Do UV lights increase THC levels in your cannabis plants?

The majority of cannabis growers want to increase the potency of their harvest in terms of THC content. So they eventually go into it to benefit from the outcome of the final, cured batch. Luckily, understanding the different parts of the light spectrum and how they work can help increase the THC levels in your bud by 28%. Please read on to see how incorporating some UV-B light into your plant can greatly increase its potency.

Are special UV lights needed for cannabis?

One can argue about that. There are some companies that claim to make full spectrum LED grow lights that are specifically made for the needs of the cannabis plant. This has not been confirmed.

What is certain is that many lamps that claim to be full spectrum only emit the full spectrum of visible light. While it may look incredibly bright, there are no additional benefits to your garden. What plants need is intense light, not bright light. Unlike humans, who understand the brightness of light (lumens), plants understand PAR (the strength of light). Many full spectrum lights are created based on brightness rather than PAR.

It can also be an advantage to store your lights separately as once your plants are mature you will want to switch to a longer wavelength red light setup. It is an imitation of the sunset and the change from summer to autumn. This change prompts your plant to start flowering. The transition is easier to control when you have multiple lights.

The final benefit of keeping a different UV-B light is that it’s possible to manipulate the spacing separately from your other lights, giving you fine-grained control over the light’s exposure to your plants. You can choose to go all the way as a UV specific lighting setup is all about optimization. However, if you can get an all-in-one LED grow light that can do the job, it will make things easier and won’t require a lot of electricity.

Can Cannabis Be Grown Under Black Light?

The answer is no. Cannabis doesn’t have the strength or the right wavelength. There is a chance that it will have an impact if the light is very strong, although it will likely be very low.

How do you get ultraviolet light on your cannabis buds?

You should modify the intensity of UV light you expose your plants to depending on their growth stage. Basically you use artificial light to mimic the sun in different positions throughout the year. The intensity of the UV light varies depending on the position of the sun.

seedling

That’s the hardest thing to say. So if you are not sure, turn it off completely for your seeding. Although seedlings can be bright when growing in natural light, indoor lighting can be very harsh and seedlings fragile. During this growth phase, it’s crucial to make sure they’re off to a healthy and promising start, rather than worrying about maximum returns. During the vegetative state, you can charge it up, but treat it gently for now.

vegetative phase

This is when you can crank it up. In nature, when the sun is at its strongest in midsummer, plants are in this phase. By providing them with a healthy dose of UV light, you make them aware that they don’t have to stretch to compete and can use their energy to grow green and dense. As a result, the additional leaves allow more photosynthesis and thus provide more energy. You don’t want them to burn, but at that point you’re enjoying the most powerful and full spectrum of light.

flowering phase

This is in autumn when the sun is fading in the sky. More of its rays will be saturated by Earth’s atmosphere as it gets lower, particularly UV-B, so it should be reduced or shifted at this stage. The plants would have finished most of their growth and focused on bud formation. If you are able to tune it to an ideal level, you will get great results.

How to get the most out of UV light

The ferocity of UV light increases noticeably at higher altitudes. Mountains and elevated regions grow the best hash plants in the world. The National Weather Service says UV light increases by 4-5% for every 1000 feet ascended. This indicates that a trip from Phoenix to the top of the San Francisco Peaks increases UV exposure by 50%!

States like Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico collect some of the harshest UV light with some overcast compared to the northern states.

Unique fluorescent lamps emit radiation close to that of natural UV light and were used in a study. Growers place plants 10 inches from the canopy under 40W Westinghouse FS-40 sun lamp. These special lightbulbs might be hard to find now. However, identical inexpensive items are available in large quantities and would be the cheapest option for greenhouse sized plants. To remove the UVC spectrum, powerful, destructive ultraviolet radiation that is naturally filtered out by the ozone layer, the light has been filtered with cellulose acetate.

Smaller growers can benefit from UVB supplementation but will need smaller bulbs. Some reptiles, like the bearded dragon, need radiation to make vitamin D like humans. You can buy a small UVB-emitting lamp at pet stores. Mineral lovers also use UVB lamps to make their rocks fluoresce, but the small portable lamps probably aren’t powerful enough for even a single plant.

bottom line

Provided you buy well-made light bulbs from a reputable seller, UV bulbs are safe for use with cannabis and there shouldn’t be any problems that regular bulbs wouldn’t cause. Damage to skin and eyes poses the greatest risk, so make sure the necessary precautions are taken. Repeated and prolonged exposure to these lights can destroy your eyes in the long run, although it may not seem painful at the time. That being said, the only other danger is being overly playful and burning your pants. Just monitor the leaves and make sure they don’t appear burnt.

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