to specifications. • If you are a micro-grower with 1-2 plants to care for, your LED grow light shouldn’t really exceed 25 W. • If you have a grow room of three by three feet (suitable for four plants), it’s necessary to give

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LiD Q4 - 2022