Do Trichomes develop/degrade faster under UVA+B lights?

Deadmagician said:

Hi!

Just wondering if anyone had noticed this phenomena before.

I have just recently added a supplementary UVA+B LED light to my grow, and although I was led to understand that this is only really beneficial in the latter stages of flower (if at all?) I decided to add a small amount (1 hour per day) as soon as I flipped from veg to flower.

My thinking was that if indeed there is anything to UVA/B AT ALL, then these mountainous strains which are supposed to have higher resin/THC/terpene production would be exposed to those UV bands from being tiny plants anyway, and it was probably a good idea to get them used to it, so as not to shock them in the later stages, with a view to increasing from 1 hour per day steadily upto about 3. A sensible enough thought I believed.

However, I’m just 4 weeks into flower and did a quick check on the trichomes just out of curiousity and I have noticed that many of them are cloudy already! So my basic question is that do you think the UVA/B could speed up the development/degradation of trichomes?

The problem variables (or perhaps confirmatory?) in answering this question are that I’m running three different strain plants from seed, I have no idea about the genetics or phenotype traits etc…
All I will say is that I checked the top most cola buds from each plant and they seemed to have an unusually large amount of cloudy trichs for this early into flower. Could be a coincidence and nothing to do with the UVA/B light & just how they are developing.
Does anyone else have experience of this?
Thanks All the best…

H

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Deadmagician said:

Hi!

Just wondering if anyone had noticed this phenomena before.

I have just recently added a supplementary UVA+B LED light to my grow, and although I was led to understand that this is only really beneficial in the latter stages of flower (if at all?) I decided to add a small amount (1 hour per day) as soon as I flipped from veg to flower.

My thinking was that if indeed there is anything to UVA/B AT ALL, then these mountainous strains which are supposed to have higher resin/THC/terpene production would be exposed to those UV bands from being tiny plants anyway, and it was probably a good idea to get them used to it, so as not to shock them in the later stages, with a view to increasing from 1 hour per day steadily upto about 3. A sensible enough thought I believed.

However, I’m just 4 weeks into flower and did a quick check on the trichomes just out of curiousity and I have noticed that many of them are cloudy already! So my basic question is that do you think the UVA/B could speed up the development/degradation of trichomes?

The problem variables (or perhaps confirmatory?) in answering this question are that I’m running three different strain plants from seed, I have no idea about the genetics or phenotype traits etc…
All I will say is that I checked the top most cola buds from each plant and they seemed to have an unusually large amount of cloudy trichs for this early into flower. Could be a coincidence and nothing to do with the UVA/B light & just how they are developing.
Does anyone else have experience of this?
Thanks All the best…

H

Click to expand...

Humanrob said:

I added a supplmental UVA (A only, no B) bar to my last grow, had six different strains going, some definitely did not respond well and and ambered up early. When I say ambered early, I mean in one case a percentage of the trichomes went from clear straight to amber. Ended out with less weight on the ones negatively impacted, since they didn't have as much time to fatten up at the end. I'd say 2/3's of the plants seemed OK with it, but since I grow different strains every time and grow from seeds, I have no stable points of comparison.

The manufacturer of the light I use (HLG) recommends the light be on for the full 12 hours of flower, at 24" above the canopy, in a 4x4 tent. I'm growing in a 2x4, so I had to experiment a bit. I started slowly and worked my way up to three 30 minute segments set a few hours apart, but that apparently was too much. Ended out turning it down to three 15 minute segments. Still deciding how/if I'll use it this run.

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Humanrob said:

I added a supplmental UVA (A only, no B) bar to my last grow, had six different strains going, some definitely did not respond well and and ambered up early. When I say ambered early, I mean in one case a percentage of the trichomes went from clear straight to amber. Ended out with less weight on the ones negatively impacted, since they didn't have as much time to fatten up at the end. I'd say 2/3's of the plants seemed OK with it, but since I grow different strains every time and grow from seeds, I have no stable points of comparison.

The manufacturer of the light I use (HLG) recommends the light be on for the full 12 hours of flower, at 24" above the canopy, in a 4x4 tent. I'm growing in a 2x4, so I had to experiment a bit. I started slowly and worked my way up to three 30 minute segments set a few hours apart, but that apparently was too much. Ended out turning it down to three 15 minute segments. Still deciding how/if I'll use it this run.

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Nope_49595933949 said:

I've grown like 4 or 5 different clones under uva supplemented lights and had more prominent flavors. No reduction in harvest.

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Comparator said:

And here's a prime example of getting poor information online. He's vague enough to bounce out of it but pretty much says "I used uv the same way you did and had no negative impact at all". Subtlety Reinforcing the manufacturers wrong recommendations.
Be careful what you believe is all I'm saying.

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Budzbuddha said:

Uv will increase the density of triches and as a protective response to them. A sunscreen effect as it were.
It will increase flavor , color and smell .
No ‘ poor information ‘ given.

UV-A light increases anthocyanin content while UV-B light increases the amount of lycopene, beta-carotene, glycosides, and hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives3–5. Those chemicals they also play other roles. For example, anthocyanins give many plants a red-purple-blue color (think of blueberries and raspberries). For those looking for purps. Beta-carotene gives plants an orange color (think of carrots and yams). And many glycosides are responsible for giving our foods flavor and smell (Like wine !)

For example, applying UV-A light to tomato fruits enhances the smell, acidity, and overall flavor of the ripe tomatoes . The supplementation of UV in indoor settings can optimize the available light the plant is getting - simulating what the sun would naturally throw at it outside. However , too much can be a bad thing not only to plant but to grower exposure. For me , I split a 12 / 12 run into 4 hour “ blocks “ with UV timer on for 15 min per block . Not based on any source just my way of introducing it to garden. There are some very powerful UV rigs out there , so your mileage will vary

Besides IR , UV is a welcome addition to any setup.

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Comparator said:

See, you use it correctly. In what way is the recommended Instructions anyway close? As for poor information, yeah, it only works of you use it properly.

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Comparator said:

And here's a prime example of getting poor information online. He's vague enough to bounce out of it but pretty much says "I used uv the same way you did and had no negative impact at all". Subtlety Reinforcing the manufacturers wrong recommendations.
Be careful what you believe is all I'm saying.

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Budzbuddha said:

It does increase color and fragrance. Plus bumping the frost.
I also dim power occasionally ( main rig ) for the UV sometimes. I just don’t throw UV longer than say 15 minutes.
It will torch some shit. I use a mixed lamp ( agromax Pure UV & Pure Par ) - Uv bulb is the deeper color one .

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