Side or under canopy lighting?

lusidghost

lusidghost

Well-Known Member
Leaves don't have chlorophyll on the underside, so there's a good chance you'll burn them. Or they'll just turn towards whichever light source is brighter. You're better off cleaning up that jungle to get light to penetrate the old fashioned way.
 
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ҖҗlegilizeitҗҖ

ҖҗlegilizeitҗҖ

Well-Known Member
twentyeight.threefive said:
I've seen lots if people use side lighting but not underneath. The light dispersion from below just be awful. I can't see it as efficient at all. You'd be better off lollipopping and letting the plant focus on the upper buds.
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But it's REALLY bright under there now, and it's only 100w
I agree a better lollipop would have helped, but this tent just stretched in flower farther than I ever imagined it would.
Originally I only was going to lollipop below the first SCROG screen, but after the plants grew 24-36" above it, I lollipoped up another 8" above the screen.

Still have buds on the bottom that almost look albino from lack of light.
 
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B

Bookush34

Well-Known Member
lusidghost said:
While I agree that side lighting is fine, why don't you scrog instead? You have a ton of wasted canopy space in there. Plus those plants are so small that you're basically just lighting them at an angle instead of side lighting.
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Yeah I’ve done scrog many times.
But it’s a pain in the ass since I switched to perpetual.

The one in the back is a jack Herer that didn’t stretch at all. The two in soil are autos I chucked in as a stash filler.

I have a big Maui waui that will go in when I cut the Jack.

But yea it is hard to get good use of side lights in a 3x3.
Hoping to go to a 3x4 soon
 
MAGpie81

MAGpie81

Well-Known Member
Good question. Just got a cheap SF-1000D I want to use as supplemental on my current flowering plants, from underneath while they absorb sun from above. Why, you may ask?
Sun isn’t directly overhead yet so not as strong as it could be. I’ve never used board mounted LED’s, so not sure it will fit.
May instead use it as side-light (it even suggests this for germination racks) in nursery-greenhouse.
 
hotrodharley

hotrodharley

Well-Known Member
“Side lighting does work, just not in the cause-effect fashion some may think. Doubling your light exposure to the sides and bottom will not double your yield. It will certainly give it a bump, but side lighting should not be your primary strategy for maximising final dry weight.”

“Before thinking of side lighting, consider training. There are multiple techniques we will not go into right now, but will mention for your curiosity. They all share the same principle - to maximise horizontal growth and/or break the main stem apical dominance. These techniques will make for bushier plants with more colas. The result is a much more efficient use of your artificial top lighting and a considerable increase in potential yield.”

Bottom lighting? Lol. Of course RQS doesn’t know shit. Right?

https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/blog-can-side-lighting-increase-cannabis-yields-n779
 
PJ Diaz

PJ Diaz

Well-Known Member
Personally I would clean out a lot of that underbrush, and skip the under lighting. Having the light so close to water pipes would worry me a bit too. I think side lighting would help, but I'd keep it minimal, maybe 25watts of LED strips per wall for a total of 100watts of side lighting would be the max I'd prolly go for.
 
ҖҗlegilizeitҗҖ

ҖҗlegilizeitҗҖ

Well-Known Member
PJ Diaz said:
Personally I would clean out a lot of that underbrush, and skip the under lighting. Having the light so close to water pipes would worry me a bit too. I think side lighting would help, but I'd keep it minimal, maybe 25watts of LED strips per wall for a total of 100watts of side lighting would be the max I'd prolly go for.
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Not too far off from what your saying, the LED overall is only 100w, just concentrated in the center lol
I have the light suspended a few inches off the ground, and it is atleast 3-6" away from any of the PVC (which has 63°f water flowing through it)
I do have some decent 4' strip LED lights though, they only pull 42w each
 
PJ Diaz

PJ Diaz

Well-Known Member
ÒÒlegilizeitÒÒ said:
Not too far off from what your saying, the LED overall is only 100w, just concentrated in the center lol
I have the light suspended a few inches off the ground, and it is atleast 3-6" away from any of the PVC (which has 63°f water flowing through it)
I do have some decent 4' strip LED lights though, they only pull 42w each
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I just don't think that under lighting is as effecting as side-lighting or traditional top lighting.
 
ҖҗlegilizeitҗҖ

ҖҗlegilizeitҗҖ

Well-Known Member
PJ Diaz said:
I just don't think that under lighting is as effecting as side-lighting or traditional top lighting.
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For sure, no disagreement.
I couldn't imagine it would be
The buds under there are actually white though! Haha I am hoping to get some color into them before harvest.
Already likely will harvest the top and let the bottom keep maturing for a week or two.
 
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