We use 2x Solacure 32w Flower Power UVA/B bulbs per each 1000w unit, or equivalent in a 4 x 4 area..
These bulbs are also the strongest made down to 280nm. They also have a built in reflector of their own..
These are also overbuilt, and can be run as high as 80w, but theres no need for it.
They have the best glass in the business, and have been making bulbs since the 80s.
20x more powerful than the best Reptile bulbs Which is the Arcadia Desert Dragon 54w. 32w Flower Power blows it out of the water. And goes down to 280nm.
Our lamps are 20x stronger than reptile bulbs, and produce high levels of the full UVB spectrum, 280-320nm, not just 300nm-320nm like every other bulb
Only Flower Power produces high levels of 280-300nm UVB. You can see the spectrum yourself on the lamp page. This might not seem like a big deal to those unfamiliar, but the most important trigger for cannabis is the
UVR8 protein, a protein common to many plants and acts as a chemical messenger to tell the plant it is in high UVB and should react accordingly. In the case of cannabis, this means to jump up protection of THC, which the plant uses as sun block
UV-B resistance 8 (
UVR8) also known as
ultraviolet-B receptor UVR8 is an
UV-B –
sensing protein found in
plants and possibly other sources.
[2] It is responsible for sensing ultraviolet light in the range 280-315 nm and initiating the plant stress response. It is most sensitive at 285nm, near the lower limit of UVB. UVR8 was first identified as a crucial mediator of a plant's response to UV-B in
Arabidopsis thaliana containing a mutation in this protein. This plant was found to have a hypersensitivity to UV-B
[3] which damages DNA. UVR8 is thought to be a unique photoreceptor as it doesn't contain a prosthetic
chromophore but its light-sensing ability is intrinsic to the molecule.
[4] Tryptophan (Trp) residue 285 has been suggested to act the UV-B sensor, while other Trp residues have been also seen to be involved (Trp233 > Trp337 > Trp94) although in-vivo data suggests that Trp285 and Trp233 are most important.
[2]
Product Description
This is the ultimate growers UVB light, many times stronger than our other UVB lamps, and infinitely stronger than reptile lights or other makeshift lights. This is the real deal, dispensary tested, proven lab results up to 40% higher THC than not using any supplemental UVB. We guarantee you 20% better results the first season, and 30% or more once you get dialed into using the maximum amount possible. No one else guarantees results like this, but we can.
Specifications:
FR40T12 multi-wattage, multi-peak UVB/UVA horticultural lamp.
Wattage: 32-40 watts standard, can be run as high as 80w for special applications.
Color: white to violet. Color temperature >10,000K
Dimension: 4 foot by 1.5 inches. Will fit almost any shop light.
Reflector: Built inside the lamp. No external reflector needed.
UVA/B: 5x the power of the SG-1 and Universal UV. About 20 to 50x the power of reptile lights.
UVA/B rating: Equivalent to a 30% UVB lamp, but we do this in very different frequencies, so they don't equate.
Life: 1000 hours at 70% of original power.
From the ground up, this lamp was engineered to do nothing but operate as a horticultural lamp. It can operate as low as 25 watts and as high as 80 watts, but is centered to us a standard 4 foot 32w fixture and it's own timer. It is four foot long, 1.5" in diameter, so it can be used in virtually every 4 foot fixture at the hardware store. Our entire goal was to make it simple and cheap to operate. All the really interesting things are happening inside the lamp, not in the fixture.
Again we licensed Sol Glass for this lamp, like our SG series lamps. It is more transparent to any other UV glass made, and allows transmission of UVB between 280nm and 300nm, something other lamps don't do well. This is one reason our lamps have been so successful in the labs, testing for resin/flavonoids/terpenes/THC. The new spectrum uses many of the same spectral peaks as the SG, but are 3 to 4 times stronger in the UVB, while still having a solid UVA profile. UVA is seldom discussed in many circles, and it is too large a topic to discuss here, but we design our lamps with a sun similar UVA spectrum because we have good reason to think it is also very beneficial for UV started plants. The UVA to UVB ratio is very different than the sun, however, as the effective ratio is about 4 times higher than the sun. This is why you can use half as many lamps and still get twice as much UVB. In short, you use few lamps farther from from your plants. This makes using them easier and cheaper for you, while being more effective. It is hard to overstate how big a leap this lamp is.
Like most Solacure lamps, the Flower Power has a built in reflector, so you don't need to worry about using reflective material with it. Mylar, white paint, all these absorb UV anyway, they are useless for reflecting it. The image on the left shows a regular lamp, the image on the right is how the Flower Power is designed, with an internal reflector. It forces all the light to go in one direction, making designing and installing a system much easier. This means the lamp has about 50% more total UV output than a non-reflector design with a home made reflector.
For all flowering plants (including fruits and vegetables) grown indoor or in a greenhouse environment. The exact amount of UV needed for each plant will vary, and must be determined by the grower. To offer enhanced UVB, most growers will use two of the Flower Power lamps for every 1000w HPS/MH or equivalent. Obviously these will work on cannabis and are designed to maximize the UVB needs of the buds, but it was designed to be a greenhouse light and to provide the missing UVB for any plant.
How to use these lamps
Use two Flower Power lamps per 1000w hood, one on each side for even coverage, 12" to 24" from the plants (farther is weaker so needs to be run longer, but covers a larger area). Run 1 to 4 times per day, 1 to 6 hours per cycle for up to 12 hours (single cycle). How much depends on your particular plants, so start with 2 to 4 hours and work your way up, looking out for burned edges. The goal is to stress the plants, push them, without damaging them. Only run during your day cycle. Use during flowering and fruiting stage. Also proven to suppress mold and mildew as well as discourage many insects.
Another method that is claimed to produce higher CBD is the "Pulse Method". You run them 15 minutes on, 45 minutes off. This will shorten lamp life somewhat, but will still get you 2 flowering seasons worth of use. These claims have been made by a few professional growers. Most tests that instead run the UVB continuously for several hours have shown to not dramatically affect CBD production (flat to slightly higher).
Already certified to get 20% to 35% higher THC and flavonoids and anecdotal evidence that approaches 40% higher, and results keep coming in.
This shows the Flower Power in Standard F32 mode (22 watts, lower image) and in dual F32 mode (HO mode, ~40 watts, top image). Note the lamps aren't exceptionally bright because we don't use visible phosphors. All the power is going to the ultraviolet range, which is invisible to your eyes. This is one reason Flower Power lamps deliver 10x the UV when comparing to other lamps, watt per watt.
Output as measured with a hand held UV meter at 312nm (not the strongest peak for these lamps) 2 foot Flower Power F20
20w, measured dead to lamp: 1450mW/cm2 (normal F20 fixture)
10w, measured dead to lamp: 750mW/cm2
4 foot Flower Power F40
40w, measured dead to lamp: 1400cm2
20w, measured dead to lamp: 800mW/cm2 (normal F32 fixture)
Please note that UV output varies radically based on temperature, now long the lamp has been on, how old the lamp is. These are useful for comparing to our other lamps, but no so much for comparing to other lamps.
Misc info FR40 version: (20w @ 12"/.3m distance)
Note that this is running in the LOWEST power mode and some measurements will seem odd because they are based on visible light and almost no output of this lamp is in the visible range.
Peak Wavelength: λp=352nm
Dominant WaveLength: λd 469.21nm (visible only)
Ee=3497.1300mW/m2
PPFD=1.31 umol/m2*s
J=0.3497mJ/cm2
Candle E=5.28Fc (virtually no ouput is in visible range)
CCT Tc=1,750,000.0K
Spectrometer: SRI-2000-UV (Optimum Optoelectrics Corp, Canada) |