איך החישוב עובד
Canopy intensity comes straight from the inverse-square law: I₂ = I₁ × (d₁ ÷ d₂)². Enter the PPFD your fixture is rated at (1200 µmol/m²/s by default), the distance that rating was measured at (12), and the distance to your canopy (18), and the result is 533 µmol/m²/s. The table re-runs the same equation at 6, 12, 18, 24 and 36 units of distance, converting each figure to approximate lux by multiplying PPFD by 54.
The reference pair drives everything, so take the PPFD number and the distance it was quoted at from the same line of the manufacturer's PAR map; guessing that distance skews the answer quadratically. Growth stage then sets the target band, either Seedling 200–400, Vegetative 400–600 (the default) or Flowering 600–1000 PPFD, and when you fall outside it the tool solves d = d₂ × √(I₂ ÷ target) for the distance that hits the band midpoint. Presets fill typical outputs, from T5 fluorescent 4-tube at 400 to 400W LED at 1900.
Inverse-square assumes a point source. A wide quantum board or a 4-tube T5 behaves like an area source close up, where the real fall-off is gentler, so short distances read lower here than a meter would show. Nothing models tent walls reflecting light back, footprint edges, or photoperiod, so this is centre-of-canopy PPFD and not DLI. The lux column always uses 54 lux per PPFD, a white-LED factor, even after you load the 600W HPS preset where roughly 82 applies.
שאלות נפוצות
How far should my LED grow light be from the canopy? +
Far enough to land inside your stage's PPFD band: 200–400 for seedlings, 400–600 vegetative, 600–1000 flowering. Enter the fixture's rated PPFD and the distance it was rated at, and whenever you sit outside the band the tool names the distance that hits the band midpoint.
Does it matter whether I work in inches or centimetres? +
Not as long as both distances use the same unit, because the calculation only uses the ratio d₁ ÷ d₂, which is dimensionless. The Distance unit select simply labels the output, and the table's 6, 12, 18, 24 and 36 rows are read in whichever unit you chose.
What PPFD do seedlings actually need? +
The tool targets 200–400 µmol/m²/s for seedlings and warns about bleaching above the band. That is well under the 400–600 vegetative and 600–1000 flowering targets, which is why seedlings normally sit much further from the same fixture than a flowering plant does.
Can I check this with a cheap lux meter? +
Partly. The table converts PPFD to approximate lux at 54 lux per PPFD, a white-LED figure, so a meter reading can be compared against it. The tool's own note puts HPS nearer 82 lux per PPFD, and the table does not switch factors for the HPS preset.
Why does moving the light a few inches change PPFD so much? +
Because intensity falls with the square of distance. Taking a 1200 PPFD source from 12 to 24 units leaves 300, a quarter of the original, while 12 to 18 leaves 533. Small moves close to the fixture matter far more than the same move further away.