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Lighting question
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Lighting question
What’s up everyone new member and first timer. Question on lighting. So is there 3 extra lights(UVA,UVB,FAR RED)to help with the full spectrum light so a total of 4 lights all together? Also I understand the FAR RED stays on all day with full spectrum light but turns off 15 minutes after full spectrum shuts down, is this correct? How long to run UVA with full spectrum? Confused about the UVB part on how much light and how often to run it? I know UVB burns just confused on how to use it effectively. Thank you for your time
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16 Replies
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Far red is commonly built into lights.
IR and UV can be built in but it’s more likely that IR is built into the lights and will more than likely cause tent heating issues for you.
You’re better off with the UV and IR as separate units so if the IR needs it can be staggered to prevent overheating.
The UV can be used appropriately for a tiny bit before/after lights out. Staged usage of a week on/week off.
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I have the vivosun AeroLight Wing AW200. I believe it has far red built in like you said. It has three settings for youthlings, veg, then flower. Thanks for your time
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Unless you have total environmental control, asking how to dial in UV, far red and shit like that is pointless.
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What do you mean by total control? Humidity and temperature control?
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Yes, temperature, humidity and CO2 levels are environmental basics.
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So I have humidifier and dehumidifier, heater and ac, and co2 bag. The light I have that came with the tent is a Vivosun AeroLight Wing AW200. It’s a 2’x5’x6’-8”. The tent that the room is in is also able to hold temperature as well. So just trying to figure out if I need to add more lighting somewhere to help with grow. Thanks everyone for your replies. I’ve tried to do my research but just don’t have the actual experience yet but looking forward to it.
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These are the 3 lights I was looking into.
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I think you should get a working setup and *see* what you need from there. Are your buds on the bottom small? Add some inter-canopy lighting to fix it.
After you’ve got a little more experience then grabbing these lights and stuff might be beneficial when you can say to yourself… I think I would benefit from X or Y in this way.
You should always buy based on your grow and what you think is needed from the experience growing. Trying to optimize and dial in before you’ve experienced what your environment is providing may cause you to buy things you don’t need and will never use.
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I totally understand that. I felt like I was trying to take on a lot. I messed around back in the days with a couple little closet type basic grows but it was nothing to the degree of the knowledge there is today. Seemed like everywhere I looked led me into another worm hole of wonder. Appreciate all the info!
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Focus on the basics is my only advice to someone who has no idea what they’re doing.
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Thank you for the info. I’m gonna keep it simple for now.
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You don’t know exactly what you need for environmental control until you fill your space with full powered lights and plants. Total environmental control evolves being able to get the temperature to 60F with relative humidity down to 40% with your space filled with lights and full grown plants. What conditions you can keep with an empty room is irrelevant. Lights are not the only heat source. More foliage equals more dehumidification that’s needed equals more heat.
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On nailing down environment and how extreme it can be. I’m in Minnesota, my grow is in a 5ft x 22ft portion of a detached Garage, it is very well insulated. It is currently -10⁰f outside. 2 of my 3 Air conditioners are still needed, the A/C’s exhaust their heat into car part of the garage (poorly insulated) and they keep it 50⁰ warmer than outside air. Once the rooms are full and those plants are rocking, I think the dehumidification produces the most heat.
Nailing down environment is both fun and challenging. I will say it’s gotten a lot easier. I started growing in 96 and I stopped in 16, started up again last year. There’s been leaps and bounds made in available equipment and controllers.
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I added UVA-II lights from AC Infinity. No idea what they do or don’t do, yet. But I’m going to have samples to compare with in about 4 months and 3 weeks.
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As a new grower I would stick to one decent full spectrum LED light. Stick to the basics and get a few grows under your belt. All of these recent lighting additives/theories are driven by anecdotal evidence only at this point. I’m not convinced that any of it is worth the extra time and money………YET.
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Agree
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