Dashboard
Dashboard
Work out the light intensity (PPFD) and Daily Light Integral (DLI) your setup delivers — or work backwards from a target DLI to the PPFD you need to hit it.
Check whether your existing light delivers enough DLI for what you're growing.
Quality LED panels (≥2.0 μmol/J efficacy) deliver the most light per watt. If yours shows an efficacy figure on the spec sheet, use the Custom option and enter your PPFD directly.
Herbs & leafy greens: 16–18 hrs. Fruiting crops: 18 hrs (veg), 12 hrs (to trigger flowering).
Key lighting concepts for beginners
PPFD (Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density) — light intensity at the canopy right now, in μmol/m²/s. This is the number on manufacturer PAR maps. 400–600 suits leafy greens; 600–900 suits most crops; fruiting plants at peak need 900+.
DLI (Daily Light Integral) — total light received per day (PPFD × photoperiod hours). This is what actually governs growth rate and yield. Matching DLI to your crop matters far more than wattage alone.
Photoperiod — hours of light per day. Extending photoperiod is a cheap way to raise DLI without buying a more powerful fixture, but plants also benefit from a dark period for respiration and repair.
Efficacy (μmol/J) — how efficiently a fixture converts watts into usable plant light. Look for ≥2.0 μmol/J for a quality LED. Budget panels often fall below 1.5 μmol/J, meaning you pay more in electricity for the same DLI.