Which plant lamp do I need?
In the last blog post about lighting houseplants, we went through the needs of plants in terms of quality and quantity of light and explained all the necessary terminology. So if lux, yMol/s or light spectra are still a mystery to you, you can read up on the relevant knowledge there.
However, as there is often confusion about what can be a good growlight setup in practical scenarios, here are a few more examples.
For most people, one of the following 3 situations will apply for which a suitable plant lamp is required:
- Houseplants at a short distance ~20-80 cm e.g. in a plant display case or terrarium plants
- Houseplants at a greater distance >80-200 cm or high terrariums
- High-light plants such as cannabis at short-medium distances or in growtents
Tab. 1: Overview of typical applications of the Jungle Lux models
| Jungle Lux | Light requirement | ~ Distance | Usage |
| Linear | Low | 15-80 cm | Shelf and cabinet lighting, terrariums |
| Linear Plus | medium-high | 20-100 cm | Larger terrariums, growtents (cannabis etc.), greenhouse |
| Linear Lens | Medium | 30-150 cm | High terrariums, open plant areas |
| Spot 12W | Medium | 30-150 cm | High terrariums, open plant areas |
| Spot 20W | medium-high | 50-250 cm | High terrariums, plants further away, accent |
| Highlight | high | 30-100 cm | Growtents (cannabis etc.), open plant areas, greenhouse |
| Stand | Variable | 10-50 cm | Bottle garden |
The following lux and PAR values are determined in a darkened room without reflective foil using a calibrated ITC-Parmeter, always centred under the lamp. The values cannot easily be compared with a smartphone-quality luxmeter; in many cases (with Android) the values from the graph have to be roughly doubled.
Note the significantly higher brightness values of the focussed versions, which are always accompanied by a smaller illuminated area. The brightness decreases within the illuminated area from the inside to the outside.
Specifically, the width of the illuminated area is at a distance of 0.5 metres:
120° –> 1,7 m
60° –> 0,6 m
40° –> 0,36 m
30° –> 0,27 m
This applies to point light sources; for linear lights, the length of the light must be added.
For example, Linear Lens 60 –> 0.6 m width x 1.2 m length of illuminated area.
For other values, the following calculator can be used, for example: Beam angle calculator
Fig. 1: Comparison of the lux values of the Jungle Lux lamps by distance to the lamp incl. Comparison Sansi 24W Spot
Fig. 1: Comparison of the PAR values of the Jungle Lux lamps by distance to the lamp incl. Comparison Sansi 24W Spot
1. houseplants at short distance ~20-80 cm
e.g. in a plant cabinet or terrarium plants
In this case, the light intensity should not be too high in most cases, but should be very well distributed at short distances. For this purpose, linear lamps with a standard 120° beam angle are suitable. So even at a small distance of approx. 10 cm, there is no need to expect burns or yellow leaves.
For 35-50 cm width: Jungle Lux Linear 30
For 65-80 cm width: Jungle Lux Linear 60
For 95-120 cm width: Jungle Lux Linear 90
Results in e.g. approx. 2000 lux at 30 cm under the lamp.
Typically, one lamp is used per shelf for a depth of up to approx. 40/50 cm, or two for deeper dimensions. This results in moderate illuminance levels, ideal for e.g. Alocasia, Monstera, Calathea, Begonia or other mixed plantings. The same applies to low-profile terrariums up to approx. 40/50 cm high.
For more light with a wide beam, linear luminaires with a higher output are suitable. Ideal for larger terrariums, growtents or light-hungry plants such as Nepenthes, bromeliads or cannabis cultivation.
For 55-70 cm width: Jungle Lux Linear Plus 60
For 75-90 cm width: Jungle Lux Linear Plus 80
Results in e.g. approx. 4000 lux at 30 cm under the lamp.
However, the light is rapidly reduced at greater distances and the lux density is already low at a distance of approx. 80 cm from the leaf. For higher terrariums, these are best used in combination with spots or the Linear Lens.
2. houseplants at a greater distance >80-200 cm or high terrariums
Lenses in the lamp are mandatory at greater distances. These focus the otherwise scattered light emitted from the LEDs in the desired direction. This is an easier way to save electricity than compensating for the insufficient light intensity with more power and it looks nicer (also less blinding).
The power and design must be selected according to requirements. Spotlights with E27 screw sockets are suitable for smaller applications.
For ~50-150 cm distance: Jungle Lux Spot 12W
For ~80-200 cm distance: Jungle Lux Spot 20W
Results in e.g. approx. 8000 lux at 30 cm under the lamp (12W) or 9000 lux at 90 cm (20W)
A really nice solution for higher terrariums in combination with linear ambient lighting. Also a good solution for illuminating isolated or free-standing plants in small groups. If you use these lamps at only small distances from the plant, you can also grow particularly light-hungry plants with only a few watts. However, the illuminated area is rather small.
A new development are the linear spotlights, which have a 60° beam angle and cover a wider area at a greater distance than regular lights. Ideal for higher terrariums from 60 cm, plant benches or free-standing plant areas. This also casts a more natural shadow and causes less glare.
For 55-70 cm width: Jungle Lux Linear Lens 60
For 75-90 cm width: Jungle Lux Linear Lens 80
Results in e.g. approx. 6500 lux at 30 cm under the lamp.
Focussed at a medium 60°, the powerful Jungle Lux Highlight is designed for higher light requirements or larger areas. Depending on their output, these lamps can cover a medium distance or provide correspondingly high illuminance levels.
3. strong light plants such as cannabis at short-medium distance or in growtent
If you grow plants that require a lot of light, such as cannabis, nepenthes or other useful plants, you need a lot of power to achieve the necessary intensity. Even with high-efficiency lamps such as Jungle Lux, in the case of cannabis this still means at least approx. 80-100W per square metre of plant surface in the propagation phase and more than double that in the vegetation phase. It therefore makes practical sense to use the strongest possible lamps from the beginning. More light means a higher yield, but a significant harvest can also be achieved with less light. If there is too little light, the plants become elongated and weak.
A minimum requirement of 200 μmol/s*m2 is assumed for propagation and 500 μmol/s*m2 for permanent cultivation, with a maximum value of 1000 μmol/s*m2.
The minimum and maximum recommended lighting levels are given as examples of solutions.
| Example of a 40 cm growtent for one plant: Size: 40cm x 40cm = 0,16 m2 Propagation: 200 μmol/s*m2 * 0,16 m2 = 32 μmol/s Vegetation/flowering: 500 μmol/s*m2 * 0,16 m2 = 80 μmol/s | Solution 1: Jungle Lux Highlight 50W 100 μmol/s Solution 2: Jungle Lux Highlight 80W 160 μmol/s (Possibly also the 30W version for starters) |
| Example for a 60 cm growtent for 1-3 plants: Size: 60cm x 60cm = 0,36 m2 Propagation: 200 μmol/s*m2 * 0,36 m2 = 72 μmol/s Vegetation/flowering: 500 μmol/s*m2 * 0,36 m2 = 180 μmol/s | Solution 1: 1-2x Jungle Lux Highlight 80W 160 μmol/s Solution 2: 1-2x Jungle Lux Highlight 50W 100 μmol/s (With less utilisation) Solution 3: 4-8x Jungle Lux Linear Plus 60 cm 40 μmol/s |
| Example of an 80 cm growtent for 1-3 plants: Size: 80cm x 80cm = 0,64 m2 Propagation: 200 μmol/s*m2 * 0,64 m2 = 128 μmol/s Vegetation/flowering: 500 μmol/s*m2 * 0,64 m2 = 320 μmol/s | Solution 1: 2-4x Jungle Lux Highlight 80W 160 μmol/s Solution 2: 2-4x Jungle Lux Linear Plus 80 cm 55 μmol/s + 1-2x Jungle Lux Highlight 80W 160 μmol/s Solution 3: 5-10x Jungle Lux Linear Plus 80 cm 55 μmol/s |
