MacGyver(BB)

This is for you SureShot.

I'm interested in putting some of these into my system, and was wondering how to go about doing it, and how many UV watts I'd need per HPS watts for optimum results.

Sorry to bring up and old topic but the search engine wont look for 'UV' Its too short a word search for ultraviolet, all I get is blacklight questions.

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Sureshot

@Budbrother - *laughs* Now UV, this is a real killer, because to be honest, I can't give you much in the way of facts. Just supposition. Bear with me whilst I lay down the initial reasoning.

It's basically based around some observations made by a Swiss friend of mine that the enclosures run at high altitude seem to out perform the lower ones when it comes to resin production.

This leads me to think about all the best pot I've smoked, and lo and behold 90% of the smokes that stick out in my head as being better than the run of the mill dutch crap came from altitude, Afghani, Swiss, Kush, the list goes on.

My own experience indoors also led me to wonder if UV is important in the stimulation of resin production, as if maybe resin is a plants 'sunscreen'. Now in the past I have run HPS only rigs, MH only rigs and HPS and MH combination rigs. Anecdotally the HPS made for larger buds, the MH made for smaller but denser and more crystally buds.

Now when you look at all of these together you start to build up a picture of what could be the extra ingredient that made one grow more potent (or at least more resinated). As regards the Swiss point there are three major changes as you increase your altitude, higher UV, lower air pressure (less dense air) and a slight fall in temperatures (this last one is not always true). As regards the difference in HPS and MH, well, you have the colour temperature difference and the fact that MH produces trace amounts of UV whereas HPS has not.

So the pot addled mind that I have puts two and two together and sees the common link, UV.

Mmm, now that's funny.

And as we all know "the most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' (I've found it!), but 'That's funny...' - Isaac Asimov.

Then I start looking at the science and note that THC has high UV-B absorption properties and wonder maybe just maybe resin is the plants 'sunscreen'.

David Pate of the International Hemp Association did some research regarding the function cannabinoids serve in cannabis, he proposed several possible functions but would not be drawn on a definate answer.

Notice that the author talks about humidity as well, something else I have tried, keeping humidity low anecdotally produces more resin. I now run at 25 - 30% RH.

Whilst here, there is a good article on pot potency over at CC, urm lemme jsut dig up a link.... HERE you go.

Anyway, I'm straying off the point.

You can pick up UV lamps in loads of wattages from low tube wattage (40W) up to tanning salon bulbs that are often rated as high as 400 - 1000W. Currently I'm using UV-A and UV-B tubes towards the lower end of this power range and am experimenting still with light cycles for them.

Currently I'm at 5 minutes on for every hour that the HIDs are on.

Anecdotally there is a slight improvement BUT to be honest I don't think I've nailed the perfect cycles or powers yet.

HOWEVER, it's not of great urgency as the HPS/MH combo gives some UV anyway.

Anywho, I don't know much more than that on the proposition. There's no great secret and very little science behind it however it does seem to be fairl logical.

Still rambling, yep.

SS

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MacGyver(BB)

That's cool.
I'm currently using an MH/HPS combo anyway, although it wasn't intentional. I had an HPS ballast die on me about 4 weeks in (bought the fucker used for $150 a year and a half ago, before finding out I could get a brand new kit for $120 ), so I substituted an MH lamp in there to finish them off. Unfortunately it is a lower wattage MH, but it seems to be working fine, and yeild is looking unaffected. Resin production seems about equal on the plants right under each light, but the light mixes, so it's hard to tell what's really going on. I have budded under 1oo% MH light, and the bud was more resinous, but was actually not as dense as the HPS bud. I was planning on going back to full HPS, but I'm actually cosidering using a mix again. but with an equivelent wattage MH
I was more interested in installation / cost / where to obtain them.

Just a thought on cycles. Maybe having them come on more towards 'noontime' in the lightcycle will beter mimic natural condtions

I've been curious on how trying to mimic the spectrum throughout the day would affect bud, as in havig HPS come on in the morning, then an MH woud come on in late morning, full MH light at noon, the the cycle reverses to the evening. I don't think I'd ever actually try that, but who knows, could have good results.

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Sureshot

@Budbrother - In reference to replicating the daylight cycle, there's a thread somewhere, Tazz talking about blue light in which we discussed something similar.

CLICK ME I'm a lovely link.

As to installation of UV into your room, I'm running on a really simple setup, MH : HPS ratio of 1 : 2, rigged in the usual way through contact relays and digital timers (I cannot stress how important dig timers are when running different lights at different times, it is a BITCH to synchronise analogue ones). The UV is supplied through UV tubes in sets of two (basically look like shop lights) running vertically. I've experimented with different W tubes and I've heard that tanning shops have ones up to 400W but in pet stores I have only found ones at low W ratings (no more than 50W) hence running them vertically. Because they're so cool and on so little you can hang them amongst your plants easily.

It's an on and off idea for me, some times I dig it totally and sometimes I just think fuck it, the MH/HPS combo is fine.

Cha.

It's like anything, you can go as far as you want with these things but I try to reign myself in before it gets too crazy!



SS

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- All images are computer generated or were taken in nations with forward thinking laws.

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MacGyver(BB)

They seem like they'd be cheap.


Yep, a grower in the 'dro store is like a kid in the candy store.

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