Far Red Lighting

[PaleSun]

One of the first things I'd like to do with the garden this year is add some far-red lighting. Google searches are coming up a little vague on what products are available. I'd like to get my outdoor garden flowering 2 to 3 weeks sooner than the natural light provides in my area. Around 740nm is quoted to be the target.

Specifically I'd like to hear from people who have these lights and are using them. What spectrum range is your light? Did you find that you were able to initiate flowering sooner? What about brand names, prices? How many are you using?

Thanks & cheers

 

[Old Salt]

Check out growmau5 on YouTube.

RapidLED has the LEDs as well as initiator pucks.

I brought photo and far red LEDs from them. They're not installed yet.

 

[Mayne]

yeap, like Old Salt said, I use Growmau5 pucks, can get from the zon, $30 or so, and works great, and does what you expect it to.

OldSalt, hope your doin great bud. been awhile

 

[PurpleGunRack]

You would have to time it so that 2-3 weeks before equinox you begin to expose the plants to Far Red from 1 hour before dusk to 15 minutes after, now I don't know if this will actually work outdoors, indoors this method can cut about a week off of the 12/12 cycle.

If you can, put your plants in a dark place at the end of the day so they only get 12 hours of light, do this for 2-3 weeks and put them outside all the time again, they will continue to flower even though the night and day aren't of equal length yet.

If you have the possibility to veg plants indoors, you can veg them to a good size and put them outside at the spring equinox where day and night are even, they'll begin to flower and because the hormone Florigen sets in they will continue their reproductive cycle through the high summer with 18 hours of light, no light stress hermies, no re-veg until you cut the buds

Or just grow autos

 

[PaleSun]

Check out growmau5 on YouTube.

RapidLED has the LEDs as well as initiator pucks.

I brought photo and far red LEDs from them. They're not installed yet.

I see Growmau5 is a big name in LED lighting.

How Many cobs are needed for each plant. 2m tall 7ft. 4 plants on an 8x8ft foot print. Yes, outdoors.

 

[Old Salt]

I see Growmau5 is a big name in LED lighting.

How Many cobs are needed for each plant. 2m tall 7ft. 4 plants on an 8x8ft foot print. Yes, outdoors.

The amount of supplemental light you need depends on where you live, and what your goal is. The location part of this is latitude, and climate. The further from the equator you are the less energy you get from the sun. The climate also affects the decision as rain, fog, and cloud will lessen the sun's energy. If your goal is to light up the night for your ladies you'd need the same light as indoors. If all you want is to add light during the day, you need to determine how much.

The number of COBs depends on how much light you require, over how much area, and the light emitted by each COB. It can be as low as four, or high as 64.

 

[Elrego]

Check out growmau5 on YouTube.

RapidLED has the LEDs as well as initiator pucks.

I brought photo and far red LEDs from them. They're not installed yet.

Any luck installing your initiation puck yet? I recently brought one and waiting for it to arrive. Was going to see if you noticed anything

 

[PaleSun]

I found "Steve's LEDs" recommended by Gro5 Mou5 with the components to assemble a FarRed unit. I'm concerned a bit about shipping from US to Canada though

 

[Aroxol]

It’s literally a thin 2x2” square that plugs into the wall. Very simple and easy, I have two. Just puts out a very faint red light. Think of a thick credit card, that’s all it is.

 

[WillCall]

I'm curious how it has gone with the FarRed light addition. The application of Far-Red could be applied at any time after lights-off (natural or artificial) and it should mimic the effects of long nights (enhanced reversion of Pfr) and promote flowering. For indoor grows this would allow the additional energy input of continued long days lighting, but cause flowering. Outdoors, it should allow the start of flowering early, in longer days of summer, when the days are long and warm and there is less cold and damp long nights (in the northern latitudes); natural flowering in northern latitudes starts about a month past the Solstice for most photoperiod plants. Seems like a win. I don't know the amount of light that would cause flowering. Did anyone on this forum thread get positive results? Share?

Early article: Downs and Thomas Phytochrome Regulation of Flowering in the Long-Day Plant, Hyoscyamus niger
"A low phytochrome photoequilibrium (Pfr/Ptot), attained by a far-red irradiation at the close of long days under fluorescent light, also promotes flowering."

 

[Imagenetic2935]

For a small space, try HLGs 39$ Far Red Initiator bulb. A Few 730nm LEDs in a convenient reg light bulb style.
For a larger space, try FGI 730nm LED far red rail. This is what I run and it's very bright. Has #20, 730nms LEDS running @ 30watts. Rail is a little less than 4 ft.
(FGI is Forever Green Indoor) They also make a similar rail just with 385nm UV A.

 

[PaleSun]

@Imagenetic2935 Thank you for that informative post. I had not found any suitable Far Red solutions recently. CV-19 effect on manufacturing...well, I just stopped looking. I do like the FGI 730. Two of those in my greenhouse at dusk would be perfect. My goal was to get outdoor gardens above 45deg Lat to flower before the cold rainy season starts. Hopefully getting full flowering earlier from photo period plants.

Cheers