Uvb for plants

bighen

Member
best UVB bulb for flowering please let me know what you use, and you can post some pictures of results. it would be greatly appreciated.
 

Draconus87

Member
its still quite a controversial subject in the literature actually, it makes sense to me so i bought a 5W terrarium UVB cfl, it is my first grow ever so i have nothing to compare visually now, but i will post pics once iv harvested :)
 

IC3M4L3

Well-Known Member
fuk uvb hid all the way MH for veg and phillips sonT for flower

job done

uvb indeed lol, keep it for ya lizard
 

TRIBUNAL

Well-Known Member
I bought the 10w from Petland and I run it all day, but they say 5 hours a day is all you need.
It works if you don't have UV from another source like MH.
So if you're growing with HPS or CFL like me, a UVB Bulb will make a large difference in crystal production and maturation IMO.
Good LED's will have UV in small quantities as well.

MH is the way to go but sometimes ya just can't. Although I believe LED's will take over as they improve and prices drop.
 

Draconus87

Member
i am running a HM 400W as well, the thing is, the glass tube in MH is designed to block the uv from leaving the bulb, or so i read :P thats y its necessary to get the terrarium light
 

Mad Hamish

Well-Known Member
There's a thread that deals with this in the advanced cultivation section. If memory serves: 10w UVB bulbs do NOT have enough UVB to make any difference at all. Matter of fact, the guy doing the tests found only one or two bulbs that WORK for the job, and they are really expensive. a 5-watt is laughable really.
Lab tests did show an increase in THC when sufficient UVB was used. But the people to answer this question thoroughly hang out in the advanced section so maybe try post the same question there, I can't for the life of me remember WHO it was that did the actual tests and posted it, but yeah you will get some nicely educated answers from those guys. You'll probably also get some arguments but hey par for the course LOL.

Far as I remember the smallest useful one was 35 watts...
 

Amerikaner

New Member
I know from raising chameleons this about uvb bulbs... They can cause cancer kinda like tanning bulbs so you dont want to hang out in the light for no reason. They are kinda expensive but they make them in all sizes and shapes watts etc. . Anyone looking should check ebay first. pet store bulbs will be expensive. Dont know shit about growing with them though. And the uvb output is like six months to a year before being replaced. I know two 25 watt cfl uvb was enough for a m2 when it came to lizards snakes.
 

Mad Hamish

Well-Known Member
The one I know works is specifically for desert lizards, it simulates Mojave kinda intensity so yeah I'd say it's pretty badass as far as UV goes.
Far as I know, Kite High used them along with MH and HPS as supplemental light. Seriously the guy did a lot of research and tried all sorts of things, definitely who I'd ask before spending money. It's all on that thread.
 

Amerikaner

New Member
I always wondered if they where worth adding but i think if you have a decent lighting set up to begin with you could get decent penetration with just a few as far as uvb is concerned not gonna add many lumens though. Ill check your thread out .
 

Mad Hamish

Well-Known Member
I always wondered if they where worth adding but i think if you have a decent lighting set up to begin with you could get decent penetration with just a few as far as uvb is concerned not gonna add many lumens though. Ill check your thread out .
Yeah I can't quite recall if it was worth the money. I can't get the bulbs in my country so I lost interest after a while, but it reall was interesting though.
 

Mad Hamish

Well-Known Member

  • Well not to disappoint you but rather to keep you from wasting time and energy none of the cfls I have tested, which were many at quite the cost, emit enough UVB to effect the causation we seek. It takes 150-400 uw/cm2. Over 400 yield reduction occurs with no additional benefit. The cfls tested from 13 - 65 watts the best output at 4 inches was 85 uw/cm2.

    These are the only affordable fluorescent tubes that emit enough and it is at 12-18 inches from the tubes.
    http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/ard3t546in54.html




 
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