Is 250w for 2 hours the same as 500w for 1 hour?

Hi guys,

The topic title says it all.

If I am growing veggies indoors and I want an even spread of light throughout the day. Would it be better to have a low wattage light on all day or a high power one for a shorter time?

Thanks for any feedback on this.

i always thought that two points of light is better than one. i run two 600 than having one 1000w

ummm you need to do some reasearch on botany / horticulture/ lights. is this your 1st time growing veggies?

but 2 250s would be better than 1 500, covers more area and less shade spots. do some research on light cycles!

2 smaller bulbs will be better than 1 big yin , they cover a bigger area, therefore you get a better spread of light i m h o....

you guys didnt even answer what he was asking.

i dont think that 250 for 2 hours is the same as 500 for 1 hour, but i would guess that the longer the light is on the better.

I'm not an expert...but I would imagne that it's easier for the plant(s) to absorb energy, at a lesser intensity over a longer time, rather than more over less time.

Think of it like this. Which is easier and less stressful, drinking a gallon of water in 30 minutes or an hour?

hate two jump in on sum 1 thread but im a first time grower and wanted 2 now if a heat lamp with a 150 w bulb is enought light and heat for my 2 little plants awso they are 2 weeks old today and are 3 inches tall is that a normal hight for them 2 be tht age

It is sort of like baking a cake , if you take a brownie recipe at 275 degrees and double it to 550 degrees it wont cook twice as fast. You will just make hockey pucks. The energy usage is the same but the plants are affected by light duration. You need 18+ hrs/day for veg and 12/12 for flower.

huntertc5 said:

hate two jump in on sum 1 thread but im a first time grower and wanted 2 now if a heat lamp with a 150 w bulb is enought light and heat for my 2 little plants awso they are 2 weeks old today and are 3 inches tall is that a normal hight for them 2 be tht age

Click to expand...

You should have some sort of temp monitoring going on. 78 F is optimal. Adjust the light distance until you acheive that. Height is a relative condition and affected by temp, lumens, and other conditions. Unless using the exact same setup no two growers will grow at the same rate.

in my room if i only had 150w going i would need my heater on. 150w is not enough heat

Thanks guys,

Good info so far.
I am not new to growing both sorts of crops but I am new to growing normal vegetables under a grow light.

I'll keep you all informed


I will read up on the light cycles