Uniformity Ratios
The crucial max/min and avg/min ratios, often referred to as the uniformity ratios. They are a measurement of how the light is evenly distributed across the crop’s canopy. These ratios will assist in determining to what extent a grow light will optimize a room of plants giving the investor a higher ROI. They can be calculated rather accurately with the proper computer software.
-
The Max/Min Ratio (Max/Min)
-
- It’s a ratio of the brightest spot in the room to the darkest spot in the room. It’s usually found here on your calculation page right here. If there’s a big difference, generally more than a 2.5, it means some plants are getting much more light than others and you might want to consider another option. Which could simply mean you may need to add additional fixtures or try another brand of grow light.
-
Average-to-Minimum Ratio (Avg/Min) in Horticulture:
-
- This ratio compares the AVERAGE PPFD everywhere in the room TO THE DARKEST SPOT. It’s usually found here on your calculation page. Again, generally over a 2.5 is considered poor. If however, the average is close to the darkest spot, or a ratio under 2.5, it means the light is spread relatively even across all the plants.
Note: Ideally this metric should be close to ‘2.0’ or less. Since a ‘1’ is perfect uniformity which is usually not cost-effective to achieve anywhere between a 1.0 and less than a 2.0 is great.
In summary, a comprehensive approach should be taken when making a final decision on uniformity. While the avg/min ratio assesses overall uniformity of light distribution, and the max/min ratio focuses on identifying areas of extreme variation in light intensity. Both ratios, when taken together, are important for optimizing growing conditions while identifying variations in plant development and minimizes stress on the plants giving you a higher ROI at the end of the day. Hope all that makes sense. Contact us if you’d like to chat about it further.