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While I do find the Planta light meter useful to get a general idea… | Propagating & Sowing | Planta community

Dave_opuntiaface

While I do find the Planta light meter useful to get a general idea of a spot, the $5 Lux Light Meter has been my jam due to the foot-candle measurement; if you don’t know what a foot-candle is, then you haven’t spent full weekends each new 2023 season marking up screenshots with times and locations to figure out how to get light requirements without moving a table twice a day for the rest of your life. Also, one doesn’t need to know what a foot-candle is to successfully grow plants haha. This would also not be a problem if I could do math and relate it to an Almanac of the sun’s position each season. I asked a grad student to calculate this, but she just laughed.

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5 comments

  1. Roundshouse Plants

    One of the reasons I love plants. The science of it is my happy place. I used to keep track on a legit spiral notebook from year to year. Now I leave myself notes in Planta! I'll have to check out that light meter. Thanks for posting!

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  2. Danika

    Oh sweet! I was just looking to buy an inexpensive light meter. Thanks for the tip!

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    • Dave_opuntiaface

      Seriously, though. I have all the analog types of water meters and was almost pulling trigger on a fancy light meter when my friend said “use your phone’s meter.” Three more clicks and I found Lux. And now I check the lighting strength at restaurants

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  3. Danika

    Also, do you know about houseplantjournal .com? This guy is amazing. He cataloged every plant type by how much light/foot candles they need. Super helpful.

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    • Dave_opuntiaface

      I think HPJ is how I got here ha. I have a similar sheet I started when I was working late and needed a distraction from the tedious tasks of deploying software changes. Mine is way sloppy, and I have a tendency to expand the scope of a project I’m making up. Like adding the climate conditions in São Paulo right now. I went pretty deep ha. I’m going to use this template

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