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My next setup is going to be in a little cabinet, flowering freshly rooted clones immediately SCROG style with t5s right on top. I've been reading about the correlations between UVB and THC content, I was thinking about swapping out one of the tubes for a T5HO UVB bulb. Has anyone done this before or seen bud grown like this? :wtf:
Im pretty green here but from what I know UVB bulbs dont really help all that much. Someone suggested that its more the color wavelength they produce that benefit the plant the most, not the UVB itself.
Im sure someone more knowledgeable will pop in soon so dont rush out and return a bulb or anything yet.
I know there are arguments going for and against it. However, nobody seriously attempts it other then the hardest of hardcore. Trust me, if it were as simple as swapping out one bulb for another...well....most of us would have done it by now. I think you'd miss the bulb before long, but if they work it's not "abundantly" apparent. If you catch my drift
Hey Permabaked,Quote:
Originally Posted by Permabaked
I am a believer in the use of UVb, it has clearly worked for me to get trichomes to turn amber for finishing....and in some strains it may add trichomes when used thru out the grow (veg and flower).
What you propose to do, subbing a UVb bulb in your fixture tho will not work, and here's why. T5's come in three flavors of wattage; Normal Output, High Output and Very High Output. I have not been able to find any T5 reptile bulbs that are made in HO only in NO. Your fixture is probably an HO setup, so it will not fire a Normal Output bulb.
In my grow, I use 4- T5- 2' bulbs that are "desert 50" normal output, 14w each, but I use a IceCap 630 ballast to drive them to VHO levels, 40w each. Bulb life is shortened but output is very much increased. I use this supplemental lighting only for a few hours per day, during the middle of the photoperiod.
As someone mentioned above, there is some thought that some light wavelenghts can accomplish the same thing. Specifically 10,000K to 12,000K seems to work, plus is safer then playing with UVb bulbs. You might want to consider getting a set of bulbs for your T5 fixture that are HO's and swap out all your bulbs for the last 10-14 days of flowering. You are in experimental land tho and need to keep in mind that differant strains give differant results.
Good luck and good growing...keep in mind eye safety if you use UVb.:)
High! ....oldmac...:thumbsup:
Welcome back oldmac! :jointsmile:
I think RustyTrichome had a UVb CFL that he was using, maybe do a search on his posts about it. Stick one of those in the cab, and see what it does. I don't think it has to be super close to the plants like normal CFL's/fluoros. Just remember to use proper eye protection, or better yet, make a kill switch for the door and light so it's not on when the cab is opened :thumbsup:
I just started using a HO T5, 2ft, 4 bulb, 24 watt, 6500k bulb fixture...:thumbsup:Quote:
In my grow, I use 4- T5- 2' bulbs that are "desert 50" normal output, 14w each, but I use a IceCap 630 ballast to drive them to VHO levels, 40w each. Bulb life is shortened but output is very much increased. I use this supplemental lighting only for a few hours per day, during the middle of the photoperiod.
I use this for 3 weeks...before transplanting and stepping up to 400 watt CMH.