In my 32-square foot grow space, I’m using a 1,000-watt HPS lamp. I’m wondering if it’s worth my while to get a light track that distributes the light more evenly. Should I expect to gain anything from this?
Since the stationary light is right in the middle of the garden, the plants on the outer edges receive substantially less light than those closest to the center. These marijuana plants tend to grow slower and yield less. With a light mover, you can even out the light distribution by mobilizing your light to reach all over the garden. This should result in more uniform growth.
Moving lights also have the advantage of increased proximity to the canopy because the heat they produce isn’t consistently directed to one single area. When the lights are closer to the plants, the lighting is much more intense.
You can find several different models of light movers, some of which move faster and some that move slower. All of them provide you with the ability to distribute light. I haven’t seen any significant difference in plant growth depending on the model.
Robert
The reason moving the lamp gives you better coverage and higher yields is simply that you’re eliminating shadows because the angle of your light keeps changing. Plants tend to grow toward the light source, and higher leafage closest to the source drowns out the lower leafage. Moving the lamp(s) causes the plants to grow vertical instead of toward the lamp. I recommend agramover for several reasons. They use a bigger more powerful motor even on their cheapest model than any of the other brands, including the lightrail 5, (their most expensive model) they have a better traction system, and they can carry more weight with fewer shutdowns for maintenance. When a lightrail O-ring breaks, the lamp will stop moving. If your lamp is close to your plant tops, you’ll burn those plants. There’s two urethane traction wheels on an agramover, not one, so if one shreds, the other will still keep the lamp moving while you order the repair kit.
I Have not used light movers before, but I know people that swear by them. It also depends on the dimensions of the room. 32 square feet can handle 2 1000w bulbs easily if it is a 4x8 area.
Scooter