Have you ever dived into the details of “the why” behind the type of light you use for your grow and why it matters? If so you will NOT want to miss this AMA.
Who: Tim Dahler
What: Why the correct Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) matters to your grow.
PowerTrakGrow is set apart from other LED grow light suppliers in that they have direct custom manufacturing capabilities and can tailor light intensity, wattage, configuration and spectrum for fairly low quantities. They have found in their conversations with growers that most lighting suppliers “force” growers to “work around” the specifications and footprint of their products. they approach the problem by working with the facility designers to engineer through 3D modeling and simulation, the most efficient lighting solutions for their designed space, for retrofit or new construction and can manufacture custom solutions.
Their LED chips are High Power SMT, Osram, Samsung or Phillips and match the highest efficacy available in the market. they are continuously engineering new products and technology, including the latest in IoT and cloud control solutions for each of their products.
Their grow light technology is born of 20 years in the commercial LED lighting industry. they hold LED Agri-Grow patents as well as having several patents within the LED Christmas and Entertainment/Performance lighting arena.
they are continuously testing their products with growers and test labs and updating results and case studies on a continued basis.
To begin we work hard to design out of the box solutions that are very flexible to a growers needs. i.e. Plug n Play, daisy chain, water proof fan less designs. We also assist client in laying out their spaces in full scale 3D to optimize space and light overlap with full energy impact studies.
I have applied for a commercial licence to grow. I have not laid the room up yet but am working towards that goal. I use LED on the seedlings and clones and then switch to Ceramic after 2-3 weeks. I am trying to learn more about LED, the feedback I’m getting from growers more experienced than I, think that ceramic or HPS is the still way to go.?
IR and UV have become hot topics in commercial cannabis cultivation. What has your research indicated as to the efficacy of these spectra of light? Do your fixtures incorporate any UV or IR into them?
It is really the application of the light that is important. Applying our solution properly to your grow will out perform HPS/CMH in overall health and cycle at 2/3 less energy. See image attached of independent grower test using our EGX3 Plus 28W for Veg and EGX5 320W Flower Bar. We are quickly changing minds and getting responses of “I still can’t believe how well these lights perform seeing with my own eyes”
When you say you actuate the early value of PAR, do you take into account the 30 to 60 min window that the photosystems, usually, require to reach a steady photosynthetic rate?
Ceramic and HPS have been industry leaders for years. LED introduces new technology that is eco-friendly, cost effective and most importantly customizable spectrums to cater to specific stages of the plants life.
Yes all of our solutions incorporate IR and our X7 model has full tunable UVB. We have found the IR aids in leaf surface temperature for transpiration and the UVB enhances trichrome production 20 to 30%. Also the IR and UVB through same strain testing produce much higher terpene content. Buds below were my initial test, first round try and I was astonished at the results. Same strains grown with HPS were less flavorful and 4% less potent THC.
Thanks for chatting with us today! Are there any health concerns that workers who are constantly under the lights need to be aware of? I know that those who work in TV studios have a higher rate of hair loss.
Do you have demonstrable evidence to support this claim? Can you give us an average % increase in terpenes/cannabinoids with the use of UV and/or IR light?
For how long do you recommend running UV during the photoperiod? When do you suggest introducing the UV light – i.e. during propagation or early veg or wait until inducing 12/12?