Gsplover11
Well-Known Member
Is the red spectrum bad for young plants?
My new plants are HATING my new t8 leds!!!!
- Thread starter Gsplover11
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Gsplover11
Well-Known Member
Just read this,interesting...
The Effects of Far Red Light in Vegetation
If you’re getting stretch in the vegetation stage, too much far red could be the culprit.
Because far-red makes your plants think they’re in the shade, they keep reaching upwards in search of the sun. Their leaves grow longer and wider and their stems elongate. The unhappy result is a long and lanky plant that’s too weak to hold up the healthy flowers you’re hoping to cultivate.
The Effects of Far Red Light in Vegetation
If you’re getting stretch in the vegetation stage, too much far red could be the culprit.
Because far-red makes your plants think they’re in the shade, they keep reaching upwards in search of the sun. Their leaves grow longer and wider and their stems elongate. The unhappy result is a long and lanky plant that’s too weak to hold up the healthy flowers you’re hoping to cultivate.
raggyb
Well-Known Member
I'm just learning here too, but it might be the proportion of red to blue, or red to green, etc. So you may want some red but not a majority of red. It probably depends a little on the plant too. Like equatorial sativas may be even worse under higher proportion of red for young plants, which is just my guess.
Gsplover11
Well-Known Member
Maybe these lights are not really full spectrum?maybe more on the pink/red side?
raggyb
Well-Known Member
Interesting. Has me thinking how plants evolve like further off from equator spring would actually shift light more to red side I think all other things being equal, but blue would be increasing every day. But all else is not equal, because rain clouds in spring diffuse the light color and I can only say it seems more gray or white which seems would be a flat spectrum graph. And fall would be increasing red spectrum every day. I think on equator would be flat spectrum any time of year and just less light during rainy season which I don't know if that is during veg or flower? Sense?
raggyb
Well-Known Member
Yes, I think light makers are very liberal with the term full spectrum. And leds dont seem full at all. They just combine a few color lights which the color is actually spread a bit around a wavelength and they kind of overlap to create a wider spectrum but full would be flat all the way across if you ask me. And the invisible wavelengths probably do matter as well, contributing to the heat of the leaf surface and such.
Rocket Soul
Well-Known Member
In lack of anything else, im going to go with this! With reasonable soft light some red should not be a problem for seedlings. But these are phosphor reds that contain a lot of far red. Too much far red or unbalance between red and far red can cause shade avoidance syndrome which have one effect of being light sensitive.
Its quite strange cause on paper this blue red based spectrum should be horticentric and good for plants. But your obviously seeing something else. It would be good to know dimensions of and wattage of this strip fixture and see the plants but i understand that some cant show.
In the end its working with the other 6500k leds so it cannot really be the leds just those pink leds in this configuration. Is it possible to mix the pink and the cold white 6500s?
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Gsplover11
Well-Known Member
Got the veg tent done,plants transplanted,ive got 3 holyfield fems up top.
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Gsplover11
Well-Known Member
The fixture are single strip,2 ft long and 24 watts a piece x 2 and 1 6500k x 1
Gsplover11
Well-Known Member
Room was a bit cool,had to put the heater in
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Gsplover11
Well-Known Member
Its below zero here now!!
raggyb
Well-Known Member
Cool, never heard of shade avoidance syndrome or the term horticentric. I am wondering is that a typo or what do you mean "un lanace"?
Rocket Soul
Well-Known Member
Damn my mobile typing thumbs! Its been correct to unbalance. Had to read thru the whole post to get it. Horticentric may be my own expression; light that is made for plants and not eyes; focus on parts of the spectrum important for plants or made with horticulture in mind specifically, blues and reds generally but i include a bunch of nm from various action spectrums of plant processes (chlorohyll, stomata aperture etc).
Star Dog
Well-Known Member
What are the temp in the tent?
Heat is essential with led without a reasonable temperature they won't thrive.
Gsplover11
Well-Known Member
Im averaging 78 degrees
Wastei
Well-Known Member
My yields and quality have all gone up since switching to LED's 5 years ago. Ca/Mg related problems running LED's are all easily fixable. The most common error is using excess light.
There's nothing missing but you get more usable light and wider spectrum growing with LED's and you need to adjust accordingly. Most traditional plant foods already have enough Ca/Mg like Jacks or other formulas.
250w LED is comparable to 500w HPS IMO in terms of usable light and people still dont get why they're getting light bleached plants in veg running more light than needed and at the wrong distance to the canopy. I've seen very bad numbers and recommendations from LED manufacturers just aiming to market the maximum theoretical output number, it doesn't matter if that's usable for the plant or not!
We vegged fine under 250w CFL back in the day in 4x4 and that's even less light. I don't need more than 150w of LED in veg growing in a 4x4, adding more won't let the plant grow faster.
Stiickygreen
Well-Known Member
All true...with caveats. Took me a bit to make the switch and figure out I needed a good (decent) light/Pffft meter. (LOL)
LIke I say...I have 9 LED panels...so I've given it a shot. Last Winter I had to add in a heater in my tent 'cus my space is only heated by a woodstove. Then a dehumidifier. As a result...the dial was spinning as hard as running HID. (with less ground covered cus of the one-directional lamps) Quality (and quantity) here went wayyyyy up when I moved outside under the real lamp. Then it went up again when I started freeze drying the take. We all do it differently and come at it from a different angle. If the LED's work for ya...great. They aren't the only way to play though. Just one way. It's all good. I just miss the days of rooms full of lamps rather than (the limits of) growing in tents using panels.
Gsplover11
Well-Known Member
Very happy man this morning!!no droopy plants today!i guess i was right,they just were not ready for the full spectrum yet...
2 weeks in this tent,then off to the flower tent!!
2 weeks in this tent,then off to the flower tent!!
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Mason Jar 92705
Well-Known Member
F’in eh! 1000 watt hps bulb, big hood and an electronic ballast all day long for me. Those leds that cover 5x5 or 6x6 areas are so expensive and the plants under them don't look any better.
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