Optimal distance between plants and LED grow lights

What is the optimal distance between plants and LED grow lights? This is a common question among indoor growers who are trying to maximize their yield while reducing electrical costs.

With metal halide (HID) and sodium lamps, a significant amount of heat is generated by the lamp itself, and much of the emitted energy is in the form of infrared.

As a result, placing the plants too close to a light source can result in burns and damage to plant tissue as a result of excessive heat exposure.

LED grow lights, on the other hand, are more efficient and generate virtually no infrared energy. This means that even at close proximity, plants will generally not suffer burns or tissue damage under LED grow lights.

One thing to keep in mind is that even high efficiency LEDs do generate heat. Unlike metal halides and sodium lamps, heat is dissipated through the lamp body, and as a result, plants that come in contact with a warm lamp could suffer some minor burns.

We therefore recommend keeping plants a sufficient distance away from LED grow lights whose outer casing gets very warm, as plants that grow quickly can find themselves tangled with a warm lamp, causing burns.