As an annual herb, hemp, in addition to its particularly important properties, also has more uses. It is used as a raw material for fiber products, clothing, ropes, sails, grease, paper and medical supplies, and has many medicinal values. . With the legalization of cannabis cultivation now, factories and enterprises as well as small agricultural individuals are growing cannabis. Because of the high economic income brought by its wide range of applications, growers use LED grow lights to supplement light to shorten the cycle and improve quality and yield. What are the tips for using LED grow lights to grow cannabis?
The distribution and span of LED grow light is smaller than that of HPS because the light it emits is projected downward instead of in all directions. The plants must rotate so that they all receive the same light intensity. You can use the light rail to optimize the light distribution, or you can choose to expand the site to increase the final output.
The distance between the LED grow light and the plant can be reduced to 15 cm to provide the maximum number of lumens, so the plant will show greater vitality at all stages of cultivation. The first 50 cm distance from the focal point to the plant will be those distances that will provide more explosive flowering, which can be trimmed and laced to reduce the size of the plant, thereby increasing the final yield system of SOG (green) or SGRROG (green net) Grid) becomes the most suitable method for using this type of lighting.
Regarding irrigation, these should be less, because considering that the heat radiation emitted by LED grow lights is very small, water evaporation will be very small. This will result in a reduction in plant nutrient consumption without affecting yield reduction. Reducing the need for irrigation of plants is very important, because over-irrigation always leads to the development of root fungi and diseases.
What parameters should be considered when choosing a cannabis grow light?
Older growers are likely to give the following advice: "Just use 400-600w LED grow lights." They are partly right and partly wrong. Growers have always regarded energy consumption as a factor that affects the efficiency of lamps. Then they started to compare kits and lumens, which is not entirely true. Now we will provide you with a quick reference of all the main measurement units, tell you what they mean and what you want to view in the end.
Watt (W)-This indicator reflects the energy consumed by the lamp. But consumption does not mean giving. Let us take the 400W HPS grow light as an example. This figure shows that it consumes 400 watts, but considering its operating temperature can exceed 600 degrees, how much energy is converted into useful light? The average efficiency of sodium lamps is only about 30%. The energy efficiency of 180W LED grow lights can easily surpass HPS.
Lumens (Lm) is a measure of the amount of light emitted by LED grow lights, and is closely related to lux. The value of lux is approximately below. Lumens refers to how much light a light source can produce in principle. But the quantity of light is not equal to its quality at all.
Lux (Lx)-This parameter shows the amount of light falling on one square meter. This is not the most basic indicator because it cannot understand the type of light we are talking about.
PPFD is the number of photons hitting the surface (plant canopy) in one second. Its unit of measurement is called micromole (μmol). Simply put-this is the intensity of the light reaching the plant. The light loses its intensity as it travels from the light source to the end (from the growing light to the plant). On most growth light intensity charts, the PPFD numbers decrease as the distance from the light increases.
Three ways to grow cannabis at home
Mini planting tent
For this purpose, miniature planting tents are used, which are usually made by hand and made by computer system units. Usually the size of this growing tent does not exceed 40x40x80 cm. You can use a large bucket or bedside table instead of the system unit. Need to install LED grow lights, one or two computer coolers are sufficient for ventilation. The cost of this equipment is very low, ranging from thirty dollars to fifty dollars, but you can only grow one or two shrubs.
Fully equipped planting tent
A mature planting tent can sow up to 19 marijuana bushes. It is equipped with several sodium lamps for indoor cannabis and charcoal filters in the exhaust ventilation. The inner surface is covered with high-quality reflective materials. Those who do not want to spend money on such products can assemble them from old cabinets or refrigerators. The box itself should be painted with white paint.
Independent growth space
It is equipped with many indoor cannabis planting lights, as well as an automatic watering system, because watering the plants yourself will be troublesome. The initial cost is estimated at five hundred dollars. Don't put the bushes too tightly: this will not increase the yield, because the plants will compete.
LED grow lights cannabis planting supplement light tips:
(1) Different types of plants are planted in a reasonable combination, such as light-loving plants such as hemp, so that all hemp plants can be evenly illuminated, and try not to shading between plants.
(2) At the same time, reflective measures can be taken in the cannabis planting area to improve the effective utilization of light. Use reflective materials when setting up the frame. In addition, all the supports do not need to be upright at 90 degrees. Keep the middle supports upright, on the north and south sides. The bracket is slightly inclined, which can increase the light utilization rate by 5--10%.
(3) The supplementary light distance of LED grow lights is very important. You should adjust the points for the growth of cannabis at different stages, and also unify the distance, so that the uniformity of the illumination is stronger, and the cannabis can be better supplemented with light and growth.
(4) The light supplement time is mainly determined by the cannabis plant. Hemp is a light-loving plant. If it is sunny, the cannabis can be supplemented for 4 hours before 10 am and after 6 pm. If it is rainy, 24 hours The internal light up time for cannabis can be carried out by 18/6 (on/off) or 20/4 (on/off).
(5) Also pay attention to the humidity and temperature of the growth environment, photosynthesis and transpiration rate are directly affected by temperature, humidity and airflow. Find the best temperature and humidity for hemp growth between 75*-85*F and 50%-70% humidity, and have sufficient airflow to supplement carbon dioxide.
Every plant has planting skills. Master planting skills can get twice the result with half the effort during the planting process. The same is true for cannabis, especially for lighting. When using LED grow lights, you must make full use of all aspects of skills, so as to give plants Better complement the growth of the light environment.
