Crop DLI reference

Recommended Daily Light Integral ranges by crop. Adjust your light below and each row shows whether your current DLI is below, within, or above that crop's range. Values are guidance, not prescriptions. Bracketed numbers link to the studies and extension guides each range is drawn from.

Your current DLI

Shared with the calculator.

Daily Light Integral

17.3mol/m²/day

Moderate light · 15–20 mol

PPFDµmol/m²/s

Photoperiodh/day

Your crop

Pick a crop, or tap a row in the table, to see it against your current light.

Ornamentals
- AboveAbove target
- On targetOn target
Seedlings & starts
- AboveAbove target
- AboveAbove target
Leafy greens
- AboveAbove target
- On targetOn target
- On targetOn target
Herbs
- On targetOn target
- On targetOn target
Fruiting crops
- On targetOn target
- BelowBelow target
- BelowBelow target
Cannabis
- BelowBelow target
- BelowBelow target

Crop	Min	Optimal	Max	Your DLI
Ornamentals
range 4–10[1]	4	6	10	AboveAbove target
range 10–22[1, 4, 14]	10	15	22	On targetOn target
Seedlings & starts
range 6–15[4, 10]	6	10	15	AboveAbove target
range 5–15[11, 12, 13, 4]	5	10	15	AboveAbove target
Leafy greens
range 12–17[5, 4, 6, 7]	12	15	17	AboveAbove target
range 12–20[4, 6]	12	15	20	On targetOn target
range 12–20[6, 4]	12	16	20	On targetOn target
Herbs
range 12–25[8, 4]	12	17	25	On targetOn target
range 10–20[4, 9]	10	15	20	On targetOn target
Fruiting crops
range 12–30Above ~30 mol/m²/day plants show light stress.[18, 17]	12	22	30	On targetOn target
range 20–30[1, 4, 16, 15]	20	25	30	BelowBelow target
range 20–30[1, 4, 15]	20	25	30	BelowBelow target
Cannabis
range 20–40[24, 20]	20	30	40	BelowBelow target
range 35–65Upper end requires supplemental CO₂ to use effectively.[22, 21, 23, 19, 25]	35	45	65	BelowBelow target

The calculator icon opens the calculator with that crop's optimal DLI ready to reverse-solve for PPFD or hours.