Supplimenting with 660 nm

graying.geek

Well-Known Member
I'm considering adding 20W of 660nm and 6W of 730nm to my ~400W, 4000'K Bridgelux strip DIY on separate drivers for Emerson Effect during lights on, and 10 min of the far red after lights out for Flower Initiation.

Questions for those in the know:

1) Is this even worthwhile? Can I expect a significant bump in yield or quality, or is this just an esoteric distraction?

2) Would adding some blue along with the reds help limit the stretch associated with deep red? If so, in what wavelength and wattage ratio?

TIA.
 

Northeastskier

Well-Known Member
Its fun to see the effects of 730 on young plants...shoot up into the sky, but then during the bloom, the Xmas tree shape, the buds so far spaced off. Some undesirable effects.
But with budding plants, a 730 as 10% of your total light will increase your yield, per Dr. Bugbee.
Also, the Dutch companies use 730 as an End of Day procedure and say they can quantify the results, but that's tomatos.
 

Grow Lights Australia

Well-Known Member
We have 10% Far Red in our lights. There are ways to counter stretch (shade avoidance induced cell expansion) by using UVA at the other end of the spectrum. Adding even a small amount of Deep Red (660nm) and Far Red will make a difference to yield and I would suggest that with 400W of 4000K Bridgelux you won't have to add any blue. A small amount of stretch is beneficial for plants as it opens up the internode length to allow more light to penetrate into the mid and lower canopy. I would add it first and observe the effects before considering adding any more blue.
 

graying.geek

Well-Known Member
We have 10% Far Red in our lights. There are ways to counter stretch (shade avoidance induced cell expansion) by using UVA at the other end of the spectrum. Adding even a small amount of Deep Red (660nm) and Far Red will make a difference to yield and I would suggest that with 400W of 4000K Bridgelux you won't have to add any blue. A small amount of stretch is beneficial for plants as it opens up the internode length to allow more light to penetrate into the mid and lower canopy. I would add it first and observe the effects before considering adding any more blue.
Sweet! Thanx for the authoritative response. Much appreciated.
 
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