Uv Lighting Suggestions

[LedsOrganic1]

i dont have a price point.
my tent is 2.5 x 2.5 ft and i have the hlg 260 inside it
what is your reccomendation for uv? i will spend whatever
i thought you wanted uva not uvb? i dunno let me know, appreciate the help

It’s been shown in many experiments, that UVB, specifically the 285nm wavelength, will produce a higher yield of THc and other essential oils in cannabis. Mainly THc. Using UVB or anything under the 310nm range will significantly add on the trichomes during the final two weeks of flower. Studies done at Penn, had an average increase of 20% than studies done without supplemental UVB lighting. Using deep blues and UVA during the first week of flower, aiming for the stretching period, will limit the overall height of the plant. Using blue light during the first weeks of bloom and to the end of the stretching period is a way to slow down the vertical growth, but UVB is a stressor to Cannabis. Using 285nm wavelength is a stressor and should be used carefully but has been shown to add up to 30% higher levels of THc than without. It’s like the plant is piling on extra sunscreen (trich heads) to protect itself from the harmful UVB. That being said, never look at the lights without wearing proper eyewear. Position 18” above plants and move closer until the plants look under-watered. You won’t have them on all day, I started at two hours a day and ended at around 45min per day. I could see a difference. All the studies I read, used ~10% total wattage with UVB. To put stress on the plant. You have to tinker with the distance and I haven’t found any decent, affordable UVB lights on Amazon. If anyone can tell me where to find good, cheap UVB lights, please let me know.

 

[Hdinkleman]

It’s been shown in many experiments, that UVB, specifically the 285nm wavelength, will produce a higher yield of THc and other essential oils in cannabis. Mainly THc. Using UVB or anything under the 310nm range will significantly add on the trichomes during the final two weeks of flower. Studies done at Penn, had an average increase of 20% than studies done without supplemental UVB lighting. Using deep blues and UVA during the first week of flower, aiming for the stretching period, will limit the overall height of the plant. Using blue light during the first weeks of bloom and to the end of the stretching period is a way to slow down the vertical growth, but UVB is a stressor to Cannabis. Using 285nm wavelength is a stressor and should be used carefully but has been shown to add up to 30% higher levels of THc than without. It’s like the plant is piling on extra sunscreen (trich heads) to protect itself from the harmful UVB. That being said, never look at the lights without wearing proper eyewear. Position 18” above plants and move closer until the plants look under-watered. You won’t have them on all day, I started at two hours a day and ended at around 45min per day. I could see a difference. All the studies I read, used ~10% total wattage with UVB. To put stress on the plant. You have to tinker with the distance and I haven’t found any decent, affordable UVB lights on Amazon. If anyone can tell me where to find good, cheap UVB lights, please let me know.

ive been using an eye hortilux fullspectrum+uv 28watt flourescent to add some uv light in the tent, next week im going to make a trip to the hydro store and ill get one more for my fixture.
i have been running the eye hortilux fs+uv for the full 18 hours on with the quantum board

 

[LedsOrganic1]

ive been using an eye hortilux fullspectrum+uv 28watt flourescent to add some uv light in the tent, next week im going to make a trip to the hydro store and ill get one more for my fixture.
i have been running the eye hortilux fs+uv for the full 18 hours on with the quantum board

Are you using a 2’ or 4’ light? Those were the first I tried and I realized they needed to be very close to the plants to see a noticeable difference. Have you tried the AgroMax Pure UV? In my very humble opinion, the AgroMax Pure UV T5 bulb worked better/more efficiently than the EyeHortilux... I tried Solacure bulbs and they were STRONG.. will definitely cost a little more but well worth it. Sounds like you and I are messing around with the same lighting ideas.. I also use QB’s (best money I’ve ever spent on this hobby) but my main goal is to find some strips to change in and out whenever needed with UV strips, 660nm strips and 435nm strips.. may I ask what CCT your QB board(s) is/are? and do you also supplement IR spectrum? Or just UV?

 

[Jimster]

ive been using an eye hortilux fullspectrum+uv 28watt flourescent to add some uv light in the tent, next week im going to make a trip to the hydro store and ill get one more for my fixture.
i have been running the eye hortilux fs+uv for the full 18 hours on with the quantum board

I would try to concentrate on getting a good and consistant grow before I would begin to foray into additional UVB and the like. I don't use LEDs but use the Eye Blue Hortilux during veg (along with a MS-1000). For flowering, I use a 1000w HPS and a MS-1000 with xtra red. The combined effect of the two different bulbs was considerable.
Regarding your trichomes not turning milky...I usually let my plants go until they can't go much more, especially Sativa based strains. With a lot of Sativas, you will have a light yield if you follow the typical "recommendations" for using the trichome colors to tell you when things are ready. I gain a lot of potency, color, and a LOT of flavor by adding a week or two of extra growing time. The plants will pretty much stop on their own when they are spent, and a lot of leaves will turn yellow. In my opinion, I have not ever noticed any difference between plants that were harvested late instead of "when recommended". If it was a car drag race, the difference might be a few hundredths of a second faster, but that's about it.
To get the best effects, you need to have the right seeds. A lousy, low level seed might produce a huge and wonderful plant, but unless the genetics are correct, the potency won't really be any better.
What has always puzzled me about the claim that the trichomes produce the THC in order to protect itself from the UV radiation. While I don't dispute any good studies that have shown a link between the two, I don't understand why the plant would produce the most UV blockers during the time period that the UV levels are declining, later in the season. Obviously this is a moot point, especially for indoors growers, but it has always made me wonder if it didn't evolve for some other purpose, like to get sticky to aid in pollen distribution.

 

[Phylex]

QB HLG600 + (2) 4' Solacure + (2) Far Red LED pucks.

 

[LedsOrganic1]

Are you using a 2’ or 4’ light? Those were the first I tried and I realized they needed to be very close to the plants to see a noticeable difference. Have you tried the AgroMax Pure UV? In my very humble opinion, the AgroMax Pure UV T5 bulb worked better/more efficiently than the EyeHortilux... I tried Solacure bulbs and they were STRONG.. will definitely cost a little more but well worth it. Sounds like you and I are messing around with the same lighting ideas.. I also use QB’s (best money I’ve ever spent on this hobby) but my main goal is to find some strips to change in and out whenever needed with UV strips, 660nm strips and 435nm strips.. may I ask what CCT your QB board(s) is/are? and do you also supplement IR spectrum? Or just UV?

These are my current boards. They have four channels, have Cree XPE Deep red and Royal Blue chips along with 3100k and 5100k. They worked great but it was a complete waste having four different channels, with 3 different drivers.. still trying to simplify these. The blue didn’t do a great job at limiting the stretch and I think I would’ve gotten the same results if I used 3500k for all of the LED’s. The FR chips worked great but I’ve found that Far Red, anything higher than 720-740nm will cause the ladies to stretch even more than before, without using infared...

 

[Hdinkleman]

Are you using a 2’ or 4’ light? Those were the first I tried and I realized they needed to be very close to the plants to see a noticeable difference. Have you tried the AgroMax Pure UV? In my very humble opinion, the AgroMax Pure UV T5 bulb worked better/more efficiently than the EyeHortilux... I tried Solacure bulbs and they were STRONG.. will definitely cost a little more but well worth it. Sounds like you and I are messing around with the same lighting ideas.. I also use QB’s (best money I’ve ever spent on this hobby) but my main goal is to find some strips to change in and out whenever needed with UV strips, 660nm strips and 435nm strips.. may I ask what CCT your QB board(s) is/are? and do you also supplement IR spectrum? Or just UV?

its the 2’ im just ttying to add some uv to the grow, it was my only option at local hydro shop.
i am going to look into the bulb you listed, yes i prob wont get much of an effect but at least the plants are getting some uv and it constantly in the front of my mind that i need to add some solid uv before flowering.

i have a hlg 260 qb what is a good light to add for UV in your opinion? im open to any suggestions i dont know a whole lot other than my qb has no uv

 

[Hdinkleman]

I would try to concentrate on getting a good and consistant grow before I would begin to foray into additional UVB and the like. I don't use LEDs but use the Eye Blue Hortilux during veg (along with a MS-1000). For flowering, I use a 1000w HPS and a MS-1000 with xtra red. The combined effect of the two different bulbs was considerable.
Regarding your trichomes not turning milky...I usually let my plants go until they can't go much more, especially Sativa based strains. With a lot of Sativas, you will have a light yield if you follow the typical "recommendations" for using the trichome colors to tell you when things are ready. I gain a lot of potency, color, and a LOT of flavor by adding a week or two of extra growing time. The plants will pretty much stop on their own when they are spent, and a lot of leaves will turn yellow. In my opinion, I have not ever noticed any difference between plants that were harvested late instead of "when recommended". If it was a car drag race, the difference might be a few hundredths of a second faster, but that's about it.
To get the best effects, you need to have the right seeds. A lousy, low level seed might produce a huge and wonderful plant, but unless the genetics are correct, the potency won't really be any better.
What has always puzzled me about the claim that the trichomes produce the THC in order to protect itself from the UV radiation. While I don't dispute any good studies that have shown a link between the two, I don't understand why the plant would produce the most UV blockers during the time period that the UV levels are declining, later in the season. Obviously this is a moot point, especially for indoors growers, but it has always made me wonder if it didn't evolve for some other purpose, like to get sticky to aid in pollen distribution.

its pretty much science fact uv ups trichomes, i think, i mean i could be wrong but i believe their are scinetific reports on this nowadays.
if im trying to recreate nature indoors i want uv light.
pretty sure you have uv light in a hps so im sure you have no problems with milky trichomes
im not personally a plant so i dont know either why the plant wpuld produce the trichones, im assuming they actually produce the trichones earlier in the year when the sum beats down all day, i dont think a plant can distinguish whether it is indoors or outdoors, i think it produces trichones to protect the flowers when you have uv light.
i dont know maybe the high quality genetics you have the plants can tell but my normal dutch seed bank plants cant so im trying to add enough uv for two plants inside a tent, what light would work?

 

[Jimster]

its pretty much science fact uv ups trichomes, i think, i mean i could be wrong but i believe their are scinetific reports on this nowadays.
if im trying to recreate nature indoors i want uv light.

I don't dispute the increase in trichomes, although I haven't read all of the studies or abstracts. It seems to be common knowledge, and I don't really have any reason to not believe it. I have seen some 50 watt UVB cob LEDs that might be useful for a spotlight type of effect. I'm not familiar with LEDs too much, instead using HID tech for the last 30 years...a creature of habit.
One observation, however, is the light quality typically used for flowering. The consensus is to add red spectrum to the flowering stage, such as HPS or long spectrum LEDs. The spectrum of HPS has very little UVB in it, and just about any HID light has it's UVB filtered by the glass envelope surrounding the bulb. Double ended lights don't have this glass envelope (or some don't) and transmit a lot more of the UVB, since it isn't filtered out. I don't really have a point to make, just a ongoing question if the UVB component and Trichome production might have some other relationship, in addition to UV protection.

 

[LedsOrganic1]

its the 2’ im just ttying to add some uv to the grow, it was my only option at local hydro shop.
i am going to look into the bulb you listed, yes i prob wont get much of an effect but at least the plants are getting some uv and it constantly in the front of my mind that i need to add some solid uv before flowering.

i have a hlg 260 qb what is a good light to add for UV in your opinion? im open to any suggestions i dont know a whole lot other than my qb has no uv

You hate using what I consider to be the new golden standard of lights with the quantum boards. I’ve used them for five grows now and I’m getting bigger yields and healthier plants than I ever have. You’re good in that category. What size is your grow space? How many plants are you growing in that space? You should look into something called Daily Light Integral or ‘DLI’ it gets fun real fast.. You’re in the same boat I’m in. I use Quantum Boards and have to supplement any spectra that can accomplish photomorphogenesis.. Infared, UV-A, UV-B (during flower) and some deep blues to limit the stretch during blooming phase. Seems like you have it all down, you can always PM me if you need any additional help. That’s what we are all here for anyways right?? Keep growing all!

 

[LedsOrganic1]

You hate using what I consider to be the new golden standard of lights with the quantum boards. I’ve used them for five grows now and I’m getting bigger yields and healthier plants than I ever have. You’re good in that category. What size is your grow space? How many plants are you growing in that space? You should look into something called Daily Light Integral or ‘DLI’ it gets fun real fast.. You’re in the same boat I’m in. I use Quantum Boards and have to supplement any spectra that can accomplish photomorphogenesis.. Infared, UV-A, UV-B (during flower) and some deep blues to limit the stretch during blooming phase. Seems like you have it all down, you can always PM me if you need any additional help. That’s what we are all here for anyways right?? Keep growing all!

You are using , not you hate using the QB’s. Sorry about that...

 

[Hdinkleman]

You hate using what I consider to be the new golden standard of lights with the quantum boards. I’ve used them for five grows now and I’m getting bigger yields and healthier plants than I ever have. You’re good in that category. What size is your grow space? How many plants are you growing in that space? You should look into something called Daily Light Integral or ‘DLI’ it gets fun real fast.. You’re in the same boat I’m in. I use Quantum Boards and have to supplement any spectra that can accomplish photomorphogenesis.. Infared, UV-A, UV-B (during flower) and some deep blues to limit the stretch during blooming phase. Seems like you have it all down, you can always PM me if you need any additional help. That’s what we are all here for anyways right?? Keep growing all!

yup i looked into the agromax uv light! i think im gonna grab one and see how it works! thanks for the suggestion, i think it will def give off more uv than the eye hortilux i have now, thanks man

 

[Hdinkleman]

You are using , not you hate using the QB’s. Sorry about that...

np i know what you meant. its a small tent, the hlg 260 is more than enough light for my area, just trying to add some uv to “complete” my mini sun indoors lol
yea i still intend on running a couple flourous during flowering to get some blue light in there and get a good full spectrum

 

[LedsOrganic1]

yup i looked into the agromax uv light! i think im gonna grab one and see how it works! thanks for the suggestion, i think it will def give off more uv than the eye hortilux i have now, thanks man

It really, really does. Be careful when you hange them because you’ll have to adjust from the EyeHortilux height... keep us updated and I hope everything works out!

 

[Hdinkleman]

It really, really does. Be careful when you hange them because you’ll have to adjust from the EyeHortilux height... keep us updated and I hope everything works out!

yep i have a separate fixture i will use just for the agromax uv

 

[Dirtbag]

Hdinkle, Jimster was dropping some really good advice above. Often times science facts dont translate to much in the real world. I've experimented with UV using reptile lights, T5 UV's, MH etc... It makes a super marginal percievable difference. I dont do it at all anymore because while it does slightly, and I mean very very slightly Increase frost, it also reduces yield and bud size proportionally.

I'm not saying dont bother, but dont look to it as a way to make your grow better. It's a very small fringe decoration on the cake, its not even the icing.

Also HPS emits no UV. MH does but I'm not sure if it falls in the range to stress plants or not. I know it sure hurts my eyes more than HPS lol.

If you want a quality harvest;

#1 its imperative to have good genetics. the best growroom/grower in the world cant make seawarp taste good for example. And often times seeds are hit and miss. Make sure to buy from reputable breeders.

#2, Dont crop early. Those last 1 or 2 weeks can make the difference between a B and a triple A.

#3 Dont overdo it with addatives in the res and keep a moderate strength balanced nutrient solution. KISS, sometimes too much kindness kills.

 

[LedsOrganic1]

yep i have a separate fixture i will use just for the agromax uv

Also, my best advice would be to get a PAR meter and go from there. If you research Daily Light Integral, you’ll learn a lot but you have to be able to apply what you’re reading I.e. using a light meter to better understand where/how you position your plants relative to your light(s) and air intake.. When I first switched to LED’s there is definitely a learning curve. The light doesn’t penetrate the canopy as well as any type of HID. (Metal Halide, High Pressure Sodium, Ceramic Metal Halide) those types of light can grow anything. They are the best by most people’s standards. I fell in love with LED’s and the ability to completely control the color spectrum and stuff like that. Using a LUX meter (you can get an app that will be ~somewhat accurate) but it’s not a PAR meter. I first started with one 4000k board in addition to two 3000k boards. I made the fixture custom and built the entire thing, -after waaaay to much reasearch. They really are amazing but you have to understand the Light Spectrum and how plants use the available light to fully take advantage of the QB’s. LST and SCROG methods work best for me when using Quantum Boards. The reason being that the light emitted from the boards doesn’t get down to the lower branches as well. So flattening the canopy and grooming the plant to grow into the trellis, you’ll get much better results. My three-board setup using (Samsung LM301B diodes) was too much light for a 4x4x7ft tent. However, I did let the girls grow in veg a little longer than I’d like. I couldn’t take the 4000k board out because it was the only board that had a decent amount of blue spectrum, if I only used the two 3000k boards, I would’ve gotten more pre-flower stretch than I had room for and with the size of the plants, I needed blue to increase stem strength as well. I didn’t want to use one 3000k and one 4000k Boards right next to each other. I’m not sure if that makes sense or not, it just looked like it would... I ended up getting some 660nm and 435nm COB’s and the heatsinks with glass lenses. I now use up to 80:20 blue:red for the first week into bloom period. I never go above 80:20. And will switch back to around 60:40 red:blue with the COB’s. Once you learn more about the D.L.I. You’ll probably find that you don’t need to run your lights as long each day. Do you have a Type A or B MeanWell Driver? (Does the Driver have a built-in dimmer or is it an external Potentiometer?) there is sooo much info online and I am in no way an expert. I do a lot of research and have worked with my local College Students and have worked with some of the best on the Central Coast in CA. I’ve learned most things the hard way (sometimes on purpose) and I am just sharing what I have personally learned via those experiences. I’m constantly trying to learn more and share as much as I can, but only in areas that I feel comfortable sharing info. I don’t want to come off like a know-it-all because I’m not. Just trying to help so people won’t have to kill a plant just to learn a thing or two. I’ve purposely killed over 100 plants of all ages and Genetics in my years. And from those experiences, I’ve learned a lot more than from 100 plants I’ve grown out and harvested. Cannabis can be a finicky plant. Usually they aren’t but some can be very sensitive. If you get a LUX meter (app or buying one from a store) During Veg, keep the lights around 25,000lux during veg not going over 50k and anywhere between 45k and 65k during flower. Anything over ~80k LUX is more light than cannabis can take up. Around 75k-80k will most-likely cause light burn/bleaching. Which Ian different from UVB stress. UVB stress should make the plants look underwatered and droopy with firm stems. Light bleaching is exactly what it sounds like. When you get your new UVB bulbs, make sure the tips of them leaves don’t change color. I could keep rambling on and on about growing to the point where you all would hate me and I’d be blocked from using THcFarmer. LoL. It’s a great hobby and I tell people, if you want To stay out of trouble, grow a cannabis plant. It’s such a wonderful, fulfilling hobby and my life is better for taking up the hobby. I love learning about different techniques and love to share mine. Sorry for such a long post.

 

[LedsOrganic1]

I would try to concentrate on getting a good and consistant grow before I would begin to foray into additional UVB and the like. I don't use LEDs but use the Eye Blue Hortilux during veg (along with a MS-1000). For flowering, I use a 1000w HPS and a MS-1000 with xtra red. The combined effect of the two different bulbs was considerable.
Regarding your trichomes not turning milky...I usually let my plants go until they can't go much more, especially Sativa based strains. With a lot of Sativas, you will have a light yield if you follow the typical "recommendations" for using the trichome colors to tell you when things are ready. I gain a lot of potency, color, and a LOT of flavor by adding a week or two of extra growing time. The plants will pretty much stop on their own when they are spent, and a lot of leaves will turn yellow. In my opinion, I have not ever noticed any difference between plants that were harvested late instead of "when recommended". If it was a car drag race, the difference might be a few hundredths of a second faster, but that's about it.
To get the best effects, you need to have the right seeds. A lousy, low level seed might produce a huge and wonderful plant, but unless the genetics are correct, the potency won't really be any better.
What has always puzzled me about the claim that the trichomes produce the THC in order to protect itself from the UV radiation. While I don't dispute any good studies that have shown a link between the two, I don't understand why the plant would produce the most UV blockers during the time period that the UV levels are declining, later in the season. Obviously this is a moot point, especially for indoors growers, but it has always made me wonder if it didn't evolve for some other purpose, like to get sticky to aid in pollen distribution.

I don't dispute the increase in trichomes, although I haven't read all of the studies or abstracts. It seems to be common knowledge, and I don't really have any reason to not believe it. I have seen some 50 watt UVB cob LEDs that might be useful for a spotlight type of effect. I'm not familiar with LEDs too much, instead using HID tech for the last 30 years...a creature of habit.
One observation, however, is the light quality typically used for flowering. The consensus is to add red spectrum to the flowering stage, such as HPS or long spectrum LEDs. The spectrum of HPS has very little UVB in it, and just about any HID light has it's UVB filtered by the glass envelope surrounding the bulb. Double ended lights don't have this glass envelope (or some don't) and transmit a lot more of the UVB, since it isn't filtered out. I don't really have a point to make, just a ongoing question if the UVB component and Trichome production might have some other relationship, in addition to UV protection.

this topic is very interesting to me. I found some information in some studies that you may find helpful. You have much more experience than I do, but I was able to find some studies pertaining to UV-B and cannabis evolution.

Pate, D.W., 1994. Chemical ecology of Cannabis. Journal of the International
Hemp Association 2: 29, 32-37.

The production of cannabinoids and their associated terpenes in Cannabis is
subject to environmental influences as well as
hereditary determinants. Their biosynthesis occurs in specialized glands
populating the surface of all aerial structures of the plant.
These compounds apparently serve as defensive agents in a variety of
antidessication, antimicrobial, antifeedant and UV-B
pigmentation roles. In addition, the more intense ambient UV-B of the tropics,
in combination with the UV-B lability of cannabidiol,
may have influenced the evolution of an alternative biogenetic route from
cannabigerol to tetrahydrocannabinol in some varieties.

 

[Hdinkleman]

keeping the canopy flat like this

 

[Jimster]

On a side note, which is much different than what is being done here. When I was younger and the Earth was green, I had a cactus plant that I had for a year or two. I was a curious kid and I had a old school sunlamp that I liked to play with. It was an arc tube and I liked to play with a magnet, bending the cathode rays. I burnt the shit out of my eyes more than once. I decided to "supplement" my cactus with the sun lamp. I gave it 5 minute sessions a few times before it started looking different on the side that got the UV/Sunlamp light. The color change continued for a week or two, before the entire exposed side of the cactus turned to slime and died. The light was solid UVB, not UVC...well, who knows what was in the light. It certainly kicked up the ozone!