How many hours a day do you run your lights?

[Chester B]

Pretty simple question, but I didn't see any topics on it.  So how long are you running your lights indoors?  Most of my palms are smaller ones that I am growing out that will eventually be planted outside.  Primarily Sabals and a few hybrids.

[ZPalms]

I run my grow lights from 12:30 to 8:30 at night

[Than]

12 hours, from about 9am to 9pm while daylight right now is from 7am to 6pm.

[JohnAndSancho]

Probably too much. Roughly 6am to 9pm during the week when I'm working. 

[JLM]

When i had to use a grow light, it would stay on from the time i woke up to the time i went to bed. How long that was, couldnt tell ya, i dont even know myself.

[subsonicdrone]

12 - 14 hrs per "day"

i ramp it up over a period of time because by the time they come inside the days have gotten significantly shorter

i currently run my lights at night because that is when electricity rates are cheaper

last year they made electricity a flat rate so i was able to run the lights during the day

i sleep right beside the plants so both i and the plants would prefer daytime lights on

Edited November 8, 2022 by subsonicdrone

[EJPalm05]

I run my lights from 9:00 AM To 9:00 PM!

[Chester B]

I have them set for 14 hours right now.  I wasn't sure if there was a sweet spot between energy consumption and growth.  Or if there were diminishing returns over X number of hours a day.

[Las Palmas Norte]

I have some potted plants that are frost sensitive. I move them into a section of my unheated garage with two banks of 4' florescent lighting, one is grow lighting the other normal. There set for about 11 hrs now but I will gradually decrease to about 9½ hrs at the winter solstice. I'll reverse that and begin increasing light hrs toward spring. I don't think there's been a temperature lower than 45°F / 7°C. Temps generally run in the low to upper 50°'s in there thru winter. I'm not interested in growth, just getting them thru winter.

 

[JohnAndSancho]

38 minutes ago, Las Palmas Norte said:

I have some potted plants that are frost sensitive. I move them into a section of my unheated garage with two banks of 4' florescent lighting, one is grow lighting the other normal. There set for about 11 hrs now but I will gradually decrease to about 9½ hrs at the winter solstice. I'll reverse that and begin increasing light hrs toward spring. I don't think there's been a temperature lower than 45°F / 7°C. Temps generally run in the low to upper 50°'s in there thru winter. I'm not interested in growth, just getting them thru winter.

 

Is that a Majesty in the middle?

[Chester B]

In here I have 3 varieties of Queen palms, 6 species of Sabals, Arenga engleri, CIDP, Trachy nainital, Howea belmoreana, Blue Jubaea, Butia x Jubaea, Butia X Parajubaea sunkha, Beccariophoenix alfredii and a few odds and ends. Room sits around 80F from the lights. Slowly upgrading to those higher output marijauna grow lights. Palms are mostly housed in treepots to allow proper root development, especially for the Sabals. 

[Fallen Munk]

Depends on how fast I want them to grow.  When I was raising up my Patrix hybrids I never turned the lights off.  I got two seasons worth of growth over the first winter.

[Las Palmas Norte]

4 hours ago, JohnAndSancho said:

Is that a Majesty in the middle?

Yes. Ravenea rivularis. 

 

[Las Palmas Norte]

Here it is very recently just before the weather turned.

[JohnAndSancho]

2 hours ago, Las Palmas Norte said:

Here it is very recently just before the weather turned.

I'm going to show these pics to mine to encourage it to grow. 

[Chester B]

17 hours ago, Fallen Munk said:

Depends on how fast I want them to grow.  When I was raising up my Patrix hybrids I never turned the lights off.  I got two seasons worth of growth over the first winter.

When I turn off the lights I'll come back the next morning and see the plants have grown overnight.  I'm not sure if plants need a rest period like animals do or not.  Patrix hybrids are on the right in the photo.  They seem to be growing pretty fast.

[Las Palmas Norte]

2 hours ago, JohnAndSancho said:

I'm going to show these pics to mine to encourage it to grow. 

I slide this one and a P. roebellini out on the nice days. Nothing can duplicate fresh air and sunshine 🌞 

[Fallen Munk]

3 hours ago, Chester B said:

When I turn off the lights I'll come back the next morning and see the plants have grown overnight.  I'm not sure if plants need a rest period like animals do or not.  Patrix hybrids are on the right in the photo.  They seem to be growing pretty fast.

Depends on the plant.  Palms do not.

[Chester B]

1 hour ago, Fallen Munk said:

Depends on the plant.  Palms do not.

Pretty spendy on the electricity if I start running these new lights, especially if I get more.

[Fallen Munk]

33 minutes ago, Chester B said:

Pretty spendy on the electricity if I start running these new lights, especially if I get more.

Yeah, mine went up $75 per month just for the lights.

[Chester B]

7 minutes ago, Fallen Munk said:

Yeah, mine went up $75 per month just for the lights.

Ouch

[Than]

My grow lights are only 80W and it doesn't make any difference in my electricity bills, but I am dreading the future when my plants will be bigger and I'll have to use 800W or more.. Hopefully I will live in a flat with a huge south facing window by then.

[BeyondTheGarden]

I don't know if these lights pull as many watts as they say (mine claim 100), amazon LED products are known for being over-stated to make them sound more powerful than they are.  But let's say it pulls 100 watts.  I suck at math so help me out here; 100 watts x 16 hours per day, for 30 days, should be 48 kwh right?  And PSE charges $.09/kwh (or $.11 depending on usage threshold).  So that should only be $4.32 per light, per month, right?  

[Than]

12 minutes ago, Jesse PNW said:

I don't know if these lights pull as many watts as they say (mine claim 100), amazon LED products are known for being over-stated to make them sound more powerful than they are.  But let's say it pulls 100 watts.  I suck at math so help me out here; 100 watts x 16 hours per day, for 30 days, should be 48 kwh right?  And PSE charges $.09/kwh (or $.11 depending on usage threshold).  So that should only be $4.32 per light, per month, right?  

precisely. That's why I don't notice a difference in my bills

[piping plovers]

On 11/8/2022 at 8:05 PM, Chester B said:

Slowly upgrading to those higher output marijauna grow lights

I tried the SpiderFarmer diode lights for my orchids and palms. Amazing light output; like a piece of the sun all night long!

[Jason Briscoe]

I run mine 6am-6:30pm. I was thinking of increasing the run time till 8pm since they never get to go outside. I use the GE 32watt High Output 50 PPF.  I'm running 3 of them, and I haven't noticed much of a change in electric bill, but it is cooler outside, and AC doesn't have to run as much. 

[GoatLockerGuns]

On 11/8/2022 at 7:05 PM, Chester B said:

Slowly upgrading to those higher output marijauna grow lights.

Do you have a brand and model in mind?

[Chester B]

20 minutes ago, GoatLockerGuns said:

Do you have a brand and model in mind?

I'm using  the MARS HYDRO 2022 New TS600 100Watt LED Grow Light 2x2ft Coverage.  Based on recommendation by @Jesse PNW.

[Arecaceus]

Just 8 hours right now. I might increase it up to 12. I just started using light a couple of weeks ago mainly for germination. But now that I have it I'm going tu use it for some plants that are supposed to get planted out some day. Lights go on at around 9 a.m. along with my heat mat, which stays on longer than 8 hours. Everything to simulate a natural day/night cycle.

[NWpalms@206]

On 11/8/2022 at 5:45 PM, Fallen Munk said:

Depends on how fast I want them to grow.  When I was raising up my Patrix hybrids I never turned the lights off.  I got two seasons worth of growth over the first winter.

yup, im on 24hrs a day at the moment in my greenhouse, used to do that growing weed and would then go 12/12 for flowering. Never saw any adverse effects and the difference in growth over a period of time was noticable compared to 18/6 or 14/8. so im trying it. ill give them a night of lights off rest every weekend. 

[Fallen Munk]

On 11/9/2022 at 10:36 PM, Jesse PNW said:

I don't know if these lights pull as many watts as they say (mine claim 100), amazon LED products are known for being over-stated to make them sound more powerful than they are.  But let's say it pulls 100 watts.  I suck at math so help me out here; 100 watts x 16 hours per day, for 30 days, should be 48 kwh right?  And PSE charges $.09/kwh (or $.11 depending on usage threshold).  So that should only be $4.32 per light, per month, right?  

Mine are 1800 watt each and I have two of them.    If I run both of them, it's about $100 per month added to my bill.

[BeyondTheGarden]

@Fallen MunkDo you run that on a single 20 amp circuit?  Is there anything else on the circuit?  1800 watts sounds like a metric ton for a light (it may be a wattage equivalent).  Most space heaters are 1500 watts or less and even that is enough to make the circuit warm to the touch if run continuously. 

[Fallen Munk]

9 hours ago, Jesse PNW said:

@Fallen MunkDo you run that on a single 20 amp circuit?  Is there anything else on the circuit?  1800 watts sounds like a metric ton for a light (it may be a wattage equivalent).  Most space heaters are 1500 watts or less and even that is enough to make the circuit warm to the touch if run continuously. 

Sorry, LED equivalent.  Actual consumption for two of them is 1,080W.

"LED output Power: 1800W
Actual Power Consumption: 540W ; 9PCS*200W high intensityCOB(64*3W chip on board)"