What kind of spectrum is needed to grow cannabis?
What is a Light Spectrum?
The visible light spectrum falls between 380 nm to 750 nm (nanometers).
This is the spectrum that we as humans can see, but plants use an even broader spectrum of light for photosynthesis.
Plants can ‘see’ ultraviolet wavelengths to infrared, and everything in between.
In normal outdoor growing conditions, the light spectrum shifts subtly through the seasons.
From spring into fall, the light shining on plants determines how they grow.
As the seasons changes, plants are triggered to enter into vegetative and then flowering stages of production.
180-280nm - UVC: Extremely harmful and luckily almost completely absorbed by the ozone layer
280-315nm – UVB: Cause of sunburn and suspected to increase THC levels (!)
315-400nm – UVA: Not absorbed by the atmosphere, commonly known as black light
380-750nm – The visible light spectrum: Bands of wave lengths represent visible colours
700nm-1mm – Infrared light: Not visible above 750nm but noticeable as heat on our skin
What is the Best Light Spectrum for Cannabis?
While cannabis requires a full spectrum of light to flourish, it relies on some colors more than others.
Researchers and experienced growers, through extensive experimentation, now understand that blues, reds, and ultraviolets are some of the most central wavelengths.
Applied strategically through the full lifecycle of the plant, certain colors improve growth, boost bud development, and improve cannabinoid content.
Other wavelengths are less understood, including greens and oranges, but with more study, they may also prove beneficial for influences different cannabis characteristics.
Blue Light
Introducing blue wavelengths to your grow room triggers vegetative growth.It mimics the sun’s light during the spring and summer seasons when the sun is closer to the earth, and more blue light penetrates through the atmosphere.Blue encourages plants to stop stretching out in search of it.Instead, it encourages cannabis to start bushing out.With blue light, your cannabis no longer has to waste any energy growing taller and lankier.Instead, it can focus on outward growth and producing more leaves.Bushier plants absorb more light, and therefore produce more energy through photosynthesis.
Purple Light
As we move up the light spectrum you move into purple light, and while this may not be familiar to most of us it can certainly help your plants to grow. Purple light has a much shorter wavelength than red light and it can be just as effective in helping your plants through the vegetative growth process as blue light. This type of light is very energetic and that energy can be used by your plants, although it won’t be overly effective by itself.
Green Light
While there has been some debate recently on the merits of green light during a plant’s growth cycle there’s a good reason plants normally have green leaves – that’s because they are least effective at absorbing this type of light. In general, plants use less of the green light they absorb than any other part of the spectrum and that’s why your plants appear green, but that doesn’t mean they don’t use any green light at all during the photosynthesis process. Some green light is retained by your plants for photosynthesis; leaving this part of the spectrum out altogether can negatively affect the growth of the plants.
Yellow or White Light
Yellow light isn’t the most effective part of the spectrum for plant growth, but it is still present in sunlight and so it’s still important to ask the question of how plants use yellow light during the process of photosynthesis. It turns out there are a lot of people that are convinced it doesn’t do much at all and that by removing yellow light altogether from your indoor grow lights you can actually produce plants that are healthier than plants grown outdoors. This is certainly debatable, but what is certain is that yellow light is one of the least effective parts of the spectrum during your plants’ growth cycle.
It might seem intuitive to assume that yellow and white light are close to each other on the spectrum, but that’s not the case at all. White light is actually made by combining other colors on the spectrum such as red, green, and blue. Therefore white light will actually be much more beneficial for the photosynthesis process than yellow light.
Red Lights
The red light spectrum comes in handy as you enter into the flowering stage of growth.Introduce red light to boosts bud development.Again, this essentially mimics the natural seasonal changes in the sun’s available light spectrum.As cannabis plants reach peak photosynthesis during the later stages of life, it requires light on the red end of the spectrum.During the fall, as cannabis typically enters into flowering stage, the sun starts to move farther away from the earth.That means more red light is available to the plants, exactly when they start fruiting.As cannabis plants reach peak photosynthesis during the later stages of life, it requires light on the red end of the spectrum.
The effects of every color
We have summed up what every part of the color spectrum does with a plant. We also added the effects that adding or removing the spectrum can have. Cannabis color spectrum information can help a lot in optimizing your cannabis growth. Use this outline to get started experimenting on your plants:
Ultraviolet – No exposure produces higher yields.
Violet – Enhances the color, taste, and aroma of plants.
Blue – Will increase the expansion rate of plants.
Green – Enhances pigment production and is employed as a pigment for correct plant viewing.
Yellow – Plants exhibit less growth compared to blue and red lightweight.
Red – Once combined with blue light it yields additional leaves and crops, counting on what’s being full-grown way.
Red – Hastens the Photochromic conversion. This reduces the time a plant takes to travel into a nighttime state. More red light enables the plant to supply a larger yield.
HOW THE LIGHT SPECTRUM AFFECTS GROWTH
Every organism living on Earth needs information what is going on around them to react to environmental changes, and ideally, get a slight advantage over other members of their species regarding natural selection and evolution. Interestingly, cannabis plants receive a lot of their information from the light they’re exposed to, and almost instantly react to different bands of wave lengths - a complex topic to fill books with, but let us focus on the basics first.
1. Vegetative Stage – “Blue” light for healthy leaves (range: 400-500nm; ideal: 460nm)
During the vegetative stage it is recommended to aim for as many leaves as possible, and to make sure plants stay rather compact, don’t stretch too much, and develop strong stems. Indoor growers tend to use metal halide bulbs, compact fluorescent lamps (CFL’s), or T5/T8 lighting fixtures with a blue band of light for the first few weeks to achieve these goals. When cannabis grows in nature, the high angle of the sun in spring and summer allows more “blue” wave lengths to penetrate through the atmosphere, a signal for cannabis plants to grow strong, large and healthy leaves.
2. Flowering Period – “Red” light for giant buds (range: 620-780nm; ideal: 660nm)
When cannabis plants enter the flowering period, highest yields can be achieved by exposing them to a light spectrum that contains lots of “red” wave lengths to promote budding. The rate of photosynthesis peaks when plants are subjected to “red” wave lengths of 660nm although latest NASA findings suggest that even “green” wave lengths, which are not associated as a major factor in photosynthesis, can also have an impact on how plants grow. Seeing a cannabis plant as simple photosynthesis factory is consequently a little hasty. But for now, choosing a lighting solution with a high degree of “red” in its spectrum remains the best way for growers to imitate the shallow angle of the sun in late summer and autumn.
Conclusion
So, what is the best light spectrum for cannabis?
Well, that depends on the stage that the plants are in.
When your plants are in the vegitative stage, make sure to get them plenty of blue light to boost plant growth and make them bushier.
Once you are ready to switch the lights to 12 on 12 off, you need to start introducing your plant to red light wave lengths.
This will tell the plant to crank up bud production!
A lot of manufactures of LED grow lights now have switch that do this for you!
The visible light spectrum falls between 380 nm to 750 nm (nanometers).
This is the spectrum that we as humans can see, but plants use an even broader spectrum of light for photosynthesis.
Plants can ‘see’ ultraviolet wavelengths to infrared, and everything in between.
In normal outdoor growing conditions, the light spectrum shifts subtly through the seasons.
From spring into fall, the light shining on plants determines how they grow.
As the seasons changes, plants are triggered to enter into vegetative and then flowering stages of production.
180-280nm - UVC: Extremely harmful and luckily almost completely absorbed by the ozone layer
280-315nm – UVB: Cause of sunburn and suspected to increase THC levels (!)
315-400nm – UVA: Not absorbed by the atmosphere, commonly known as black light
380-750nm – The visible light spectrum: Bands of wave lengths represent visible colours
700nm-1mm – Infrared light: Not visible above 750nm but noticeable as heat on our skin
What is the Best Light Spectrum for Cannabis?
While cannabis requires a full spectrum of light to flourish, it relies on some colors more than others.
Researchers and experienced growers, through extensive experimentation, now understand that blues, reds, and ultraviolets are some of the most central wavelengths.
Applied strategically through the full lifecycle of the plant, certain colors improve growth, boost bud development, and improve cannabinoid content.
Other wavelengths are less understood, including greens and oranges, but with more study, they may also prove beneficial for influences different cannabis characteristics.
Blue Light
Introducing blue wavelengths to your grow room triggers vegetative growth.It mimics the sun’s light during the spring and summer seasons when the sun is closer to the earth, and more blue light penetrates through the atmosphere.Blue encourages plants to stop stretching out in search of it.Instead, it encourages cannabis to start bushing out.With blue light, your cannabis no longer has to waste any energy growing taller and lankier.Instead, it can focus on outward growth and producing more leaves.Bushier plants absorb more light, and therefore produce more energy through photosynthesis.
Purple Light
As we move up the light spectrum you move into purple light, and while this may not be familiar to most of us it can certainly help your plants to grow. Purple light has a much shorter wavelength than red light and it can be just as effective in helping your plants through the vegetative growth process as blue light. This type of light is very energetic and that energy can be used by your plants, although it won’t be overly effective by itself.
Green Light
While there has been some debate recently on the merits of green light during a plant’s growth cycle there’s a good reason plants normally have green leaves – that’s because they are least effective at absorbing this type of light. In general, plants use less of the green light they absorb than any other part of the spectrum and that’s why your plants appear green, but that doesn’t mean they don’t use any green light at all during the photosynthesis process. Some green light is retained by your plants for photosynthesis; leaving this part of the spectrum out altogether can negatively affect the growth of the plants.
Yellow or White Light
Yellow light isn’t the most effective part of the spectrum for plant growth, but it is still present in sunlight and so it’s still important to ask the question of how plants use yellow light during the process of photosynthesis. It turns out there are a lot of people that are convinced it doesn’t do much at all and that by removing yellow light altogether from your indoor grow lights you can actually produce plants that are healthier than plants grown outdoors. This is certainly debatable, but what is certain is that yellow light is one of the least effective parts of the spectrum during your plants’ growth cycle.
It might seem intuitive to assume that yellow and white light are close to each other on the spectrum, but that’s not the case at all. White light is actually made by combining other colors on the spectrum such as red, green, and blue. Therefore white light will actually be much more beneficial for the photosynthesis process than yellow light.
Red Lights
The red light spectrum comes in handy as you enter into the flowering stage of growth.Introduce red light to boosts bud development.Again, this essentially mimics the natural seasonal changes in the sun’s available light spectrum.As cannabis plants reach peak photosynthesis during the later stages of life, it requires light on the red end of the spectrum.During the fall, as cannabis typically enters into flowering stage, the sun starts to move farther away from the earth.That means more red light is available to the plants, exactly when they start fruiting.As cannabis plants reach peak photosynthesis during the later stages of life, it requires light on the red end of the spectrum.
The effects of every color
We have summed up what every part of the color spectrum does with a plant. We also added the effects that adding or removing the spectrum can have. Cannabis color spectrum information can help a lot in optimizing your cannabis growth. Use this outline to get started experimenting on your plants:
Ultraviolet – No exposure produces higher yields.
Violet – Enhances the color, taste, and aroma of plants.
Blue – Will increase the expansion rate of plants.
Green – Enhances pigment production and is employed as a pigment for correct plant viewing.
Yellow – Plants exhibit less growth compared to blue and red lightweight.
Red – Once combined with blue light it yields additional leaves and crops, counting on what’s being full-grown way.
Red – Hastens the Photochromic conversion. This reduces the time a plant takes to travel into a nighttime state. More red light enables the plant to supply a larger yield.
HOW THE LIGHT SPECTRUM AFFECTS GROWTH
Every organism living on Earth needs information what is going on around them to react to environmental changes, and ideally, get a slight advantage over other members of their species regarding natural selection and evolution. Interestingly, cannabis plants receive a lot of their information from the light they’re exposed to, and almost instantly react to different bands of wave lengths - a complex topic to fill books with, but let us focus on the basics first.
1. Vegetative Stage – “Blue” light for healthy leaves (range: 400-500nm; ideal: 460nm)
During the vegetative stage it is recommended to aim for as many leaves as possible, and to make sure plants stay rather compact, don’t stretch too much, and develop strong stems. Indoor growers tend to use metal halide bulbs, compact fluorescent lamps (CFL’s), or T5/T8 lighting fixtures with a blue band of light for the first few weeks to achieve these goals. When cannabis grows in nature, the high angle of the sun in spring and summer allows more “blue” wave lengths to penetrate through the atmosphere, a signal for cannabis plants to grow strong, large and healthy leaves.
2. Flowering Period – “Red” light for giant buds (range: 620-780nm; ideal: 660nm)
When cannabis plants enter the flowering period, highest yields can be achieved by exposing them to a light spectrum that contains lots of “red” wave lengths to promote budding. The rate of photosynthesis peaks when plants are subjected to “red” wave lengths of 660nm although latest NASA findings suggest that even “green” wave lengths, which are not associated as a major factor in photosynthesis, can also have an impact on how plants grow. Seeing a cannabis plant as simple photosynthesis factory is consequently a little hasty. But for now, choosing a lighting solution with a high degree of “red” in its spectrum remains the best way for growers to imitate the shallow angle of the sun in late summer and autumn.
Conclusion
So, what is the best light spectrum for cannabis?
Well, that depends on the stage that the plants are in.
When your plants are in the vegitative stage, make sure to get them plenty of blue light to boost plant growth and make them bushier.
Once you are ready to switch the lights to 12 on 12 off, you need to start introducing your plant to red light wave lengths.
This will tell the plant to crank up bud production!
A lot of manufactures of LED grow lights now have switch that do this for you!
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