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Danishoes21
Well-Known Member
I have read a few Grow Journals where people supplemented with Reptisun UVB Florescent light bulbs, try searching for reptisun in the advanced search window at the top right of the webpage.
I've looked around and most are dated 2010 and older and weren't really conclusive. The problem is finding how much time and at what height to use the UVB radiation. I will look again on 420 but I have been reading all over even other forums, university papers, private researchers... I am aware that reptisun is probably the cheap least reliable source of UVB light but thats the only one I can afford. They do sell UVB units at 1000$ and up.
Plants grown under LED light panels have a higher requirement for calcium and magnesium. I believe the focused PAR spectrum activates more receptors in the plants than plants grown under High Pressure Sodium lights and causes higher amounts of calcium and magnesium to be used metabolically.
This could be solved by the LED companies, detecting at what wavelength in the 400-700 nm spectrum is responsible for the synthesis of Ca and Mg and tweaking the panels so this particular Wavelength doesn't peak as much as they do right now, causing the plant to intake more of these (and probably other) nutrients from the medium to the point that the grower has to supplement from an outside source (bottle nuts). I think they focused mostly on peaks for maximum intake of N-P-K. I think they have a good spectrum formula to promote thriving growth = more yields, but at the expense of a pattern of deficiencies, and I would add they could now focus on bettering the spectrum formula to maximize THC production, thats another ball game.
Many LED light panels also include Ultra Violet LED's in their designs and usage. Most charts are given in PAR meter readings for LED light panels. The PAR or Photosynthetic Active Radiation only covers from 400-700 nanometers and does not include either the UV or Infra Red wavelengths.
I believe they do have UV light BUT not at the proper wavelength as low as 280nm-320nm that is the exact wavelength of the UVB ray. Correct me if Im wrong the LED spectrum don't go below 370nm because "that is the lowest usable spectrum of "blue" visible light to Cannabis plants"... either way I don't think its SAFE by law for lights in general to go beyond 400nm-700nm or to not filter out almost completely the UV in all its forms (UVA, UVB, UVC being the most toxic). So that said, to add radiation at 280nm-320nm has to identified properly as Hazards and should have all the warning labels etc.
I yet to proof or disproof if in fact UVB supplemented radiation has an improve or increase on THC content. UVB could be responsible restructuring the whole Cannabinoids system in the plant, some sort of mutation...
I really don't know at this point.