PetFlora
Well-Known Member
Well, they’re not without common sense, but hps is super inefficient and requires a considerable investment in cooling.
The very range where hps gets its’ juice is the ~460- 630 range. This is the range that most led manufacturers have avoided to this day.
The problem plaguing led began in the very beginning, as the manufacturing focus was on Red and Blue diodes. White diodes were in their infancy, and simply not ready for growing plants.
Alas, some brain trust wanting to exploit the indoor horticulture market at large, sold us on the idea that the best way to max chlorophyll A & B PAR peaks is using R/B monochromes. Sounded good on paper, and yes, many have grown lush looking buds with them, BUT, hps grows have consistently proven otherwise. My own 3+ yo ufo 90 (R/B) with a decent balance of spectrums never produced, even when supplemented with cfls/A19 leds or even side light supplement for my HOT5s!
Let me use a health analogy...
If someone is a meat and potatoes eater, no greens, no mineral supplements, they may look healthy and be strong for years, but eventually they will develop debilitating health issues like; muscle twitch/cramping, arthritis, cataracts, osteoporosis, gall bladder and liver failure, even cancer. The diminished cells (and sperm) predispose their offspring to those issues. The solution is to introduce the missing elements, micro-nutrients, or in our case, the missing spectrums
Sticking with food for a minute, we know that plants need essential micro-nutrients BEYOND NPK (the lack thereof is a big part of why vegetables lack flavor). Similarly, incorporating micro minerals is ESSENTIAL for mj to develop to its' fullest potential, and provide high quality (tasty) fruits, or in our case- buds
White Light is the only way to provide the important ‘micro spectrums’. Consider that micro-nutrients might need the missing spectrums to be fully utilized by the plant. Hmmm
Although many led manufacturers are beginning to add some white diodes, it's a joke, probably due to having a huge inventory of R/B diodes, and or, they convinced themselves that RB is all you need, or they are just that much cheaper than quality white diodes.
But, are white diodes ‘full spectrum’? Yes and No
The basic breakdown of white diodes is Cool White, Neutral White and Warm White. Most mj strains will get ample blue and red from today’s NW diodes, which have a nice amount of green, yellow and orange spectrums which are needed for optimum root and leaf development. A better hps if you will, as it incorporates blue
However, once buds set then more WW is needed to fatten up the fruit/buds.
Note that A 51s new panel is all white. As importantly (maybe more so) it has 3 switches, essential to maximize plant development at each stage
The very range where hps gets its’ juice is the ~460- 630 range. This is the range that most led manufacturers have avoided to this day.
The problem plaguing led began in the very beginning, as the manufacturing focus was on Red and Blue diodes. White diodes were in their infancy, and simply not ready for growing plants.
Alas, some brain trust wanting to exploit the indoor horticulture market at large, sold us on the idea that the best way to max chlorophyll A & B PAR peaks is using R/B monochromes. Sounded good on paper, and yes, many have grown lush looking buds with them, BUT, hps grows have consistently proven otherwise. My own 3+ yo ufo 90 (R/B) with a decent balance of spectrums never produced, even when supplemented with cfls/A19 leds or even side light supplement for my HOT5s!
Let me use a health analogy...
If someone is a meat and potatoes eater, no greens, no mineral supplements, they may look healthy and be strong for years, but eventually they will develop debilitating health issues like; muscle twitch/cramping, arthritis, cataracts, osteoporosis, gall bladder and liver failure, even cancer. The diminished cells (and sperm) predispose their offspring to those issues. The solution is to introduce the missing elements, micro-nutrients, or in our case, the missing spectrums
Sticking with food for a minute, we know that plants need essential micro-nutrients BEYOND NPK (the lack thereof is a big part of why vegetables lack flavor). Similarly, incorporating micro minerals is ESSENTIAL for mj to develop to its' fullest potential, and provide high quality (tasty) fruits, or in our case- buds
White Light is the only way to provide the important ‘micro spectrums’. Consider that micro-nutrients might need the missing spectrums to be fully utilized by the plant. Hmmm
Although many led manufacturers are beginning to add some white diodes, it's a joke, probably due to having a huge inventory of R/B diodes, and or, they convinced themselves that RB is all you need, or they are just that much cheaper than quality white diodes.
But, are white diodes ‘full spectrum’? Yes and No
The basic breakdown of white diodes is Cool White, Neutral White and Warm White. Most mj strains will get ample blue and red from today’s NW diodes, which have a nice amount of green, yellow and orange spectrums which are needed for optimum root and leaf development. A better hps if you will, as it incorporates blue
However, once buds set then more WW is needed to fatten up the fruit/buds.
Note that A 51s new panel is all white. As importantly (maybe more so) it has 3 switches, essential to maximize plant development at each stage
