No Problem. I have the same problem with one of my veg plants right now! 
James The 1st First Journal
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- #102
James 1st
New Member
A little update. I won another Blackstar 240w uv light on ebay today, I had to do a few more transplants to bigger pots I'm not finished yet, grow tent is being ordered this week after much dicussion with my better half for now I'm going with the 5x5x7 from Lighthouse hydro. Anyway here's a quick pic of how things are looking in the grow space.
them uv lights are meant to be good for making the buds firmer and fatter, im not sure if you can use them the whole grow, i may be thinking off the wrong lights, but i have a uv tanning lamp and im told i can only use this for short time before it damages the plant, your light may be for growing, but i had a small free standing uv tanning lamp, im sure someone will jump in and tell you more than i can
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- #104
James 1st
New Member
Well the guy I bought it from said the he used it for the whole grow. He said that the HO Blacstars can only be used for cloning/vegging.
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- #105
James 1st
New Member
Does anyone have any experience with Stinger LEDs? I was looking at getting one of their bigger grow lights for my tent for flowering wither that or a Magnum XXL or a Penetrator pro if I can come across one. There seems to be a lot of choices for bigger lights I just want the most bang for my buck.
k mate, the only uv light i have ever used was this old tanning light, its not a full length one it has 6 bulbs about 1ft long and the lamp stands up like a halogen heater and its meant for tanning, so i dont think these are to be used for the whole grow, chances are yours is for growing so would be a benefit, it does say tanning uv lights can be used during flower for short periods throughout the day, so when this grow is in flower ill use it for a couple of hours a day and see how the buds turn out, but yours is probably ok for growing so you may not have any problems, i dont know much about them so only telling you what i know about mine, i have seen many bulbs for sale that fit into normal light fittings and wondered how well they would work, im going to look into it and see if its worth putting a couple of bulbs in during flower
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- #107
James 1st
New Member
I never thought about using tanning lights. Seems to make sense though
i found one near where i live a few years back, it looks like its made to tan your legs as when its standing up it come up to just above knee level so its a sort of tanning lamp you could put away, it make severything white glow, i did read they can stress the plant and burn th leaves like sun burn, it may have been miss information so id need to check, but if it does improve things then ill dig it out and use it when i go to flower, it said that it makes the buds bigger and firmer so i may give it a try this time round, ill check on the net see what it says,
just found this info on lighting, im reading something about the tanning lamps so ill let you know what it says
If marijuana plants grown outdoors required a 12-hour dark period to flower, they would not be induced to start flowering until September 21, the first day of autumn, when day and night are equal length. They would ripen 6-8 weeks later. In real life most modern varieties ripen between early September and late October. Budding was triggered 6-8 weeks earlier. For instance, an eight-week variety that requires 55 days from forcing to maturity, which would normally ripen on October 1st, would start flowering August 1. At that date in San Francisco, sunrise occurs at 5:14 and sunset at 19:18, a total of 14 hours 4 minutes. Dawn and dusk add another 15 minutes of red light. Plants use the absence of this spectrum to measure the dark period. The total lit period came to about 14:20, leaving 9:40 minutes of darkness. The critical period for this plant was 9 hours 40 minutes. If it were given just 10 hours of dark period daily indoors, rather than 12 hours, it would still flower.
Gardeners growing outdoors who discover the critical time needed to induce flowering can use this information to get more efficient use of their indoor garden. Currently, plants grown under a 12/12 cycle spend half their time in the dark. If the plants have a critical flowering time of, for instance, 10 hours of darkness daily, they can be provided 14 rather than 12 hours of light each day so that they receive almost 17% more energy which they use to produce sugars used for more and faster growth.
If marijuana plants grown outdoors required a 12-hour dark period to flower, they would not be induced to start flowering until September 21, the first day of autumn, when day and night are equal length. They would ripen 6-8 weeks later. In real life most modern varieties ripen between early September and late October. Budding was triggered 6-8 weeks earlier. For instance, an eight-week variety that requires 55 days from forcing to maturity, which would normally ripen on October 1st, would start flowering August 1. At that date in San Francisco, sunrise occurs at 5:14 and sunset at 19:18, a total of 14 hours 4 minutes. Dawn and dusk add another 15 minutes of red light. Plants use the absence of this spectrum to measure the dark period. The total lit period came to about 14:20, leaving 9:40 minutes of darkness. The critical period for this plant was 9 hours 40 minutes. If it were given just 10 hours of dark period daily indoors, rather than 12 hours, it would still flower.
Gardeners growing outdoors who discover the critical time needed to induce flowering can use this information to get more efficient use of their indoor garden. Currently, plants grown under a 12/12 cycle spend half their time in the dark. If the plants have a critical flowering time of, for instance, 10 hours of darkness daily, they can be provided 14 rather than 12 hours of light each day so that they receive almost 17% more energy which they use to produce sugars used for more and faster growth.
With a bit of effort you can manipulate the outdoor light cycle to grow and flower the plants at your convenience. I think that the best and most convenient time to harvest is during the summer rather than the fall. Buds that ripen midsummer experience much more intense light and much more UV spectrum than fall ripened buds. The intense light gives the plant energy to grow a bigger bud. The UV light increases its potency.
To force the plants to flower during the summer they need to receive the critical dark period each day. Covering the plants with a blackout cloth each day so they receive 12 hours of darkness pushes the plants into flowering mode. Decide whether you are going to restrict light at the beginning or end of each day. If you restrict light during in the morning, place the blackout cloth over the plants just before dawn; then remove it promptly at the appointed time. For instance, if the sun sets at 20:30 the curtain, which was placed on the garden at 5:00 right before dawn, is removed at 8:30. (If you know the plants’ critical time period for flowering you can adjust the curtain times accordingly.)
If the plants are to be covered in the afternoon then count forward 12 hours from sunrise. If the sun rises at 6:00, the curtains should go on at 18:00. Remove the cover at the end of dusk. The cover is removed because moisture builds up on it from dew and plant transpiration. Removing the cover limits the time the plant experiences a high humidity environment. In late stages, mold prevention measures should be taken. The plants can be sprayed with Serenade biological fungicide, Zero Tolerance herbal fungicide, potassium bicarbonate or other fungicides.
In some parts of the country, such as the gulf coast and parts of southern California, the temperature never dips below 7.2C and plants can be grown all year round. In areas that are slightly cooler but never freeze, a cold frame or unheated greenhouse is all that is required to keep the plants growing. Besides temperature, the problem with growing plants outdoors during the winter is that the dark period is more than 12 hours and the plants are triggered to flower. This is a good time to grow a sativa dominant hybrid because these varieties continue to grow even after they have been triggered to flower.
Another technique is to interrupt the dark cycle with light. The light doesn’t need to light the plant for long, just a few seconds. Think of it as a water spray. You want to get all the leaves “wet” with light, but once they have been sprayed they need no more light. This short interruption of the dark cycle is enough to reset the time count of uninterrupted darkness. By lighting the plants every few hours during the dark period, the plants continue to grow vegetatively, and not flower.
When the light interruption stops, the plants immediately start to flower. Plants can be started in August and planting can continue throughout the winter. To increase growth natural light can be enhanced using reflective material and electric lights. Spring starts on March 22 and on that day light and dark share equal time. At the equinox, or shortly thereafter, the dark period becomes too short to support flowering, and the plants will grow vegetatively.
To get the best possible harvest, force spring plants to flower in June. If plants are forced June 1, they will be ready in mid- to late-July. If they are forced July 1, they will ripen in mid August.
To force the plants to flower during the summer they need to receive the critical dark period each day. Covering the plants with a blackout cloth each day so they receive 12 hours of darkness pushes the plants into flowering mode. Decide whether you are going to restrict light at the beginning or end of each day. If you restrict light during in the morning, place the blackout cloth over the plants just before dawn; then remove it promptly at the appointed time. For instance, if the sun sets at 20:30 the curtain, which was placed on the garden at 5:00 right before dawn, is removed at 8:30. (If you know the plants’ critical time period for flowering you can adjust the curtain times accordingly.)
If the plants are to be covered in the afternoon then count forward 12 hours from sunrise. If the sun rises at 6:00, the curtains should go on at 18:00. Remove the cover at the end of dusk. The cover is removed because moisture builds up on it from dew and plant transpiration. Removing the cover limits the time the plant experiences a high humidity environment. In late stages, mold prevention measures should be taken. The plants can be sprayed with Serenade biological fungicide, Zero Tolerance herbal fungicide, potassium bicarbonate or other fungicides.
In some parts of the country, such as the gulf coast and parts of southern California, the temperature never dips below 7.2C and plants can be grown all year round. In areas that are slightly cooler but never freeze, a cold frame or unheated greenhouse is all that is required to keep the plants growing. Besides temperature, the problem with growing plants outdoors during the winter is that the dark period is more than 12 hours and the plants are triggered to flower. This is a good time to grow a sativa dominant hybrid because these varieties continue to grow even after they have been triggered to flower.
Another technique is to interrupt the dark cycle with light. The light doesn’t need to light the plant for long, just a few seconds. Think of it as a water spray. You want to get all the leaves “wet” with light, but once they have been sprayed they need no more light. This short interruption of the dark cycle is enough to reset the time count of uninterrupted darkness. By lighting the plants every few hours during the dark period, the plants continue to grow vegetatively, and not flower.
When the light interruption stops, the plants immediately start to flower. Plants can be started in August and planting can continue throughout the winter. To increase growth natural light can be enhanced using reflective material and electric lights. Spring starts on March 22 and on that day light and dark share equal time. At the equinox, or shortly thereafter, the dark period becomes too short to support flowering, and the plants will grow vegetatively.
To get the best possible harvest, force spring plants to flower in June. If plants are forced June 1, they will be ready in mid- to late-July. If they are forced July 1, they will ripen in mid August.
here is the bit i read about the tanning lamps, it seems it increases thc levels also, im going to look into this
Ultra-violet B light is a spectrum of light that is invisible to us but is visible to insects and some other organisms. In humans it causes suntan and sunburn and is implicated in the formation of eye cataracts. It is the light emitted by tanning bulbs.
UVB light also affects marijuana potency. The potency of high quality marijuana increases in direct ratio to the amount of UVB light it receives. This is very significant. In California, where the medical dispensaries operate in an unrestricted market; many dispensaries reject fall harvested outdoor material as inferior. They have found it lacks the potency of indoor crops and is a harsh smoke. However, when they were presented with marijuana grown outdoors but forced to ripen August 10, they accepted it as if it were indoor because of its high potency and lack of harshness. I think the harshness results from cool nights.
Indoors, under fluorescent and HPS lamps, gardens receive little UV-B light. Metal halides emit a bit more. However, there are ways of supplying your garden with UV-B light. Tanning lamps work, that is, lamps that tan people, because of the UV-B light they emit. Using tanning lamps will increase the THC content of the crop. Reptiles and lizards require the spectrum to stay healthy. So the spectrum usually comprises about 10 percent of their output. If you want to try tanning lamps they are available on the Internet. Use between 5-10 percent of your total wattage to these lamps. For a 1000-watt garden use 100 watts of special lighting.
Adding UV-B light to your garden will enhance your marijuana naturally, without “special formulas” and chemicals.
Ultra-violet B light is a spectrum of light that is invisible to us but is visible to insects and some other organisms. In humans it causes suntan and sunburn and is implicated in the formation of eye cataracts. It is the light emitted by tanning bulbs.
UVB light also affects marijuana potency. The potency of high quality marijuana increases in direct ratio to the amount of UVB light it receives. This is very significant. In California, where the medical dispensaries operate in an unrestricted market; many dispensaries reject fall harvested outdoor material as inferior. They have found it lacks the potency of indoor crops and is a harsh smoke. However, when they were presented with marijuana grown outdoors but forced to ripen August 10, they accepted it as if it were indoor because of its high potency and lack of harshness. I think the harshness results from cool nights.
Indoors, under fluorescent and HPS lamps, gardens receive little UV-B light. Metal halides emit a bit more. However, there are ways of supplying your garden with UV-B light. Tanning lamps work, that is, lamps that tan people, because of the UV-B light they emit. Using tanning lamps will increase the THC content of the crop. Reptiles and lizards require the spectrum to stay healthy. So the spectrum usually comprises about 10 percent of their output. If you want to try tanning lamps they are available on the Internet. Use between 5-10 percent of your total wattage to these lamps. For a 1000-watt garden use 100 watts of special lighting.
Adding UV-B light to your garden will enhance your marijuana naturally, without “special formulas” and chemicals.
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- #112
James 1st
New Member
Ah I may look into some tanning lights for flowering then I'm not really into using chemicals in my garden unless it's neccessary. I've seen your buds & they are mind blowing.
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- #113
James 1st
New Member
Maybe I could combine the 2? You have given me a very good idea now I just have to see if the size of my tent will allow me to do what I'm thinking of.
thanks for the compliments mate, before this grow i knew nothing, so im hoping my results can only get better and better, so keep watching and im sure i can do better this time round.
im glad i give you an idea to improve the plants, lets just hope you can get it fitting in the tent, ill be digging out my tanning light for the flower stage and see if it makes much difference, ive got it so i might as well use it,
im glad i give you an idea to improve the plants, lets just hope you can get it fitting in the tent, ill be digging out my tanning light for the flower stage and see if it makes much difference, ive got it so i might as well use it,
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- #115
James 1st
New Member
I managed to find a tanning light that's the same size as my led light it's 75 watts so that should help some.
all i can add is make sure you read up on these lights, im sure i read somewhere that you can only use them for a certain amount of time, but their is that much info on here i could of been thinking of something else, it clearly says it will produce better buds so have a look round the net and see what you can find out, if they do make a difference then its worth doing, ive got a light i can use in my room and i can mount it above the plants or at the side, so id need to turn my plants every few hours but that wont be a problem, ill find out what i can about these tanning lights, i also seen uv bulbs in the hardware store, screwfix sell them, a uv light, fits in a normal light socket, ill try and find them and let you know what their called, if they work as well as they say they do then this can only mean that the buds we produce will be better than they would be if we never used the light, ill try and find out if any other growers know anything, ill ask a question on my journal and pm a few people about it, ill let you know what i find out
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- #117
James 1st
New Member
Cool thanks!
hey no probs mate, if i can improve my grow and also help someone else to improve their then thats job done, when i came to this site i knew nothing at all, never even knew their was fem or auto seeds, thats how long its been since i grew last, i was growing down the isle of wight back then but that was 10 years ago, i knew nothing apart from the light schedules, so i used 18-6 for veg and 12-12 for flower, i never even knew you could use different schedules, but im so glad now that i have learned enough to pass onto others so i can now help them like i got helped, and finding out new info like these tanning or uv lights just makes things better, ive not seen another grower on here using uv or tanning lights, so its not a well known idea, but if it does make things better then im sure more people will try it, its just like blue planer nutrients, its sold by word of mouth, i was amazed with the results and never thought id try it, then teSmp and another grower who left paid for the nutes and delivery to where i am, and ive been using it ever since, now i save a bit each week for when i need it next, thats how good i think them nutrients are, so if you ever get some spare cash then go for the 3part plus bloom booster, it really does make the difference,
75 watts? can you really tan under a 75 watt light?
I have tried several LED lights. I am currently trying a Helios it is really powerful I actually had to move it back almost a foot. I keep looking at the Budmaster series too as it has the same type of LED's/lenses that are in my adjusta-clusta and plants LOVE that light (it is now in my veg room). I am using almost 100 watts per plant and it works. More in this case is better, I would love to have 200 watts per plant!! Look at the spectrum too. If I get a Budmaster I will try to get the same LEDs that the adjusta-clusta has ... I know you want to know what that is and I just tried to find it and can't, I will just ask and if my feeble gourd can remember where the hell this thread is I will pass the info to you 
Looking good
thanks for the info buckshot, ill check the power on my tanning lamp unit, it has 5 uv strip lights in it that give off no heat at all, just a nice glow that makes anything white glow like crazy, im not sure tanning lamps are high wattage, but dont take me on that, ill check what mine is when i dig it out, its only a small one that is free standing on the floor, i could mount it above the plants if i tied it up, but its vertical for some reason, stands just higher than knee height and the tubes run from the floor upwards, so its either for tanning lower legs or for some short dwarf, or it could be for medical purposes, i found it ages ago thinking it was a grow light, it was only when i got it home and took it out the bag and plugged it in that i found out it made everything white glow, plus i also found lots or writing and drawings on my walls that the kids had done with a magic marker, they thought cuz it was magic that you could draw anywhere, i never even noticed and never would of if i never found this light, it was all over the place, i walked round my living room and their were patterns on the wall paper and on the doors and door frames, the kids must of went mad with these money testing markers, you draw on the bank notes and if their fake it leaves a brown mark as it reacts with the bleach in the paper, real bank notes are not made from paper and contain no bleach so dont glow, i did how ever run a test, i took a piece of plain paper, and soaked it in a bowl of water, i emptied it a few times and re-filled, then i let it dry, then i tried the markers on it and they didnt show up, so it seems if you are into printing money then you can use cheap paper as long as it is soaked over night to remove any bleach, now you just need to get around the water mark, the foil and holgram, i know its been done i had some from the bank, they give me £100 worth and wouldnt even take them back, i went strait back to the bank and said their fake and they thought i was trying it on, anyway i cant say what i did with the notes but they was damn good, the best i had ever seen, but i got rid of them, is all ill say,
