How do I read footcandles?

[FLaCo]

I got my light meter on friday.


How do I use the thing. I uncover the light sensor and move it around. Do I face it towards the plant itself? Will that give me amount of light being emitted to the plant. If I turn it around the meter goes nuts and just read 1 .

[mayres]

You should be able to point it towards the light source so that the light hitting your sensor is in the same position as the leaves on your plant(s) receiving light. Most meters have some sort of adjustment button to select different ranges of potential intensities - you adjust until you get it to read in the appropriate range. What is the model/type of meter that you have?

[FLaCo]

It is model LX1330 (Carsten's Orchid-Depot and Orchid Shop) . I see the range selector but I guess this isn't for sunlight.

[mayres]

That looks like a pretty fancy unit! I see there is a button to select the range - if you get the correct one you should get a good reading - otherwise it is going to give you nothing useful - it will either bottom out at the low end or stick at the top end. Yes, it will read sunlight no problem - I'm sure of it. If you get the right combination of buttons pushed you should get some good numbers - did it come with a instructional booklet? Might provide some additional insight?

[tizzycat]

Being a techno freak, I am very tempted by these gadgets, but I guess the condition/health of the plants will tell it's own story.

I hope it works well for you.

[PhalPal]

FlaCo we have the same meter and once you learn a few minor adjustments it's great. First of all, the instruction booklet is useless except as a form of entertainment! It is very poorly translated into english and can be quite comical.

Make sure you have the cap off of the sensor. (don't ask, don't laugh) This too, could happen to you.

The meter defaults to lux, so when you turn it on you need to change it to footcandles.

Place the sensor facing up toward the light source; I'm sure you have figured that out! I put it where the light first touches the plant, that is the leaf closest to the light. The meter will change a lot because the light changes with the slightest change in angle.

Make sure the 'hold' button isn't pressed. It's basically a 'save' feature.

Peak button: if you press this it takes an average over a small amount of time and then holds it.

Range button: This places the decimal point. It helps if you have an idea what range you are looking for, i.e. 400 fc or 4,000 fc. If you are outside you will need to press the button until you see a little 10x icon appear over the 'light' word. Obviously this means the reading you get is 10X the number on the screen. This is necessary because this meter goes to 20,000 fc. Play with this and see what you think of my explaination so far! I am sure Jay will chime in here soon and give you some tips he has figured out as well.

[FLaCo]

I will look further into it mayres.

Tizzy, I am just looking for the perfect area for my Vanda. Right now they are recieving close to 100% light until 1:30 pm.

[PhalPal]

Tizzy now that I have a light meter I don't know how I ever lived without one! Slowly but surely my Phals stopped blooming in a very sunny room and I never dreamed it could be there was not enough light, but that was the problem. In fact, I can't believe they ever bloomed at all! I really needed one when I started on Cyms outdoors. It is amazing how different light can be only a few inches to the right or left, and with So Cal kind of sun it makes a huge difference.

[tizzycat]

Connie, you convinced me, I've started a wish list for my birthday next month.

We'll forget about the Wii Fit I already pre-ordered and paid for

[PhalPal]

If it's already paid for then it doesn't count. And boy aren't you an easy sell!

[Uechi]

I think light meters are worth every penny when you move and orchid to a different location and invaluable if you want to grow some plants under indoor natural, T5 fluorescent or HID lights. Can you live with out one sure, but why when you can get pretty good unit for way less than $100 and it will last for a long time. I have an LX1330B I purchased on Amazon.com it is great. Good luck Regards

[FLaCo]

PhalPal we posted at the same time. Thanks for that huge explanation. It makes a lot of sense now. I am going to grab it and play with it outside.

Thanks again.