What is PPF in Grow Lights - Perfect Reference for Indoor Grower

September 12, 2021 2 min read

PPF is the abbreviation for ‘photosynthetic Photon flux’. It gives information on the number of photons, which are emitted by the light sources. The optimum size of your grow light is important as the indoor growth of indoor plants chiefly depends on the size of the light. In this article we have discussed the importance of matching the size of the grow light with the size of the tent. Furthermore, we have explored the mechanism of indoor plants photosynthesis. Plus, we have also explained the usage of PPF to determine the optimal grow light size for the tent.

Determining the size of the grow light to the grow space

Before kickstarting the indoor growth of the indoor plants, you must estimate the yield that you are can willing to harvest each cycle. The yield of each grow is determined by the amount of space available for the growth. Thus, the size of the tent should be determined by your yield goals and the grow tent determines the amount of light required for the process.

Indoor plants can be grown both under small and large lights. Even small lights have the capacity of producing a decent harvest. Having said that, the efficiency of the grow and the quality of the harvest turn out to be impressive when the grow lights perfectly match with the grow space.

led grow light

Impact of light fails to produce larf

Insufficient light often leads to lower quality of indoor plants. If large plants fail to get a sufficient amount of light for their growth then it leads to a lot of low-quality bud which is also known as ‘larf’. Again, too much light can cause harm to the growth of indoor plants. So, it is important to understand the amount of light a plant needs to yield a good output every cycle.

Amount of light used by the indoor plants

There is a common saying that more light is better however there is a certain limit to the density of the photons (PPFD) that the plant uses. Thinking that plants exposed to the higher density of lights increase in yield then it is wrong. On the contrary, it can minimize both yield and the quality of the harvested indoor plants.

Several factors determine the rate of photosynthesis such as carbon dioxide, photon density, temperature, oxygen, and many more. So with the increased photon other factors becomes the limiting factor.

The optimal PPF for indoor plants

PPFD is the measurement of the density which is expressed micromoles per square meter. The ideal photon density for peak indoor plants photosynthesize is around 500 to 700 µmol/m2. To avoid causing damage to the indoor plants we should refrain from going over 1000 µmol/m2. Perfect distribution of light is not possible with artificial lighting. Hence, a minimum of 500 µmol/m2 (PPFD) is recommended.