What Does Light Mover Mean?
A light mover, sometimes called a light rail, is a device used in growrooms that mechanically moves a grow light back and forth, or in some other type of fixed pattern, over the plants beneath it. The light mover ensures better light distribution so that all parts of the plant receive the same amount of light, rather than just the area directly below the grow light.
They are highly beneficial when growing many plants in rows; it is believed that light movers can increase the coverage of a light by up to 140 percent.
Maximum Yield Explains Light Mover
Plants require light in order to grow and thrive. Grow lights provide indoor gardens with this requirement, but there can be problems. Light emission indoors is very different from what a plant would experience in the outdoors, within a natural setting, where light is dispersed across most of a plant’s leaves during the day. With grow lights, only the parts of the plant directly under the beam of the bulb will receive adequate light.
A light mover is a solution some indoor growers turn to in order to ensure better illumination for the entire plant. Sometimes called a light rail, a light mover is a mechanized system that actually rotates or moves the grow light back and forth throughout the day to ensure that the entire plant receives adequate illumination, rather than only the upper portions.
Most light movers use a combination of rails and trolley-like wheels to move the light. The motor provides movement (but does require electricity), and the light moves back and forth by rolling the wheels along a suspended rail or track. Track lengths vary from model to model, ranging from 3.5 feet in length to 5 feet and longer. Rails can be installed within permanent structures, but also inside grow tents if necessary.
While a light mover can prove highly beneficial, enhancing growth and better yields for indoor gardens, these systems do require a source of electricity, and will ultimately increase operating costs for the garden itself by increasing utility costs.
