tstick
Well-Known Member
My understanding is that many LED lights now use some red chips not only to amplify the red portion of the spectrum, but also because doing so somehow jacks up the efficiency rating of the light...which still seems to be a major selling point. So, whether or not added red chips do anything beneficial in terms of photosynthetic response, they probably don't hurt anything, either. I think the most recent "customizable" spectrum that some fixtures are offering, is just a toy to play with by growers who want to try and find a secret sauce that no one else has...which is just a gimmick, of course.My disagreement includes yield, but like I mentioned previously also includes cannabinoid content. The cool thing about this plant is that the cannabinoid content can change drastically with the exact same cultivar despite yield improving or declining. I believe there are environmental factors including fertilization that can have large effects on total yield in a grow, but I also feel that the cannibinoid/secondary metabolite count and quanta (this includes terpenes) is the real report card in terms of the plant’s overall health and its ability to express its full genetic potential.
Believe me, I’m more about quality than weight myself. I believe they can also go hand in hand. And I do believe that the more broad/natural the spectrum of light, the easier it is for the plants to achieve that expression. I’m just not sure adding individual nanometer LED chips to an already subpar spectrum is the *best way to do it.
At first, I was wondering if it was the COLOR of the HPS lights that caused plants to become more fragrant. But, now, after doing a run using the HPS bulb, I don't think it's the just the visible color. I think it has to do more with the heat that is radiated from the same source that the visible light is coming from. That's just a suspicion that I have concluded from my own observation and analysis. It's almost like when you put a cat in a room with three lights: a fluorescent, an LED and an HID. All can be the same wattage. Just wait a few minutes and then come back in the room. Guess which light the cat will be sitting under. It will be the HID. Why? It's warmer! Why is it warmer? Because it radiates a lot of IR heat than do the other types of light. Are plants and cats the same? Of course not...It was just a joke....or was it?
I'm now trying to figure out a good way to integrate the best qualities of LEDs along with HPS. I think it might be best to try and enhance the very efficient LED with the directional warmth and potential ripening of the volatile esters and terpenes that I associate with the HPS light bulb. That way, I'll get all the KNOWN and studied results from the LED....and maybe some voodoo from the HPS