October 29, 2021
There is no substitute for natural light. However, when it comes to growing cannabis, the farmers still will not deny that the gentle warmth of sunlight needed for their plant’s growth is not always available. That is why there have been innovations, inventions, and discoveries to turn unfavourable conditions into favourable ones.
To achieve optimal light for plants, the best option is LED grow lights. These are the most effective source of providing adequate light for growing indoor plants. They improve the deficiency of the sunlight, which passes through windows and on the plants.
The salient features of LED grow lights are adequate energy production, less energy consumption, and the spread of full-spectrum color light. They do not only provide light and energy to the plants, but they also provide ambience. It is pertinent to clarify that they are entirely different from other High-Pressure Sodium lights, commonly known as HPS or CFLs, which are compact fluorescent lamps.
LED grow lights are so common that almost everybody who has even a little know-how and experience about farming is well acquainted with their nature, function, and availability. Above all, they are the most effective artificial substitute for sunlight.
The most important bit of equipment in your grow room is your light.
Why? Light is your plant’s food, you need to feed your plants high-quality food for them to produce high-quality yields.
LED lights for weed are now considered the best lighting option by most growers due to their energy efficiency, durability, and full spectrum.
However, with all the options and technical jargon, finding the right light for your project can feel a little overwhelming.
To work out what size of LED grow light you need, you first need to calculate the exact size of your grow space.
The Size Of Your Grow Space
When growing cannabis, a good rule of thumb is to use a minimum of 50 watts of light per square foot of growing space.
We want to flood our plants with light ( food ) so that they have lots of energy to produce big potent buds.
Therefore, we need to calculate the square footage ( length x width ) of our growing space.
We’ll then multiply this number by 50w to give us the rough wattage of light we require.
EXAMPLE: I have a growing space that is 2ft long and 3ft wide. This gives me a square foot grow space of 6 ( 2ft x 3ft ). I would then multiply this number by 50w, which gives me 300w. Therefore, in this example, I would require an LED grow light that was at least 300w.
HLG 550 V2 BSpec Veg Quantum Board LED Panel
Features:
The HLG LED grow light is designed to replace a single-ended 1000watt HID. Each HLG-550 V2 uses 4 of our custom designed full-spectrum high efficiency white light quantum boards with Samsung LM301B and Blue 470nm. This unit is dimmable, with wattage output from 200 to 480 watts. The light has 4 circuit boards, each containing 288 (1,152 total) Samsung LM301B diodes. Samsung is known to produce top-shelf LED quality, so you won’t have to worry if you decide to go with this quantum board grow light. The boards are placed on a larger aluminum panel with a dimmable Meanwell driver on the opposite side. If you’re curious, or just switching over from an HPS grow light, the HLG 550 V2 is roughly equal to a 1000 watt HPS grow light.
Carambola 4000 Full Spectrum LED Grow Light
Features:
This Carambola LED grow light has a sunlike full spectrum 3500K 5000K and IR 660nm 760nm RED, Infinite close to natural sun light, suit for all plants whole stages indoor growing, rapid plant response from seed to flower.With bloom booster mode greatly increase the red spectrum to get a better yield.Advanded CHMHPS spectrum indoor lighting system will be your best choice.This grow light consumes only 480 Watts true output with 1152 PCS LEDs, more scientifically and energy-efficient! Perfect for 5' x 5' veg stage at 25 inch above the canopy, 4' x 4' bloom stage at 20 inch above the canopy. Newest SMD LED technology provide excellent PPF: 1100 μmol/s, designed to replace a single-ended 1000watt HPS; Carambola CBG4000 Plants Growing lamp makes you get 40% higher yield compare OLD blurple led lights.
Below we have rounded up what to look for when shopping for LED grow lights, followed by a list of the best LED grow lights available on the market today.
The type of light you use has a monumental effect on your cannabis growing efforts. Many factors go into what LED light to use for growing cannabis. We did the research for you and have rounded up the most important ones below.
Light spectrum
While plants can grow under most spectrums, to make the process efficient they need specific wavelengths throughout each growth stage. High quality LED lights provide the full spectrum of light, allowing you to select the best one for each growing stage. Plants naturally react and grow based on the spectrum of light they get outdoors. They will grow as long as they receive blue and red lights, though most good LED lights offer the full spectrum. The spectrum you use in different stages will affect the plant’s growing patterns.
Blue lights (400nm — 500nm): Blue lights are often used in the vegetative stage of growth. That’s because this spectrum mimics the sunlight during summertime. Plants use this blue spectrum as a hint to spread its leaves in order to soak up as much sun as possible during the summer. It’s recommended to use blue light during the plant’s vegetative stage so it spreads and grows leafy. However, if you use blue light throughout growing you’ll get plants with short stems but with large healthy leaves.
Red lights (660nm — 730nm): Red or yellow lights are often used in the flowering stage of growth. This spectrum mimics the sunlight during the fall. This is when plants grow tall to prepare for the upcoming winter. Taller plants are in a better position to bud and pollinate via winter winds. Using more red light stimulates your cannabis to grow taller and flower (promoting bud growth).
Since you’re playing the role of the sun, you can choose the optimal spectrum of light for the strain of weed you’re growing. Most LED grow lights come with customized spectrums of light that are optimized for speedy growth. Manufacturers often state the great PAR of their LED grow lights. Photosynthetically active radiation, or PAR, is the wavelengths of light between 400nm and 700nm. These wavelengths are the best for photosynthesis.
Amount of light
The lighter your plants receive, the better they grow. So, how do you find an LED grow light that emits the highest quantity of light? For one, LED lights are already designed to directly aim at the plant. Panels that are 3W per bulb produce the highest yield without burning the plant. More panels help spread light over more areas. It’s recommended to use an LED grow light with over 2 panels if you plan on having a large growing space.
Wattage per square foot and coverage area
Your grow lights will be running for long hours, so you’ll want to save electricity. You’ll want to check the electrical output of your light, which should optimally stay over 300W. If the wattage is too high, you can run the risk of burning your plants. The recommended amount for growing cannabis is 50–60 watts per square foot. You will also want to know how much area your lights can cover. Most lights we recommended today have a coverage area of 3 ft x 3 ft at the vegetative stage.
Low heat emission
It’s important to find an LED grow light with low heat emission. You don’t want to run the risk of burning or discolouring your plants. You can put lights with low emission close to your plants, allowing them to receive more direct light. Controlling the temperature of your grow room is important for saving electricity and room temperatures contribute heavily to plant growth. If the air is humid, similar to the tropics, your plants grow optimally. Grow lights that emit too much heat turn the air dry, meaning your plants won’t grow.
Quality of materials
LED lights can be an expensive investment and the quality of your light source highly affects the yield. You want an LED light that gives off 3W per bulb, meaning the semiconductor chip needs to be of high quality. You need to look for durability; very durable LED grow lights last for 50,000 hours plus. Look for manufacturers that state longer warranties (2 years plus). They are most likely using the highest quality materials. Most grow lights we suggested today come with a hanging hook and power cord.
Choosing the right product isn’t easy and for many of them, it could be a time-consuming task. However, with this guide, my aim is to help you guys find the perfect led grow lights for your needs.
I hope that you’re able to find the right led grow lights for your usage. If you are still struggling to find one, feel free to comment below or contact me.
October 28, 2021
When you only need to trim a few plants and have time on your side, handheld bud trimmers are ideal. A bud trimmer allows much more control than the hand-cranked bowl trimmers for bud or the more expensive fully automatic bud trimming machines.
When time is not on your side, an electric marijuana trimmer or hand crank bud trimmer is faster for trimming buds, but it may compromise quality buds in the end due to a lack of control that a handheld bud trimmer offers.
It’s really simple to choose the best bud trimmers that can get the job done and cultivating perfect buds for consumption.
You should be able to comfortably use the Trimmer.
It shouldn’t be too expensive, but it shouldn’t be cheaply made, either.
The plant remains intact and juicy after trimming. Trims the leaves of the buds accurately.
When cannabis plants grow, trimming is essential. Trimming cannabis will make the product more aesthetically pleasing, but there’s more to it. By bucking the cannabis plant bud and removing leaves, you’ll make parts of the nug with more trichomes more accessible. Additionally, by removing fan and sugar leaves, you’re getting rid of the parts that would cause harsh smoke. The foliage doesn’t wick away moisture too well. Furthermore, trimming cannabis is essential to the curing process. Curing–or slowly removing moisture from the bud–plays a part in enhancing the smoking experience. Lastly, trimmed bud tends to produce a stronger marijuana aroma, which may influence a purchase.
When it comes to trimming cannabis plants, you can either do it before or after drying. Growers use both methods, so there isn’t a right or wrong way. Cultivation specialists who prefer a wet trim are dealing with high humidity, are concerned about mold, and want the cannabis bud to dry at a quicker rate. Those who use a dry trim are dealing with low humidity, want the bud to dry slower, and are looking for the bud to be denser or tighter. So it depends on the grower’s preferences. As a cannabis trimmer, your job is to be comfortable with both wet and dry trims.
DL Wholesale 16'’ Open Top Hand Trimmer
Features:
Our metal top trimmers are 100% stainless steel. There is no plastic which makes them extremely durable. Available in a closed and open top version. The open top allows you to easily see your work and also fill it without having to remove the top. It uses slim leather fingers, which gently moves flowers across the grade which houses the razor-sharp stainless steel blades, which trim the buds. You control the speed by how hard you crank, but it doesn’t take very much! Some growers prefer less agitation of their flower. We know hand trimming is hated by many. The Trimpro Unplugged makes it much easier and less painful, though. It features the most ideal ergonomics possible, with the perfect size, weight, shape, and mechanics.
Features:
This TrimPro trimmer makes it easy to crank out harvests efficiently, whether you are a hobby grower with 1–2 plants or 10! Unlike machine trimmers, it produces no noise, keeping your operation discreet while producing a quality end product. It gives you more control over the degree of trim, while saving your hands from painful cramps and blisters. It’s easy to use, maintain, and is a great addition to any grow room. The Trimpro unplugged is completely manual, as the name suggests. This means taking the trimmer to the field is easier than ever, with no concern for finding an outlet or bringing extension cords. It was designed to get you tight trim with minimal effort and flower agitation.
Once you’ve done with harvesting, start the most critical phase that adds value to your harvested buds. Generally, value addition matters on the types of trimming., i.e., Dry trimming or wet trimming, and the procedure used while trimming Marijuana buds. Usually, a hand trim is a common practice if you’re growing one or two Marijuana Plants. A bowl trimmer is another option if you exceed the said number that could save your time that you spend with an individual bud.
The is no comparison of a bowl trimmer vs hand trim plants as it entirely your choice depending on the number of Marijuana Plants that you’re growing. Later in the article, we would like to add a bowl trimmer review along with hand trimmers and automatic trimmers. Either it is dry trimming or wet trimming, the purpose is improving the look of Marijuana buds, enhance smoking taste, increase potency, and avoid mold deposition if you’re growing in high humidity areas. Usually, the growers follow two methods to trim Marijuana buds by hand: dry and wet. An alternative is to use a machine or an automatic trimmer. The growers could prefer any prescribed method. But, they all could finish with what exactly they want.
Wet Trimming
Wet trimming involves separating sugar leaves from the flowers after they’ve harvested, immediately. The flowers still contain a lot of moisture, and their cutting with a scissor is easier. You could pick each branch and cut sugary leaves using a curved scissor. This trimming could result in pretty decent shaped buds that could be dried later by hanging them for 2–3 days.
Dry Trimming
The branches from the Marijuana plant are harvesting first, dried for 3–4 days, and sugar leaves cut from the Marijuana flower. Dry trimming is a bit difficult and trickiest assignment if you want to trim them with a scissor. However, bowl trimmers and electric trimmers are there to ease you out for the processing of dry Marijuana flowers.
When you harvest your cannabis, you’re going to encounter two kinds of leaves that you need to trim off.
Sugar leaves are the leaves that grow directly on the bud. They have a harsher flavor when smoked but may be used for edibles due to their decent levels of terpenes and cannabinoids.
Fan Leaves are the first to develop in the growth cycle and are used as indicators for plant health. They contain very few cannabinoids, but not enough to give you that high.
Some people use fan leaves for salads and may also be used for salves with their anti-inflammatory properties.
Getting Started with Trimming
Before you even start cutting away, you need the right tools to get the best results.
Having the right tools will help you do your trims efficiently while maintaining the quality of your buds.
Here’s what you need:
Pruning shears for trimming the sugar leaves.
Large pruning shears or any durable scissors for cutting the branches.
Disposable Gloves, such as surgical gloves
3 Trays to segregate the trims
For trimming the sugar leaves, you may also use automatic scissors, if your resources permit. You need to have a separate set of shears for trimming the buds and taking off the branches for your plant. Some branches are quite hard to cut and the shears may get damaged or destroyed in the process.
The gloves are needed to keep your hands off the resin and avoid contaminating your buds.
Your setup for trimming should also be easy to clean. That means, avoiding carpets which can be a problem when sugar leaves fall off during trimming. Trichomes are hard to clean on such surfaces.
Keep in mind that the scent of cannabis will stick to your room, especially when trimming fresh. You may want to have good ventilation or an exhaust fan to drive out the odor unless you want your place to smell like a cannabis farm.
Before you start the actual trimming, make sure to wash your hands and put on your gloves. If you can’t use gloves, be prepared to with a lot of rubbing alcohol to rid your hands of the resin from trimming.
When taking off branches for trimming, always start from the top of the plant. The upper portion of the plant is more likely to mature first due to its exposure to the sun or your grow lights.
The lower portions might not be ready yet, thus benefitting from the additional day of exposure once the top is clear.
Now only take what you can handle. Especially when you’re set to trim a lot of buds. Taking more than what you can handle might compromise your buds.
When you’re taking out a branch, hold it at the base and cut it off. Then transfer them to your tray.
At this point, the actual trimming begins.
Trimming the Buds
Begin trimming by clearing out the fan leaves. You can dispose of them, or you may turn them into edibles later, depending on your preference.
If you plan to use them later on, separate them from your tray for sugar leaves, as mixing them will only add to plant matter that needs processing.
When it comes to trimming the sugar leaves, you don’t need to take out the whole leaf, since it goes deep inside the buds. Trying to dig in and take it out may cause damage to the buds.
Just trim off the sugar leaves to the best that you can, while avoiding damaging the buds. Go over each bud, giving it a clean look. Then put the trimmed buds on the designated tray.
In case you accidentally damaged a bud while trimming, don’t throw it away. Just add it to your sugar leaves for processing.
Once you are done trimming your buds, you can begin drying and curing them if you trimmed wet or set them aside for extraction later if you trimmed dry.
Now it’s time for clean-up.
One thing you will notice when you are done is that your scissor and gloves will be full of hash. Don’t throw that away yet. Scrape and store them in silicon canisters for use later.
You can use your sugar leaves and fan leaves for concentrates and edibles, respectively.
For the branches and the remainder of the plant that you just harvested, cut them up and put in a double bag these plant materials for disposal later. Make sure that they are rendered to an unusable state. Then take them out for disposal on the day that your trash is picked up.
The concept of implementing the right cannabis bud trimmer for you no longer has to be a scary thought that keeps you up at night. Industry-born trimming technology has caught up with what cultivators demand and it’s time to take a serious look at options for your business.
Our advice? Find out who top industry professionals are turning to for their operations, then try out multiple brands and see which is the right fit for your business.
October 27, 2021
As indoor farming gains popularity, artificial lights get better at replicating the sun. These fixtures are referred to as grow lights.
We all know plants use sunlight to grow. That’s one reason we usually grow plants outside. Now, we have plenty of choices for growing plants without any sunlight indoors. Choosing to grow lights might be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. This article will show you some best LED grow lights and what the best LED grow lights feature. Hope it can help you.
Using LED lights to grow cannabis, whether it is one or two plants or a huge industrial grow, offers the cultivator many advantages. Let’s explore.
The cost of running LED lights is about one third that of running traditional metal halide and high-pressure sodium lights.
Of course, less cost means less electrical usage which is better for the environment overall.
Today, most LED lights for growing cannabis canned be dimmed in order to produce just the amount of light you need while using even less power. So you can save even more. HPS/MH lamps use the full light intensity all the time,
LED grow lights are incredibly environmentally friendly. An LED light uses no mercury, no lead, no gas or filament, and no fragile glass bulb.
LED grow lights run substantially cooler than traditional lights. This is better for your plants but also better for you as cooling your grow tents becomes less of a worry if any worry at all (depending on ambient temperatures where you live). HPS/MH bulbs also need additional fans for cooling which adds to the electrical costs of growing indoor cannabis. How much cooler is LED grow lights? LED lights for growing marijuana usually run around 100 degrees F.; HPS/MH lights run between 200–300 degrees F. depending on the bulb.
Because LED grow lights run cooler than conventional grow lights, they are likewise safer to use from a fire prevention perspective.
LED lights for growing cannabis have the ability to match the light to the needs of plants. Likewise, cannabis growers should buy lights designed specifically for that purpose. Most of today's LED grow lights are “full-spectrum” and have numerous diodes of different colour temperatures that attempt to mimic the sun. So, the need for different lights for veg or flower is no longer necessary for the home grower.
LED grow lights have a much longer life span compared to HPS lights which might last for a year or so if you’re lucky. LED grow lights, on the other hand, can last up to 8 or more.
LED lights for growing are smaller in size and can help you get by with less overall grow space as they can be set closer to the plants.•It wasn’t always the case, but recent tests have shown that LED grow lights produce better crops in terms of plants getting bigger and growing faster, compared to the HPS lights.
When you get into more advanced growing, know that LED grow lights can be designed to create specific plant goals such as flowering inhibition or enhanced rooting.
Because less heat is emitted and because UV light can be added to LED lights for growing, there is less chance for bacteria and mold to form on your plants. Likewise, the need for pesticides can be reduced or eliminated.
ECO Farm ECOT 120W Dimmable Samsung LM301H Quantum board LED Grow Light
Features:
This ECO Farm LED grow light is easy to install, and is equipped with Samsung LM301H diodes, high Energy Efficiency with 2.8 umol/J, make you get 30% higher yield compare OLD blurple led lights, excellent full spectrum- white, blue, red and IR (3000K, 5000K, 660nm and IR 760nm & 395nm UV),which provides desired needs for plants seedling to harvest growth with full spectrum led grow lights and provides better light-spectrum coverage maximum PAR output at various distances. Plant grow Lights dimmable control function is more suitable for indoor plants seeding veg and bloom. The dimmer knob to adjust according to the needs of the plants ,in order to obtain perfect growth performance,which enhance high yields to obtain the ideal harvest. This growth lamp used reliable driver and high effective aluminum heat sink to ensure heat dissipation and 100000hrs lifespan.Perfect Coverage in bloom 2x2ft ,perfect coverage in veg 3.5x3.5ft.
GROPLANNER 150W LED Grow Light
Features:
Actual power draw 150W with 756pcs LEDs. The LEDs quantity of Groplanner LED grow light is twice as many as other brands with same power. High PPE up to 2.75 umol/J. You can get a high yield of 2.7g/watt. ( Standard 2.7 lbs by Groplanner 450 Watts ). This grow light makes you get 30% higher yield compared with other normal products. The full spectrum optimized and complete plant development for all growth stages from seed to flower. White 3000K and Blue 5000K promote the vegetative growth of your plants. Added Plant Red 660nm LEDs and 760nm IR could speed up the flowering and fruiting stage and promote plants to produce higher yields. Groplanner LED grow lights provides Intelligent and convenient control with WiFi capability. Switch, timing and dimming function could be easily implemented by “Tuya Smart” app.
1. Plant Type
Some plants need more sunlight, some less. Some can handle brighter light, while others need a dimmer setting. To make sure your plant is thriving, pay attention to its needs and how it changes over time.
Since lots of natural light isn’t something everyone has access to in their home — and even if you do it still might not be enough for some plants, figuring out which grow light to get is important.
Knowing what to look for in a grow light, whether it’s LED lights, fluorescent, or HID — will help you make a better decision.
2. Light Quality
When it comes to planting growth, light is what they need in order to survive and spread their roots. However, the type of light given off by grow lights can vary. Some LED grow lights produce a wider spectrum of colors than other types, allowing for more healthy and rapid growth.
Some fluorescent and HID lights only emit specific wavelengths of color, which might not be enough for certain plants. For example, some plants can only grow in full-spectrum white or diurnal lighting. Others don’t really like it if it’s too bright and prefer a dimmer setting. For specific plants, it’s important to know exactly which type of lighting they need in order to thrive. If you don’t want to try out a ton of different kinds of lights and waste a lot of money on failed trial and error, choose a light that emits an adequate amount of color needed by the plant.
Whichever type of light you decide on, make sure it’s of high quality. The way to determine this is by considering the amount of lumen or PAR watts. Lumen measures how much visible light gets emitted, while PAR (photosynthetically active radiation) determines the exact color and spectrum that’s given off and this is what plants need to grow healthy and strong.
3. Light Intensity
Light intensity is the rate at which photons are being produced by a grow light source. To be more specific, this means how many micromoles per second are being emitted from the source to the plant. When determining the intensity of a light source, this should be taken into consideration as well.
The amount of lumen or PAR watts emitted from a grow light determines how much photosynthesis will occur for the plant and how healthy it will be. However, photosynthesis also depends on other factors such as temperature, quality of water, nutrient availability, and the plants’ genetics. Different plants might need specific lighting for optimal color spectrum growth. The most important part is to consider these factors when choosing a grow light type.
For instance, some LED grow lights are very intense and might not be the best option for certain types of plants. On the other hand, HID grow lights can emit an adequate amount of lumen or PAR watts but might create too much heat for some plant types.
4. Heat And Cooling
One thing to consider is how much heat will be produced by a light you choose and how this will affect your plant. A high-intensity light source might produce too much heat for some plants, especially if they are very small or just seedlings.
This is why it’s important to consider the right intensity required by a plant so it won’t be negatively affected. Some lights tend to produce less heat because they are built with cooling systems that dissipate heat faster and emit less of it overall.
This feature is often found in LED lighting which makes them a top choice for those who have smaller indoor spaces to work with. For larger indoor areas, it’s best to choose HID or fluorescent lighting because they emit more lumen and PAR watts than LED lights do.
5. Lifespan And Durability
Another consideration is the lifespan of an indoor plant-grow light source.
In most cases, LED grow lights have a longer lifespan than HID or fluorescent lights do. In general, lights that are more durable are engineered with high-quality materials made to withstand a lot of wear and tear. They are usually encased in a sturdy metal or plastic case that can take a long time to break down.
In contrast, some lights use glass bulbs which tend to eventually break after repeated exposure to heat, humidity, and frequent on/off cycles. Fluorescent lights are also known for needing constant maintenance because they require regular bulb changes every six months.
With all of these things taken into consideration, choosing a type of grow light that suits your indoor plant is easier than ever. Make sure to read up on the specific plant type that you have, and how it needs to be cared for. Once you figure that out, you’ll know exactly what to look for in a grow light in order to create an oasis for your home.
Plants don’t need light 24 hours a day; they need darkness, too. Different plants have different light requirements, but if in doubt, 16 hours on and 8 hours off produces a reasonable day/night cycle.
If you’re switching from older HID or incandescent grow lights, you’ll find your plants require significantly less water since LED lights run cool and don’t dry out the soil so much. Be careful not to overwater your plants.
If your LED lights only point in one direction, you may benefit from a reflector to help disperse the light more evenly, particularly in larger growing areas.
Some budget LED grow lights might look like a bargain, but if they aren’t very durable, they’ll break quicker, and cost you more money in the long run.
You can purchase LED grow lights that come with built-in timers, which is handy if you might not be home at the right time every day to switch your lights on or off.
Some high-end LED grow lights subtly change the spectrum of light produced throughout the day to replicate the way real daylight changes from sunrise to sunset.
Look for LED grow lights that come with fixtures or hanging hooks for easy positioning.
It’s not difficult to set up an indoor grow area, even if you don’t have a lot of space. Using a LED grow light will give your plants the best opportunity to flourish.
October 26, 2021
Are you looking to bring a little sunshine indoors?
Maybe it’s time to start your flower and vegetable seedlings.
Perhaps your houseplants are drooping during the short days of winter or sulking in a new home.
Or maybe you simply want to enjoy the taste of your own fresh herbs year-round.
Whatever your need, grow lights can instantly provide hours of mock sunshine that your plants need for vigorous, healthy development.
They can provide any color spectrum required for every stage of growth and are easy to set up. The lamps run cool to the touch, are low wattage, energy-efficient, and have long lives.
This also makes them economical. And by starting your own seedlings, you’ll quickly recover the cost with fewer trips to your local nursery!
But they do come in a huge array of shapes, sizes, and configurations.
To simplify matters, we looked for units from reliable brands that are well-designed, easy to set up and use and provide effective coverage.
Here’s our take on the best grow lights for indoor plants and seedlings.
First, you must understand the light spectrum or color wavelengths. It is the range of light colors we see or didn’t see. Visible light that our eyes can see is between 380–740 nanometers. And similarly, the leaves of plants also enjoy these visible wavelengths; the chlorophyll uses these lights to manufacture food. The green light is an exception. Because chlorophyll only reflects green and they don’t absorb it, that explains why plants’ leaves are green.
So for the most part, plants respond to the blue and red colors very well. These are the two most important wavelengths that plants need during their growth. Basically, plants need blue light for their vegetative phase and red light for the flowering period.
Understanding that many grow light manufacturers have made it possible to produce the light colors plants need with their LEDs light. Many modern LED grow lights have a programmable setting to produce different color wavelengths. By this, you can control the type of lights at the different ratios for plants at different stages of growth in their life.
These types of LED lights with a very wide or full range of color wavelengths are called full-spectrum LED grow lights.
So two of the most important criteria that affect plant growth are light intensity (or the power of light output), and light colors (color wavelengths).
For light intensity, you can opt for the powerful light, but for light colors, you should choose one with a wide range of color wavelengths (or full-spectrum).
That’s why within the scope of this article, I’ll go into detail about all full-spectrum LED grow lights on the market, and help you pick the right one.
VIVOSUN VS2000 Samsung LM301H Full Spectrum LED Grow Light
Features:
VIVOSUN LED grow lights use the latest LED plant light technology including Samsung LM301H Diodes, high-energy efficiency with 2.9 umol/J; Extremely high output but consumes only 200W of electricity, making it more efficient than traditional HID lamps and other plant lamps on the market. This LED grow light has a dimming knob that makes it adaptable to different growing periods of your plant by adjusting its output from 40% to 100%; It is super convenient for both beginners and professional growers. These VS2000 full-spectrum LEDs deliver optimal full-spectrum coverage — offering power needed by your plants at all growth stages and maximum PAR output at various distances, supporting photosynthesis of your plants in an efficient way. The VS2000 LED has a unique appearance, with power supply and ventilation holes; No fans needed means low noise; Ambient heat around this light is very low, so there is no need to worry about burns or damage to your plant; It produces mild heat so you can place the lamp directly above your plants
EnFun Updated FS-2000 Full Spectrum LED Grow Light
Features:
Enfun grow light uses Independent detachable Driver Adjustable,only consume 200w-240w(Driver supports tuning to 240W).High Energy Efficiency with 2.7 umol/j,create the better canopy light penetration,running 50% less power than the HPS or Blurple lamps, and still was 50% more harvest.Led grow lights for indoor plants has Customized Dimming Design. Growing lights for indoor plants full spectrum uses Epistar NEW LEDS Chips which proved to be MORE BRIGHT as other chip,and the same PPF,high quality.Excellent Full Spectrum(3000K,5000K,660nm,IR 750nm,400nm)totally 576pcs LEDs.Grow light add a red light on off,Red light is turned off when growing and turned on when flowering to promote flowering and growth. Full spectrum led grow light No Fan Noise Free design will make your growing life easy and quiet,large areas of solid aluminium quickly heat dispersing reducing light lost to aisles and walls, increase the light intensity.
Light Spectrum
The plants you grow and the spectrum need at various sages should dictate the grow light’s type to buy. Generally, the combination of good quality blue and red spectra is sufficient for most greenery plants. If you plant vegetables, ensure your light has yellow, orange, and green ranges. Therefore choosing multi-spectral LEDs are the best or choose full light spectrum grower lights with proper VEG/BLOOM settings. Light spectra are crucial to plants, just like a balanced diet is to a human being.
Intensity of Light
Both location and luminaire of light determine light intensity. The plant types and habitat requirements define the light you should install in your tent. The closer the light source is to the plants, the more intensity. Therefore you should buy a system that will generate sufficient light intensity according to your plant’s needs for light. Practically, the plant top should be at least 10cm from the light board; otherwise, the light may burn the plant. So when shopping for the best led grow light for a 4X4 grow tent, make sure it will give your plants sufficient allowance to grow.
Ease of Installation
Do not go for grow lights that need masters in rocket science to install as that will attract more cost from the handyman. Just look for easy-to-install lights that you can even install yourself using the manufacturer’s guidelines.
Heat Generated
Depending on the type of plants you want to grow, some require both light and heat. The good news is that some available grower light offers light spectra and a certain level of heat. If you plan to grow such plants in your 4X4 grow tent, it would be wise to invest in LED bulbs that offer light and some degree of heat.
Lifespan and Energy Saving Ability
Generally, LED light bulbs or boards are relatively expensive than other standard bulbs and can last up to 5 times longer. The good thing is that they are more long-lasting and can offer quality service in the long run. LED light bulbs can withstand on and off switching without blowing, which is why other bulbs do not last as their filaments burn easily. These lights lamps use electric current to light and hence are the most energy-efficient you can ever have. Led bulbs are, therefore, better, unlike incandescent bulbs, which use heat to light.
Price
Although a high price is mostly directly proportional to the product’s quality, it defeats logic when you cannot afford it; when buying led light to support your plants’ growth, make sure you obtain the ideal LED light in terms of quality your budget.
LED grow lights need to be used properly to get the results, but if you know what to expect they pay you back with built-in cooling that allows a grower to hang their lights directly over their plants without worrying about fans, ducting or ballasts. They are easy on the electricity bill and don’t cause a lot of heat problems.
Additionally, buds grown under LEDs are known for producing colourful, sticky, strong and smelly buds! And isn’t producing quality buds the reason we do it all?
October 25, 2021
Have you ever wondered how to use grow light to help your plants grow? It is time to take on the task and bear flourishing results. Why do you need to learn more about the use of grow light? The answer is simple. These days, most people live in apartments isolated from nature. Living in concrete jungles has its benefits. But it is a real struggle for gardeners and people who enjoy plants. You lack enough natural light to grow healthy plants and ensure proper photosynthesis processes.
We are here to solve the problem of natural sunlight and help you grow your greens using other options. What is needed to grow healthy plants within inadequate garden space? LED grow lights are perfect for growing different kinds of plants and keeping them strong even without natural sunlight.
An LED is an electrical light that emits light through a semiconductor material that produces visible reds, greens, and blues. LEDs use up less power than traditional lights and can last up to 25 times longer than incandescent bulbs or fluorescent tubes. They also emit very little heat so they are safe to use around food crops and animals.
All plants require illumination in order to grow healthy. When growing your plants indoors, you will need artificial growth illumination to provide your plants with a reliable source of luminosity.
There are panels of square, rectangular or triangular shapes. Their ease of installation and versatility in use make them the most common model in horticultural lighting in a private home. There are generally offered with predefined color distribution according to the advertised use.
LEDs grow light panels in private use. The panel is a fairly widespread type of horticultural lighting because it combines several advantages, such as reasonable power, a large cover surface, and ease of installation, which makes it a fairly versatile piece of equipment.
They are made up of several dozen LEDs for the smallest model, up to several hundred for the largest. Their construction is quite compact, with a power supply and cooling system integrated into the same box as the led.
There are panels in the shape of a square, rectangle, or triangle, but the most common and the most practical shape is the rectangle, which is often more suitable for an area containing plants.
To install a panel, once unpacked, all you have to do is hang it above the plants using the fixing system provided, then plug it directly into the main socket.
LED mild bars are one of the pinnacle alternatives for indoor growers because of their software and insurance. Whereas furnishings may be cumbersome and hard to match into tight spaces, mild bars are typically longer and greater slim overall. This approach that they match notably into high-density manufacturing centers like maximum vertical farmers are using.
Energy-saving, high efficiency.
Lamp life is over 30000 hours.
The lamp emits less heat while illuminating.
The lamp emits a high amount of photons to help plants have a high photosynthetic yield.
The lamp has a specialized light spectrum to help stimulate flower growth
ECO Farm G1 320W Foldable Quantum Board Pro
Features:
The ECO Farm LED grow light is designed with knob dimming, use LM301B/LM301H chip and can independently controlled UV&IR. High energy efficiency LEDs increase yield of crops and save operation cost, generates more usable lighting per watt and provides better light canopy penetration. Enhanced 3500K white-light full spectrum , which providing your plants with excellent full spectrum led grow lights. No fans zero noise. Large areas of solid aluminum heat sinks help you to achieve the ideal cooling system to achieve high PAR output, longer lifespan to speed up plant’s grow processes and boost yields while saving you on your energy bill. Comparable to traditional 1000W HPS/MH while consuming only 320W, which helps to get 50% higher yield harvest and save costs.
Bloom Plus BP3000 Sunlike Full Spectrum LED Grow Light
Features:
The Bloom Plus LED grow light uses the Newest high-yield LED technology-1174 pcs Samsung 2835 diodes. So BP3000 LED Grow Lights achieves a high energy efficiency of 2.7 umol/J and improves the light transmittance. The LED Growing Light consumes only 300W of power, which is 50% less than the operating power of other 600W HID/Blurple/HPS lamps, while help gets 50% higher yield harvest. The Full Spectrum led grow lamp can provide everything the plants need under light at all stages. The powerful blue light makes the plants grow faster, and IR light is particularly useful during flowering, it can accelerate bloom time and increase yield, fill the flowers with space and obtain an amazing harvest. A fanless design is used to provide you with a silent growth life.
To choose a suitable grow light for your plants, you’ll want to make some adjustments to the light intensity.
First, you will want to figure out how many grow lights you have in your grow area. Then, you can figure out which grow lights give the best results. To find the best growing light, you should look at the average growth rate. If the average is low, you’re probably not going to get as much light as you would with the lights you use. If your average growth is high, you probably have a good grow light. That’s good, because it means you have good access to light and you can control the growth rate of your plants and their growth. You have to take into consideration the amount of light you use and the control of humidity. If they’re getting enough light, the humidity is low and you’re not getting as much growth, then you’re going to have problems. You’ll need to control humidity and temperature.
The first thing you’ll need is to figure it out. How much humidity do you need?
You can set the humidity to a very low number and you’ll see the plants grow more slowly. That way, you don’ t need to keep it low. It’ll only take you a few days to see the effects of lowering the humidity. Then you’ll have to lower the humidity as you go. If it’s low, the plants can grow faster. They can grow taller. That will help you control your plants growth. But if you lower the temperature too much, you may have trouble controlling the growth. And if you keep the temperature high too much then the plants won’t grow as fast. So you need some adjustment to the humidity levels to control your growth. If there are too many plants growing at once, you won’t be able control the plant size. The plants will go into overgrow mode. You might have to go out of your way to keep the humidity low. If a lot is happening, you also might have problems keeping your plant growth in check.
If you’re using an indoor grow room, you’ve probably seen how to use a grow lights to grow vegetables. That can help to keep your plants from getting too crowded, but that’s about it. In a grow room you’ll also need some grow lights for your herbs and flowers. So this is another option. You’re going be growing a lot more plants than you would in a grow space.
LED luminescence comes with many advantages for indoor gardens as compared to other types of illumination. They are highly effective since they produce a wide range of colors required by plants. In case you have been considering purchasing a suitable model for your indoor garden, we hope that you have learned something from this guide.
October 23, 2021
Grow lights are designed to give plants the light they need for vital chemical reactions for healthy growth when the sun’s rays just are not enough. They are essential for plants in greenhouses so they can carry out the process of photosynthesis, while protecting from the rain, wind, animals, pests that damage the plants, and cold temperature.
How do you choose the best grow lights for your greenhouse? Keep reading on to find out.
When deciding on the type of row light to buy, there are so many factors you need to consider, including the following:
Fluorescent Lights
Fluorescent lights are good for growing vegetables. Vegetables require low or medium lights during the early stages. Choosing this type of light will be the best option because you will be sure of the positive growth of your plants without any risks.
Fluorescent produces lights of all colors needed; thus, choosing it ensures that your plants get enough colors needed during the early growth. The medium and low lights produced are friendly to the plants too.
They are affordable and last longer too.
The produced lights are mostly blue in color.
High-Pressure Sodium (HPS), also known as High-Intensity Discharge (HID)
HPS lights emit different wavelengths of colors. They produce red, yellow, and orange spectrum colors. Buying HPS is good for your plants at their early stages because it encourages the roots to grow stronger.
It also triggers the flowering process because of the red color that it produces, which looks like the natural sun produced during the summer season.
HPS is also good to use in the early growth stages of vegetables; you only need to use low watts that would not affect the general growth.
HPS also produces a high amount of light, so you should not be worried about its light’s sufficiency to the plant.
This is the best light to be used because of the strength of heat it emits; its heat is good for all types of plants. The only problem you might face with the price it is sold. It is more expensive than the other types of lights. But they are durable.
Light Emitting Diodes commonly known as LED
LED growth lights are good in indoor plants because they are cheap and plant-friendly too. The light produced is moderate and fits every plant well.
LED lights have both blue and red colors, which is the best for house planting.
The amount of light produced by these lights is low and does not have the risk of burning the plants if left for long on for longer hours.
LED lights work best if placed closer to your plants because the amount of heat produced is not too high.
These lights are good only for plants that grow in less heat like some types of grass.
Features:
The secret to VIPARSPECTRA grow light ’s success is optimal full spectrum lighting which provides plants in all stages from veg to flower with everything they need in the natural sunlight, turn your seeds into your own supply, produce beautiful high yielding plants. And make indoor planting become more easier and more convenient. This results in bigger buds and higher yield all while saving you on energy costs. IR light is particularly useful during flowering, it can accelerate bloom time and increase yield, fill the flowers with space and obtain an amazing harvest. The light makes indoor planting become more easier and more convenient. The light is ideal for all kinds of your indoor plants. Innovative fanless design, Large area of solid aluminum heat sink are excellent for heat dissipation. No need to worry about heat dissipation.
VIVOSUN Latest VS4000 LED Grow Light
Features:
VIVOSUN LED grow light uses the latest LED plant light technology with Samsung LM301H diodes & brand driver for high energy efficiency with 2.9 umol/J; Extremely high output but consumes only 400W of electricity, making it more efficient than traditional HID lamps and other plant lamps on the market. This LED grow light has a dimming knob & ballast, so it adapts to different plant growth stages by adjusting its output from 40% to 100%; Super convenient for both beginners and professional growers. These Samsung VS4000 LEDs deliver the optimal full-spectrum coverage and power needed by your plants at all growth stages, with maximum PAR output at various distances, supporting efficient photosynthesis for indoor plants.
Some of the benefits of buying the most decent models include:
Power efficiency- One of the major benefits of LED grow luminescence devices is that they do not consume a lot of electricity as compared to other luminescence devices. Thus, your power bills remain the same. This also means that you can leave them on for long hours without any problem.
Durable- Most of them have a lifespan of 50,000 to 100,000 hours unlike other types of luminescence devices which last for 20,000 hours or less. Again, they do not affect the temperatures of the room since they do not make the room too hot.
Space-saving design — In terms of design, these luminescence devices do not require a lot of space since they do not require extra equipment. They have a compact and portable design. So you can move them easily if you want.
Full-spectrum -The other reason why you need to consider LED grow luminescence devices is that most of them are tailored to suit the specific demands of your plants. This means that when using these lights, you don’t have to use different lights as your plants mature since they offer a huge spectrum of colors.
Healthy plants- Some luminescence sources such as the sun emits harmful UV rays. Other luminescence devices may cause your plants to dry or burn since they emit too much heat. Theseluminescence devices are very safe for your plants. As a result, they enhance the growth of healthier plants.
There are many automated greenhouse growth lighting options available to cater to different plant types and stages of growth. The range of supplemental growth to photoperiod control grow lighting options we mentioned above will make your greenhouse lighting a simple, efficient process.
October 22, 2021
Do you live in a place that doesn’t get much sun? Does your home naturally fail to let the light in at times? Or, perhaps your place gets enough natural sunlight, but you want to ensure the plants in your home are getting the light they need with no worries.
T5 grow lights are the answer. The flowers, herbs, and seeds you have planted will respond to this light like a charm.
However, you can’t just slap a few of these lights up and call it a day. Perhaps you already have some lights, but they aren’t optimal for your plant’s growth (such as T12’s or T8’s).
In this handy guide, we will get into all you need to know so choosing T5 Grow Lights is easy for you. Let’s begin with the selections for the best T5 grow lights and then go over some features.
For starters, they are great for beginners. T5 is a fine choice for those of you just starting out in the world of hydroponic growing. It’s great for those just starting out who don’t want to sink a huge amount of money into their growing right away.
T5 Lights Are Efficient
You need efficient lighting for a number of reasons. For starters, you want to keep your electric bill manageable.
Second, you need to make sure your plants are growing strong.
Third, you know that having a great light that works right the first time will get you the results you want.
Your goal is to look for lights with at least 100 lumens per watt, as this will give you the reliability you need to get the work done right the first time. All of the lamps we featured above have that or better.
Life of the T5 Lamp
Most T5 lamps will get you about 20,000 hours of work time. This means repurchasing bulbs will be a rare occurrence, and you will enjoy several successful growing cycles before it’s time to buy them again.
You may wonder about the quality of the lightbulb inside the lamp as it burns. You don’t even have to worry about that, as the bulbs start out powerful and remain that way as time goes on.
Your bulbs will last as long as the packaging states, and until they completely die out, there’s no need to replace them.
Features:
Monios-L led grow light with a full spectrum between 380–800nm, is the professional sunlight replacement for indoor plants. The 60W ultra-bright leds provide high PPFD ( photosynthetic photon flux density ), perfect for seedling, vegetative and flowering cycles. 2900K color temperature makes the light appear warm white, which is comfortable for your eyes. This grow light are suitable for planting or displaying plants in any indoor application, including plant grow tents, plant grow shelves, seedling cultivation, hydroponic rooms, etc. And it is equipped with High-quality LED chips and aluminium housing, the light efficiency is increased by 25%, which can perfectly meet the light needs of the great majority of plants throughout the growth cycle.
Grower’s Choice TSL PFS Series LED Grow Light
Features:
The Grower’s Choice grow lights are ultra-low profile (1.5 inches thin) and are created for dense vertical commercial farming where every inch of your indoor cultivation matters. Home growers will find these lights advantageous for their crops too! Stack layers from floor to ceiling of leafy greens, micro-greens, and culinary herbs with maximum efficiency at near-ZERO radiant heat with outputs as high as 2.7 umol/J. Ideal for the propagation of vegetable and ornamental crops including cloning/seedling beds with the lowest photosynthetic photon flux density. And it offers a perfect replacement for bulky traditional T5 fluorescent lamps. Ultra-lite design is stress-free in weight increasing harvest space for higher, quality yields for a positive impact on your bottom line.
The height at which the lights are hung. It is crucial to hang the T5 lights at the right height because if they are too close to the plant canopies, the grow lights can do some serious damage to your plants. The optimal height at which T5 fixtures are usually hung is 6 to 8 inches above plant canopies. At this height, the T5 lights can provide the widest coverage while still providing powerful light to the plants.
The light cycle. This refers to the number of hours per day the grow lights are turned on and the plants are lit up and how many hours the plants spend in the dark. A general rule of thumb is that the more light plants get, the faster they grow, but keep in mind that there also are shade-loving plants that might require less light.
The temperature in the room. Anyone who has been in any type of photo studio knows it can get hot in there because the large studio lights illuminate and heat up a space. This also happens in the indoor lighted garden. Closely monitor the temperature of your grow space, especially if it is very small because a temperature of 85 degrees or higher can harm houseplants. If the temperature rises too high, ventilate the room in some way, such as opening a window, which allows the plants to cool off and breathe.
Watering. How much water your plants require depends on the temperature of the room and how quickly the plants grow. That’s why it’s critical to check the soil for water readiness. Water when the top one to two inches of soil has dried out.
Unfavourable weather conditions or insufficient gardening space cannot stop you from growing your favourite plants. You only need the best indoor grow lights for plants to watch your seedlings flourish in no time.
These grow lights provide the perfect growing conditions like light and heat that a plant needs for propagation and growth. So, whether you want to grow veggies or highly adorable succulents, compare your options and choose the best grow light.
These are easy to use, economical and ultraconvenient!
October 20, 2021
Outdoor gardening is good, but there are so many factors you cannot control. You have to deal with pests, herbs, and weather uncertainty. If you are tired of battling with pests and harsh weather, you can move to indoor gardening. With indoor gardening, you can control many factors and grow your plants to full capacity.
While a hydroponic system is great, you first need a grow tent to contain your indoor garden. Once you contain the garden, it is easy for you to control other factors such as light, ventilation, grow media, nutrients, and the garden system among others. But what makes the best grow tent?
With so many options on the market, it can be challenging to pick one. In this article, we explore the top grow tents on the market and how to pick the right one.
A good grow tent that is of high quality should be able to replicate or similar outdoor conditions that your cannabis plants may need to grow. Your grow tents should also be conveniently accommodated indoors and should also complement your grow lights, ventilation units, and many more.
A good indoor grow tent should be able to:
Provide protection from bugs and other pests and animals as well.
Help prevent stale or dry air.
Improve growth efficiency and help in the maximum but smart utilization of power and electricity.
Aid in odor control.
Help the grow lighting systems achieve their maximum light output and coverage.
Without any doubt, yes. A grow tent is the most economical and convenient way to grow indoor plants in less space. In addition, the Mylar Fabric with reflective interior allows you to offer the best possible environment to the plants to enhance the yield.
You can’t have ideal farming conditions throughout the year. That’s why you buy a reusable indoor grow tent to grow the plants irrespective of the outside atmosphere.
Furthermore, a grow tent is lightweight and easy to assemble. You can even grow the plants inside your house or basement, spending upon the available space. Moreover, you don’t need to worry about the foul odor as the grow tent doesn’t let out the bad smell.
To sum up, an indoor grow tent is a one-time investment to provide the best possible growing conditions to your plants by controlling the light, moisture, and humidity inside.
ECO Farm 60'’x48'’x80'’ Grow Tent
Features:
This ECO Farm grow tent features one 64"X48"X80" large tent area room equals to a middle and large plant growing tent for vegetation and flowering that can keep your plant perpetual harvesting.Durable 600D oxford maylar outside and high-reflective waterproof diamond Mylar inside(enhance the reflective effect),Large heavy duty Zippers & Double Stitching and also 2 Mylar around the zippers for protection against light leaks. The grow tent blocks all light from escaping and is lined with 98%-reflective mylar to boost the output efficiency of any grow tent setup.Rectangle vents with mesh for better ventilation and multiple vents for fan and filter output, Easy entry and access. The grow tent features with three separate growing areas, allowing gardeners to manage plants in different stages of development while remaining compact for small spaces or areas with little height. You could grow seedlings at the 2-tier small tent, and transfer them to the larger tent after they grow taller.
VIPARSPECTRA 60"x48"x80" Reflective 600D Mylar 2-in-1 Grow Tent
Features:
VIPARSPECTRA grow tent has three separate growing areas. 2-tier small compartment is for propagation & seedlings. One larger grow area is for vegetation and flowering. The main grow chamber and 2-tire small compartments separated by removable mylar baffle. The VIPARSPECTRA grow tent blocks light from escaping. The tear- proof canvas with heavy-duty zippers and double stitching ensure durability and long-lasting use. It is also lined with reflective mylar to boost the intensity of your grow tent set up. Multiple vents to accommodate fans and filter, ducting rectangle window with mesh to keep dust and insects out, better ventilation. Strong metal poles and solid metal corner connectors that will uphold your grow tent’s frame and lock your structure securely in place. It is a view sealed window with transparent plastic and removable cover. Easy-View window on the front side of door makes it easy and comfortable to take a peek inside and observe plant growth.
A grow tent allows you more control over your indoor growing environment, leading to a more fruitful crop. It provides additional defence against any environmental factors. Additionally, it can allow you to influence the growth with your lights, medium, nutrients, system, and ventilation.
Generally speaking, grow tents are easier to grow plants in, but they require a little bit more effort in the setup stage. Once the tent is set up, you can more easily control the environment, resulting in an improved gardening experience.
The size of your grow tent depends on what you intend to grow. If you are wanting to mother 1 to 2 plants, a 2’x2’ grow tent works great. The most popular tent sizes are 5’x5’ and 4’x8’ because they are suitable for 4 to 10 plants. If you have more than 10 plants, you will need to opt for a larger tent.
For most grow tents, you should not notice any smells until the flowering final phase. With the help of fans and carbon filters, you should be able to remove residual odors.
You can put some grow tents outside, but not all. High-quality tents will be made from waterproof materials and sturdy frames. This makes high-quality tents suitable for outdoor use. With that being said, low-quality tents will not hold up well outdoors.
No matter if you have a high-quality or low-quality tent, you must be proactive in preventing bugs and holes. This can be difficult when the tent is outdoors, but it is necessary to get the full effects of the tent.
Hopefully, this article has given you a good idea of what size grow tent you need, in order to house the specific number of plants you are hoping to grow. And now that you know the exact size of your grow space, it is time to figure out what size grow light you need to light that area in order to maximize yields.
October 18, 2021
Many first time growers don’t know how to trim cannabis plants once they’ve harvested them. With this article, we want to explain to you how to trim your weed plant.
First, you need to remove all the leaves until the buds are clean, which is the part of the plant that contains the most THC.
The leaves and stems also have THC in them but they don’t taste nice. You can use the smaller leaves to make extracts if you want.
The leaves on the cannabis plant are like their lungs. It’s where they receive the necessary light for the photosynthetic process, which is why there’s so much chlorophyll in that part of the plant. Chlorophyll is like blood for the plant and it gives buds that leafy green aroma and taste when they are fresh.
You can use the leftover trimmings to make BHO or other extracts. The only parts of the plant that we can’t make anything of are the roots.
When we talk about the trim, we’re referring to the leaves that are intentionally pruned from the plant during a harvest. It shouldn’t be confused with a shake, which includes the loose leaves and stems that fall off naturally.
Shake is high in THC and other cannabinoids, while trim tends to have much lower cannabinoid content. For this reason, many growers simply discard their trim assuming that it has no value. However, when you realize all the things that can be done with those discarded leaves, you may think twice about tossing them aside.
Sugar Leaves vs Fan Leaves
Cannabis trim actually refers to two different types of leaves: sugar leaves and fan leaves.
Sugar leaves are the small leaves that grow out of the buds.
Fan leaves are the larger leaves that protrude from the branches.
If you’re hoping to turn your trim into a psychoactive product, fan leaves are virtually worthless. There are fewer trichomes and therefore fewer cannabinoids and terpenes. When making concentrates and other preparations, you want to focus on the smaller sugar leaves. These contain heavily concentrated trichomes, so they’re much better for various extractions.
Features:
The GreenBroz Model M Dry Trimmer is designed to closely mimic the act of hand trimming your harvest while at the same time increasing the consistency and efficiency of your harvest process. While the Model M is primarily designed to be gentle, quiet, and extremely easy to clean, the 8–12 pounds per hour capacity allows you to trim your flower as quick as anyone in the game. The sealed motor combined with the removable HMI digital user interface makes this machine completely washdown ready, ensuring cleanliness compliance anywhere in the world, now, and for years to come. The patented blade design, featuring surgical grade stainless steel, allows for the gentle rolling of the flower maintaining the natural curves and integrity of your product.
Features:
The Diamond Edge Dry Trimmer was designed with the cusomer in mind and is manufactured with quality stainless steel, anodized aluminum and durable hardware built to exacting standards. The three brush assembly design gently tumbles each batch of untrimmed buds while maintaining it in constant 100% contact with the level cutting surface. This action combines with the unique diamond edge disk rotation equaling 9400 scissor-like cuts per minute. With extreme efficiency and in an incredibly short time, the resulting final product is the quality you expect. Not only are the buds near hand trim quality, but the trimmed leaf is near processor ready as well. Trims 2 lbs in 2–5 minutes at 9–13% moisture content. Finished quality rivals scissor-cut trim.
There are various trimmer models available. In this post, we are going to talk about two specific types. Some of them work by removing branches from the plants and putting them through a mesh with blades. Other types remove everything except for the buds and leaves. You introduce the buds into the machine and the leaves are removed and separated from the buds. Both of these ways are extremely comfortable, although the second type of trimmer is more popular as it’s cleaner.
The Leaf Cutter trimmer is the most efficient one in my opinion. You place the buds on a sort of mesh with some spinning straps above them. The clean buds are left on top of the mesh and the blades make sure leaves fall to the bottom. Now, all you have to do is hang your buds in a dark and dry place or you can use a drying sock.
Just like with the scissor method, you can also get a sneak peek at the resin from your buds. You’ll need to scrape the edge of the turning straps with a plastic card and you’ll get some nice hash. You can repeat the same process with the leaves container.
Temperature: The trimming room should be kept as cool as staff will allow, as any additional heat during the process will negatively affect your harvest. Trichomes, the resin glands of the pot plants that contain THC and CBD, can become sticky in warmer temperatures, which increases their risk of being damaged or falling off — especially if human hands are involved, as hands add heat to the plant. Cooler temperatures prevent this stickiness during the trimming process to preserve the plant’s value. Additionally, the temperature of the trimming room can be controlled through our wet trimming process which uses automated water misters to provide an additional layer of protection to the flower.
Time: Optimal settings mean less time in the trimmer. In our single-piece flow trimmer systems, 45–60 seconds is the maximum amount of time that a flower spends in the tumbler, a setting that can be controlled through the Twister Trimmers’ adjustability. The machine angle, tumbler speed, blade speed, and vacuum suction all play different roles depending on the cultivar. Tools like the Twister Trim Saver help to optimize cannabinoid potency by removing the trim before the impeller to keep cannabinoids intact.
Moisture Content: Drying techniques play a significant role in potency and quality and work closely with trimming to preserve quality and potency. While our machines can support both wet and dry bud trimming methods, we recommend that for dry trimming, the flower is run through the system at a 10–12% moisture content level to the flowers’ resiliency to endure the trimming process. While moisture content is less important for wet trimming, which is when the flower has been harvested, bucked, and run through the system fully hydrated, resulting in moisture content of around 80%, ensuring you have a cold and dry room will make cleaning the machine much easier.
Machine trimming is surpassing hand trimming, allowing cannabis producers to maximize their cannabis throughput, while preserving potency and quality more efficiently, safely, and consistently than ever before. But, whether you opt for hand trimming or machine trimming, here are some final cannabinoid considerations. Save your trim; many cultivators continue to dispose of high potency leaf trim reducing their final output. And remember, everything can’t be fixed post-harvest; the best trimming processes can’t course-correct for leafy flower or low cannabinoid genetics.
In conclusion, whether you use an indoor marijuana setup or external cultivation, a good bud trimmer will help you with lots of issues. But if you were in a dilemma, I think now you can choose your best marijuana trimmer machine according to your requirements. Remember, a trimmer machine is not only an ordinary device but also an investment. Happy planting!
October 15, 2021
Looking for the perfect lighting system for a grow takes a lot of work between actual research and getting through the litany of marketing copy and reviews online. It’s a big industry these days, and especially so with LEDs.
To get the most out of an LED system you need a light that can provide the proper spectrums to your plant during all stages of growth. Cannabis, in particular, tends to respond to different colours depending on whether it’s a seedling, vegetating or in the flowering stage.
As commercial cannabis enterprises begin implementing newer and better technologies in their cultivation operations, using LEDs has triggered a lengthy and heated debate in the cannabis cultivation industry. Answering the question of LED vs HPS varies on the grower, the grow, and the medium.
When LED grow lights were first on the market, their cost was between five and ten times as much as their fluorescent and HID alternatives. Fortunately, LED technology has developed at lightning speed, and LED grow lights are now considered by many as the best way, dollar for dollar, to light a successful grow with consistent yields. Nevertheless, HPS lighting has been used for decades in the cannabis industry and are a staple for most commercial cannabis greenhouses and grows for a number of reasons.
For many indoor home-growers, LED grow lights are game-changers. Although there’s debate over whether LEDs produce the highest yields, there’s no doubt these units are the most eco-friendly option. Add in features like easy setup and powerful light intensity, and you can see why cannabis growers are drawn to LEDs like, well, moths to a flame.
In many respects, full-spectrum LED grow lights are hot because they’re cool…literally! Unlike high-intensity discharge (HID) grow lights, LEDs don’t give off a ton of energy or heat. This makes LEDs super friendly for the environment and your wallet. LEDs are also lighter and easier to set up than HIDs. Beginners have no problems plugging LEDs into an electrical socket and turning them on. Some LED lights are also quite flexible, making them easy to fit into almost any grow space.
Gavita Pro 1700e Gen2 LED Grow Light
Features:
The Gavita LED grow light operates at 645 watts with an output of 1700 µmol s-1 PAR and an impressive efficacy of 2.6 µmol s-1 per watt. The Pro 1700e delivers broad, intense light coverage with its 8 passively cooled LED bars allowing you to use it in low rooms, vertical racks, over benches, or even in tents. This powerful, full-spectrum light source is intended for full-term plant growth from the vegetative stage to the higher-light-requiring bloom and finishing stages. Built with premium Philips drivers, Samsung white LEDs and Osram deep-red LEDs, this fixture uses only the highest-quality components. The fixture is dimmable to 50% without any loss of efficiency using the Gavita E-Series LED Adapter and Gavita Master Controllers.
FGI HT02 Uniformity Pro 640 LED Grow Light
Features:
This FGI grow light aims to be the best-structured and longest-life 4'x 4'LED on the market today. Completely waterproof wiring connection, heavy-duty aluminum strip, sealed crystal lens diode cover, easy-to-install folding frame. We use the highest quality and latest Samsung LM301B top bin diodes to create the FGI growth spectrum. This combination of LED diodes creates an ideal growth spectrum for indoor plants. 3200 full-spectrum Samsung LM301B neutral white light diodes, 4000K CCT. The white diodes are paired with 48 Osram Osolon Hyper Red Square 660nm diodes from the OSRAM Horticulture Optimized LED Diode series. This grow light is equipped with a dimming controller, which allows advanced programming, including on/off timer, sunrise and sunset programming, and automatically dims the light when the temperature in the growing space exceeds the limit you set.
Plant Growth Stage & Light Wattage
These two elements have a close connection with each other.
While there’s a common rule of thumb — 1-square-foot grow space needs ~32W of power, this number might slightly change due to your plant growth stage. In detail, the vegetation stage needs 390–450 watts while the flowering stage is 512–650 watts.
Light Intensity
Again, this feature is decided by your plant growth stage and growing space. The most ideal light intensity range might be from 300 to 800 lumens for each square foot.
Light Spectrum
While a full spectrum includes blue, white, and red lights along with UV and infrared lights, research reveals that plants benefit from the exploit of blue, green, and red parts.
Not to say that plants from stage to stage needs a specific light spectrum range to ensure maximum growth. There are 14 wavelengths, and specific ones needed for photosynthesis are employed in the engineering of grow lights for both the 1st and 2nd growing stage of a plant.
When considering this feature, consider two solid things: full light spectrum and VEG/BLOOM settings.
Any cultivation of plants and flowers can provide optimal results with the right tools. To easily find the best LED light, this guide provides decisive help.
Of course, there is no such thing as the best grow light for all plants and flowers in general. On the contrary, this is about finding the best led grow light for certain plants and flowers in a crop.
Anyway, the task of finding this particular tool will be much easier thanks to the information we have incorporated in this article. With the proper equipment, it is easier to optimize the growth of a crop.
In this way, it will be much easier to develop a particular crop of plants and flowers inside a home or commercial store. In addition, no great technical knowledge is required to develop a crop.
Here, beginners in the cultivation of plants and flowers can achieve excellent results with the right grow light.
October 13, 2021
You’ve most likely hopped onto the indoor weed growing bandwagon and are searching for the best carbon filter for grow tent/ grow room or a fan filter ducting combo.
An activated charcoal filter has to be thick enough to absorb and banish up to 99% of the sharp pungent smells discharged by your cannabis plants’ leaves and buds.
But then again, not all filters are created equal, and finding the right choice takes a bit of research.
A carbon filter has the key furthest reaches of expelling pollutions in the outside condition, which is essential regarding smell the board. It can exist in different structures, for example, a carbon square water channel.
Those that are referenced in this post, then again, exists as carbon air channels. When you are growing indoor plants, including cannabis, you will utilize fertilizers, improvements, and pesticides, despite various things.
While it can, in fact, bring a few of intrigue, it can in like way incite a foul aroma. The unpalatable smell can be solid and can reach even outside the make tent. This is the motivation driving why you have to put resources into the best carbon channel for grow tents.
More than aroma the board, a carbon direct will help toward the completion of chafes that can cause ailments in plants. Through the ventilation that it gives, air-borne pathogens can be kept out of the make room, pushing the best condition of the soundness of your plants. Carbon occupies can exist in two rule shapes.
The first is exclusively a carbon channel. The second one is logically adaptable — a carbon channel fan combo. In view of the last reference, the carbon diverts can in like way work as an inline and fumes fan. A great part of the time in a barrel-shaped edge, a carbon channel makes utilization of dynamic carbon or just carbon that has been oxygen-treated.
It is outfitted with totally vulnerable charcoal where air would improve understanding. As it encounters, the scent is moreover gotten, and as such, there is no foul smell that could get away.
SunStream Air Carbon Filter for Inline Fan
Features:
Use the top grade RC-48 Charcoal Carbon from Western Australia ONLY. The carbon Bed in our filters is 3.8CM thick and machine packed with extremely small granulesHigh-quality RC48 carbon has a bigger specific surface area, providing higher absorption and longer life rating. Pollutants will be effectively captured by the thicker carbon layer. The open mesh delivers 53% high airflow, while the structure provides stronger support. The free premium PRE-FILTER blocks 99% of the particles, effectively preventing the filter from being clogged. Equipped with reversible heavy-duty flanges, stainless-steel meshing, and PRE-FILTER. The tapered base provides optimal air inlet Angle. Designed to eliminate odors and chemicals, the carbon filter ideal is for grow tents and hydroponics rooms, indoor planting tents, basements, and kitchens.
TerraBloom 4" Air Carbon Filter for Grow Tent
Features:
TerraBloom premium carbon filters have an industry-leading 1.8” (46mm) deep carbon bed that is at least 20% thicker than the competition. The filters scrub air better and have a longer lifespan. Only the highest grade, granular Australian activated charcoal, gives you better adsorption and superior carbon porosity to capture odors, VOCs, and other airborne pollutants in growing, laser engraving, food processing, and manufacturing applications. This charcoal scrubber can be installed both inside and outside the grow tent and is capable of filtering the air in both directions. Whether you want to use it as an exhaust or intake. You can pull air through the filter and out or push air into the filter and out of your grow room, it will work just as well.
As plants evolve over thousands of years, they develop traits that are better for their survival. There are many plants in the Congo forests which have become more attractive over the years so that flies can be attracted and then be trapped! There are some which have developed other tastes such as a sweet smell so that they can be pollinated with ease. Similarly, the marijuana plant has developed a strong stench which is beneficial for them to be identified by humans but drives off any animals, pests, or insects which might damage the plants. This smell in the plant is attributed to terpenes.
There are many different compounds present inside the body of the marijuana plant and the most important of them which is responsible for the smell is the terpene called ‘myrcene’. Marijuana isn’t the only plant that carries myrcene, as it can be seen in a number of other plants, most famously mango and thyme. However, in other plants, due to different chemical compositions and how other compounds react with it, myrcene may not necessarily give out a skunk-like smell. This is the most general smell of weed.
However, myrcene isn’t the only terpene present in weed, and in some other strains, it might not be as dominant. Hence, different strains have different smells based on their dominant terpene profile. Growers can actually increase or decrease the smell of their weed while they are growing the plant by using different methods, particularly during the drying phase. If you remove the sugar leaves of a plant in the early phase of drying, the smell tends to be less intense. If you keep them on for longer, it tends to be more intense.
Here’s a list of things that you need to consider:
Air Flow
The bigger your grow room is, the higher amount of airflow you would require. This is usually measured in CFM (cubic feet per minute). The higher the amount of air that can be sucked in, the better it is for the growers of a larger room. For a small grow room or a grow tent, something like 150CFM would also work, but as the size of your room increases, you’ll need a carbon filter that can accommodate a higher airflow too.
Size
The size of your carbon filter is also important. It is depending upon the size of your ducting and the opening in your tent that you determine how big a carbon filter you should be buying for your grow tent or your grow room. Carbon filters generally come in four-inch, six-inch, and eight-inch variants.
Carbon Quality and Thickness
Generally speaking, the better the quality of the carbon, the more odor it can trap. Most growers prefer using a carbon filter that carries the Australian virgin charcoal, which is best suited for trapping the odors of weed. Besides the quality of the carbon that is being used, another factor that comes to play here is the thickness of the carbon bed. The thicker the carbon bed, the better it is at trapping the odors.
Durability
Since you’re investing anywhere between $50 to $150 in buying a good carbon filter/kit, you better look forward to buying one which is durable and can last you for a long time. Besides that, most people are also looking forward to getting a carbon filter that is portable in size and doesn’t weigh too much either.
Is it a Complete Kit?
Growers, particularly those who are new to growing weed and are just starting out, would rather buy a complete air filtration kit rather than go for a separate filter and separate ducting. Besides, getting a complete filtration kit would ensure that you are getting stuff that fits into each other well and is designed to function together — giving you better efficiency in terms of overall performance too.
Lifespan, Cost, and Warranty
These three are pretty simple. The longer the lifespan and the warranty, the better it is for you. Many carbon filters also come with extra pre-filters which can be replaced when the current ones get clogged. Warranty is usually quite small on these carbon filters (if any) — but the longer it is, the better it will be for you. Lastly, while these are not very expensive devices, you’ll find most carbon filters priced at about $40-$70, while some premium ones are going north of $100! The basic idea here is — the bigger the size and the higher the airflow, the pricier they are going to be.
Your best carbon filter for grow rooms needs a filter to stop odor from escaping and also to keep bugs out of the system. A carbon filter is the best choice since it’s reliable and relatively quiet. They are only as effective for indoor growing as the carbon in them, so when choosing a filter, go for the best carbon filter for the growing room, one that has high-quality activated charcoal and has plenty of it. Thicker carbon filter beds mean a longer lifespan and more effective odor control and filtration.
October 09, 2021
So you’ve harvested your cannabis plants after months of taking care of them? Great! If it is a small batch or low-yielding seeds you’ve planted, you could probably trim them by hand to smaller buds that you can grind in your weed grinder and finally enjoy.
However, if you’re running a cannabis business, or just have a lot of buds that need to be trimmed this can be a very time-consuming task. This is where the bud trimmer steps in.
A bud trimmer is a cannabis grower’s best friend and you will enjoy its use to the fullest each time you use it. But depending on your requirements, a simple bud trimming by hand may not be enough to do the job.
But if you’re going to ask which bud trimmer is the best, the answer depends on your needs with consideration to several factors.
Bud trimming machines fall into 3 categories: manual bud trimmers, automatic bud trimmers, and industrial bud trimmer machines. Then you also get wet and dry bud trimmers.
Wet bud is fresh flowers that have just been harvested, while dry refers to flowers that have been dried and cured. Both wet and dry trimming have advantages and disadvantages.
Trimmers range from trimming scissors for trimming small amounts to big industrial machines that do the work of 75 people trimming by hand.
If you run a large operation, you should know how many pounds per hour you need to be able to process and this will, in turn, dictate whether you can get away with manual sheers or if you’ll be better off investing in an automated commercial solution.
When choosing a cannabis trimmer, you need to familiarize yourself with the two modes of trimming; wet and dry.
Wet trimming is the most preferred method and happens immediately after harvesting, right when the leaves are still alive on the vine. It is easier to remove the sugar leaves since they extend outwards due to their high moisture content. Wet trimming ensures that the plant dries even faster.
Dry trimming happens when the plants have lost some of their moisture. It happens when you leave the plants in an environment that has a controlled temperature, humidity, and light for close to two weeks. The buds will, therefore, lose their moisture slowly. When the buds dry at a rapid rate, the outside appears to be bone dry while the inside becomes dank and unaired.
When choosing between the two trimming methods, personal preference wins. Some cannabis growers appreciate both ways and consider them all before selecting a trimmer that works for them. Here is a guide that you can use to help you make a logical decision about which the best trimmer to use.
Features:
Kairos dry trimming machines are built with attention to long-term crop care. During the entire trimming cycle, a calculated amount of pressure is applied to the buds. Most wet and dry trimming machines sacrifice product quality for speed, wanting to be quick and appear efficient. The Kairos cultivator gently rolls the buds against the blade with customizable pressure from the down brushes to produce a consistent finish and premium trim for extracts. The high-precision bevel cut blades slice through your product gently, never bluntly chopping or mashing your product. This is one feature that contributes to high levels of terpene protection. Kairos Trimmers all use high-grade polymer as a lower blade buffer. Using a polymer on a metal blade keeps the machine from sticking as a result of product build-up, allowing for a smoother run and fewer stops for cleaning and maintenance.
GreenBroz 215 Dry Standard Trimmer
Features:
The GreenBroz 215 Dry Trimmer was designed to closely mimic the act of hand trimming your harvest while at the same time increasing the consistency and efficiency of your harvest process. While the 215 Dry Trimmer was primarily designed to be gentle and quiet, the 2–4 pounds per hour capacity allows you to trim your flower as quickly as anyone in the game. Our patented design allows for the gentle rolling of the flower and a trim that allows the material to maintain its curves and unique shape throughout the trimming process. Whisper if you want. Or play music while you harvest. It’s all possible with the 215 Standard Dry Trimmer as our 25-watt conveyor motor produces minimal noise. While the primary objective is to be gentle on your flower, our dry trimmers can trim quickly as well, allowing you to trim 2–4 pounds per hour while controlling the entire process through our responsive and customizable design.
You can wet trim your buds before curing them, immediately after harvesting — when they’re still green. But you can also dry-trim your buds after they’ve been cured.
Dry trimming is more arduous to the machines since the buds have lost the juices, and the fan leaves have also changed shape — curved inwards. Since a few folded fan leaves might pass, the buds will not be as appealing as wet-trimmed buds.
Wet trimming is the easiest and can save your buds from mold infestation. When the trimming is done early, curing begins with only the cannabinoid-rich buds that continue getting potentiated during the process.
The downside to wet trimming is that you can’t hang-dry your buds. Hang-drying is the most effective way to dry your harvest; wet trimming denies you that.
The main debate around machine trimming is about the damage that’s done to the bud. More specifically the damage is done to the trichomes. A machine that’s too rough cuts down the overall THC content of your flower, which really defeats all the expertise that goes into growing high-quality cannabis. Some machines can even eat away small fluffy buds. Hand trimming flowers will ensure attention to detail, and remove some of the hazards to the quality, and is the easiest route to producing craft cannabis. However, when trimming hundreds of pounds, can be extremely inefficient.
The high demand for cannabis has paved the way for new technologies and a whole range of machine trimmers. These trimmers do an incredible job of processing buds quickly, so they’re mainly used by large-scale growers producing for the low end of the market.
Pros:
Easy
Quick and efficient, saving time and money
Less messy; machine trimmers collect trim easily so you use it for other products
Cons:
Can over trim buds
They knock off a lot of trichomes, affecting potency and flavor
Stems and seeds can still make their way into finished buds
Trimming may be tedious but it isn’t hard to do. Experience really is the best teacher and ultimately you’ll figure out what works best for your growing style. If you’re growing for-profit and tending to six or more plants, you may want to get a small hand-powered or motorized trimmer and do the wet trim method. If you’re just growing for yourself and time and effort is not an issue, it’s probably best to keep costs down and just go with some shears and trim your buds after they’ve dried.