Buds wont ripen under LEDs..Help!

BBoyzDetroit · Jun 18, 2021

For some reason when I switched to LED (growers choice 680 and 720) from 1000w hps I started noticing that my buds wont ripen. I normally run 9 weeks in flower. Typically in my HPS rooms around week 6-7 the white hair stop growing and the bud begins to fill in, by week 8 there is barely anymore white hairs and if there is 90% of them will turn amber/orange and the buds are heavy and full of clear/milky(50/50) trichomes. On a nug the size of a golf ball I can literally see 10-15 hairs sticking out which will easily come off after trimming.

With my LED rooms I can be end of week 9 ready to harvest after a 10 day flush same nutes same everything as I always done and the buds are literally full of white hairs as if the plant is in week 7.
Its been 2 consecutive runs likes this and my patients are getting upset. After drying those white hairs turn orange/brown but they fill in about 30% of the bud appearance. My smell isnt the same because I feel like the trichomes really come out heave in that final ripening phase. But I'm doing something wrong and I hope somebody can help me figure this out.

FYI this is my first post ever on here. I've always referred to these forums for many issues I've had the last 7 years and without me previously saying it because I never setup an account and now I finally did.. THANK YOU for all your help and time you all have put into these forums to help people like me. I just have had a very hard time trying to find info on why LED have this problem.

ComfortablyNumb · Jun 18, 2021

BBoyzDetroit said:
For some reason when I switched to LED (growers choice 680 and 720) from 1000w hps I started noticing that my buds wont ripen. I normally run 9 weeks in flower. Typically in my HPS rooms around week 6-7 the white hair stop growing and the bud begins to fill in, by week 8 there is barely anymore white hairs and if there is 90% of them will turn amber/orange and the buds are heavy and full of clear/milky(50/50) trichomes. On a nug the size of a golf ball I can literally see 10-15 hairs sticking out which will easily come off after trimming.

With my LED rooms I can be end of week 9 ready to harvest after a 10 day flush same nutes same everything as I always done and the buds are literally full of white hairs as if the plant is in week 7.
Its been 2 consecutive runs likes this and my patients are getting upset. After drying those white hairs turn orange/brown but they fill in about 30% of the bud appearance. My smell isnt the same because I feel like the trichomes really come out heave in that final ripening phase. But I'm doing something wrong and I hope somebody can help me figure this out.

FYI this is my first post ever on here. I've always referred to these forums for many issues I've had the last 7 years and without me previously saying it because I never setup an account and now I finally did.. THANK YOU for all your help and time you all have put into these forums to help people like me. I just have had a very hard time trying to find info on why LED have this problem.

Have you compared the spectrums of the two different lights?
You are stepping down from 1000w to ~700. There's going to be a difference.
That 700 cost you less on the LED but 700 is still less than 1000.

BBoyzDetroit · Jun 18, 2021

No, I have not compared them. But I would def think they would be different. I'll look into it. I just talk to so many other friends who are growing with LED and they say they don't have the problem but so many of them are doing different things. Before this last run couple people told me run the room a lil hotter then my hps rooms because the LED don't give off any UV light so i tried that and literally results were the same. Then I spoke to somebody else and they told me how cold they run the rooms with LED just sounded like the complete opposite as what I've always read about LED and they're managing close to 2.7 a light and they're bud is just about fully ripened with almost no hair by the end off week 8(they also run the same strain for 9 weeks). My yield was still ok at about 2.1 per light but I know I'm missing out on more yield and most importantly quality. I should try to see if me or my buddy has any pictures and ill post them to maybe get some more direct answers. And I should probably share my VPD chart I follow to give everyone a better idea of how I'm running the room. Its super late for me anyways, I didn't even expect to get a response back today. I will gather some more info and try to repost of respond with more info I can gather tomorrow.

ComfortablyNumb · Jun 18, 2021

BBoyzDetroit said:
No, I have not compared them. But I would def think they would be different. I'll look into it. I just talk to so many other friends who are growing with LED and they say they don't have the problem but so many of them are doing different things. Before this last run couple people told me run the room a lil hotter then my hps rooms because the LED don't give off any UV light so i tried that and literally results were the same. Then I spoke to somebody else and they told me how cold they run the rooms with LED just sounded like the complete opposite as what I've always read about LED and they're managing close to 2.7 a light and they're bud is just about fully ripened with almost no hair by the end off week 8(they also run the same strain for 9 weeks). My yield was still ok at about 2.1 per light but I know I'm missing out on more yield and most importantly quality. I should try to see if me or my buddy has any pictures and ill post them to maybe get some more direct answers. And I should probably share my VPD chart I follow to give everyone a better idea of how I'm running the room. Its super late for me anyways, I didn't even expect to get a response back today. I will gather some more info and try to repost of respond with more info I can gather tomorrow.

No worries man. That is the only addition to my lights, is UVB. I have a lizard bulb I added and now I'm getting ripe like I should.
I'm not going to say that will fix your problem. There is also the addition of Far Red in the 730-760 nm range. This really helps buds ripen more quickly. I have not installed that yet. I'm in the process of rebuilding my light rack. I had one go out and I'm waiting for its replacement to arrive.

ComfortablyNumb · Jun 18, 2021

We are worlwide so you will find someone here at almost any time of the day or night.

Aqua Man · Jun 18, 2021

Have you adjusted your temperature to compensate for LED?

BBoyzDetroit · Jun 18, 2021

Originally I was told to adjust my temps to run the room hotter. Now I’m thinking of trying to opposite. What do you suggest?

ComfortablyNumb · Jun 18, 2021

Aqua Man said:
Have you adjusted your temperature to compensate for LED?

I'm waitin' for this one....

BBoyzDetroit · Jun 18, 2021

ComfortablyNumb said:
No worries man. That is the only addition to my lights, is UVB. I have a lizard bulb I added and now I'm getting ripe like I should.
I'm not going to say that will fix your problem. There is also the addition of Far Red in the 730-760 nm range. This really helps buds ripen more quickly. I have not installed that yet. I'm in the process of rebuilding my light rack. I had one go out and I'm waiting for its replacement to arrive.

That sounds like that might be have to be my next option. Cant catch a break spending every $ on upgrades never ends. Is there a specific brand or model that you might be able to reference so I can look into them?

ComfortablyNumb · Jun 18, 2021

BBoyzDetroit said:
That sounds like that might be have to be my next option. Cant catch a break spending every $ on upgrades never ends. Is there a specific brand or model that you might be able to reference so I can look into them?

Not specifically no, but I can send you to a place where you build your own kit with various choices of lights and addons.
It's my understanding by a lot of people that use them that they are very reputable and you get what you pay for +
I've yet to order from them.

Rapid LED

Affordable LED Lighting for Growers and Makers. Build your own high quality LED lights using name brand parts at an affordable price. Minimal knowledge required.

rapidled.com

BBoyzDetroit · Jun 18, 2021

ComfortablyNumb said:
Not specifically no, but I can send you to a place where you build your own kit with various choices of lights and addons.
www.readyled.com

Thank you I will check it out tomorrow

ComfortablyNumb · Jun 18, 2021

RapidLED Sorry, I fixed the URL in the post.

Aqua Man · Jun 18, 2021

So I'm going to give a rough number but leaf temps are what's important ot room temps. Are you running co2 by chance?

If not room temps about 80-82f should put leaf temos close to the ideal 75-77f

Dan789 · Jun 18, 2021

I’ve purchased two twelve cob kits from “Rapid Led”, good service, nice lights, most recent harvest.

Habosabin · Jun 18, 2021

Would going to a 10/14 schedule help with ripening? I'm using LED as well and I'm going into day 70 soon and still has white pistils still coming out at the edges of the new growth. Maybe LED lights spectrum or intensity delays the ripening process.

ComfortablyNumb · Jun 18, 2021

Habosabin said:
Would going to a 10/14 schedule help with ripening? I'm using LED as well and I'm going into day 70 soon and still has white pistils still coming out at the edges of the new growth. Maybe LED lights spectrum or intensity delays the ripening process.

That's very possible. And to mimic the harvest time of year, bring the temps down to 60F at night, mid 70's in the day.

Aqua Man · Jun 18, 2021

Habosabin said:
Would going to a 10/14 schedule help with ripening? I'm using LED as well and I'm going into day 70 soon and still has white pistils still coming out at the edges of the new growth. Maybe LED lights spectrum or intensity delays the ripening process.

I can't say for certain. But higher temps and co2 will both delay ripening as can high nitrogen.

Aqua Man · Jun 18, 2021

ComfortablyNumb said:
That's very possible. And to mimic the harvest time of year, bring the temps down to 60F at night, mid 70's in the day.

I do this the last week or 2 mainly to preserve terps as they are sensitive to heat.

Habosabin · Jun 18, 2021

Would pouring ice on the substrate do anything?

Aqua Man · Jun 18, 2021

Habosabin said:
Would pouring ice on the substrate do anything?

Stress the plants... imo that's not wise or helpful. But a cold stress can give us benefits when used at the right times. I'm not all that informed on that though.

Buds wont ripen under LEDs..Help!

Buds wont ripen under LEDs..Help!

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