ViparSpectra Survey: Is Infrared Diode A Must On A Light?

[ViparSpectra]

Hello 420 Magazine growers, ViparSpectra would like to take a quick easy survey with you, which will take only 30 seconds.

Q: Based on your experience, do you think infrared diodes, usually 730nm are necessary to include on LED grow light?

What's your answer? And why? Thank you.

 

[Emilya Green]

My experiments show that far red and into infrared should not be run full time on a grow light as I believe that this quickly degrades trichomes. These lights are better used as trigger lights 10 minutes before and after the main light period as this produces desired effects instead. Far red before the daylight period starts will restrict stretch, and far red immediately after the daylight period will put the plants into their night mode up to 2 hours faster than plants on their own will do.

 

[EZCalyx]

Great question! I think IR and UV on lights is not necessary. Supplemental as @Emilya Green mentions is key. I believe IR and UV are best supplemented at the very middle of the grow for about an hour during flowering to simulate high noon where the suns rays are at their brightest most intense.

 

[ViparSpectra]

My experiments show that far red and into infrared should not be run full time on a grow light as I believe that this quickly degrades trichomes. These lights are better used as trigger lights 10 minutes before and after the main light period as this produces desired effects instead. Far red before the daylight period starts will restrict stretch, and far red immediately after the daylight period will put the plants into their night mode up to 2 hours faster than plants on their own will do.

@Emilya Green Thank you for your share! So you would like to control the far red and IR seperately in the light, right? And how many watts for far red and IR do you prefer in one light? Just do a survey. Thank you.

 

[ViparSpectra]

Great question! I think IR and UV on lights is not necessary. Supplemental as @Emilya Green mentions is key. I believe IR and UV are best supplemented at the very middle of the grow for about an hour during flowering to simulate high noon where the suns rays are at their brightest most intense.

@EZCalyx Thank you for your share! Have collected your opinion. For your experience, may I know how many watts for IR and UV is better for plants to be supplemented during flowering?

 

[Emilya Green]

@Emilya Green Thank you for your share! So you would like to control the far red and IR seperately in the light, right? And how many watts for far red and IR do you prefer in one light? Just do a survey. Thank you.

Thank you for your attention! Without separate timers, I don't think these spectrums should be included full time on a light. I am presently running a 10 LED strip, so approximately 30w of a mix of 660 and 720 nm lights. This as I understand it is the deep and far red spectrum, and I am finding significant positive effect on these plants, by putting these on a separate timer and running them only for 10 minutes before and after the light period. IR is essentially a heat lamp, and I see little need for that. Above that, UV seems to be interesting, but early experiments showed a rapid degradation of trichomes if run full time, and experimenters found significant increase in trichome development by running the UV for a couple of hours around virtual noon time, simulating what the sun does at its peak angle. So again, I don't want it on a light full time, but with separate timers, all of these spectrums would make for a very interesting light.

 

[ViparSpectra]

Thank you for your attention! Without separate timers, I don't think these spectrums should be included full time on a light. I am presently running a 10 LED strip, so approximately 30w of a mix of 660 and 720 nm lights. This as I understand it is the deep and far red spectrum, and I am finding significant positive effect on these plants, by putting these on a separate timer and running them only for 10 minutes before and after the light period. IR is essentially a heat lamp, and I see little need for that. Above that, UV seems to be interesting, but early experiments showed a rapid degradation of trichomes if run full time, and experimenters found significant increase in trichome development by running the UV for a couple of hours around virtual noon time, simulating what the sun does at its peak angle. So again, I don't want it on a light full time, but with separate timers, all of these spectrums would make for a very interesting light.

@Emilya Green Yes, we understand your meaning. We have collected your opinion to engineer. Thank you for your share!

 

[Buds Buddy]

Now that sounds like a great light. I see some companies have the 730 nm strip down the center of their lights. But I think they run full time instead of only 10 min. before & after your main lighting comes on or goes off. I've been considering buying the 730 strips for a while now. But if a light had them incorporated & on separate timers it would be bomb !

 

[VetSmoke85]

Would be great to have a single light with these functions on. I've spoken to a couple of manufacturers about producing such a light a couple of years ago and it increases the cost considerably. Hopefully VS can figure it out at an affordable price.

 

[EZCalyx]

@EZCalyx Thank you for your share! Have collected your opinion. For your experience, may I know how many watts for IR and UV is better for plants to be supplemented during flowering?

Hello @ViparSpectra thanks for your interest! I would suggest checking out Bruce Bugby and his channel on youtube called Apogee Instruments Inc. and their videos on UV, IR and Far red. He has spent decades studying this stuff and can explain it all way better than I with graphs and frequencies.

 

[ViparSpectra]

Now that sounds like a great light. I see some companies have the 730 nm strip down the center of their lights. But I think they run full time instead of only 10 min. before & after your main lighting comes on or goes off. I've been considering buying the 730 strips for a while now. But if a light had them incorporated & on separate timers it would be bomb !

@Buds Buddy Yeah, it's awesome, far red and IR in one light and canbe controled by timer seperately.

 

[ViparSpectra]

Would be great to have a single light with these functions on. I've spoken to a couple of manufacturers about producing such a light a couple of years ago and it increases the cost considerably. Hopefully VS can figure it out at an affordable price.

@VetSmoke85 ViparSpectra will do our best to research and provide with affordable price to our customers.

 

[ViparSpectra]

Hello @ViparSpectra thanks for your interest! I would suggest checking out Bruce Bugby and his channel on youtube called Apogee Instruments Inc. and their videos on UV, IR and Far red. He has spent decades studying this stuff and can explain it all way better than I with graphs and frequencies.

@EZCalyx We will check it and conclude his study on research new lights. Thank you for your share!

 

[Buds Buddy]

@VetSmoke85 ViparSpectra will do our best to research and provide with affordable price to our customers.

That's the reason I haven't bought the strips. $150 for each 40 watt strip. I'd need at least 4 for all my grow areas and $600 seems like a lot. The results might make up for it. I don't know that for sure though.

 

[ViparSpectra]

That's the reason I haven't bought the strips. $150 for each 40 watt strip. I'd need at least 4 for all my grow areas and $600 seems like a lot. The results might make up for it. I don't know that for sure though.

We can understand you. Maybe you can follow our store and order at a affordable price during the promotion.

 

[Peat Phreak]

A recent study concluded supplemental far-red light was not beneficial to cannabis when used for the entire bloom phase.

Impact of Far-red Light Supplementation On Yield and Growth of Cannabis sativa

Results showed a decrease in yield and an increase in height as far-red light intensity increased. The study used a wide spectrum light that went up to 720nm and supplemented more far-red.

But it is good to have 660nm and 720nm in main light for the Emerson effect.

 

[Roy Growin]

Roy's pipe dream - my ideal light [approximate timings] would turn on just the IR for the first 15 minutes of 12/12
Then it would slowly dim up to the set power limit [say 75%] for the middle 11.5hrs, with the UV coming on for just the middle 4hrs or so
At the end of the day, the lamp would slowly dim down to 0%, then end with 15 mins of just IR again to complete the 12hr cycle - this setup would totally mimic the natural sunlight cycle
I'd also love to see a feature where the light turns off, say, 10 mins earlier per day in the two weeks prior to 12/12
Guess it would mean a timer integrated into the dimmer with three separate channels though, $$$

 

[ViparSpectra]

Roy's pipe dream - my ideal light [approximate timings] would turn on just the IR for the first 15 minutes of 12/12
Then it would slowly dim up to the set power limit [say 75%] for the middle 11.5hrs, with the UV coming on for just the middle 4hrs or so
At the end of the day, the lamp would slowly dim down to 0%, then end with 15 mins of just IR again to complete the 12hr cycle - this setup would totally mimic the natural sunlight cycle
I'd also love to see a feature where the light turns off, say, 10 mins earlier per day in the two weeks prior to 12/12
Guess it would mean a timer integrated into the dimmer with three separate channels though, $$$

This approach is very similar to sunlight. We will include it for consideration!

 

[ViparSpectra]

A recent study concluded supplemental far-red light was not beneficial to cannabis when used for the entire bloom phase.

Impact of Far-red Light Supplementation On Yield and Growth of Cannabis sativa

Results showed a decrease in yield and an increase in height as far-red light intensity increased. The study used a wide spectrum light that went up to 720nm and supplemented more far-red.

But it is good to have 660nm and 720nm in main light for the Emerson effect.

According to this conclusion, we should strengthen the use of IR lamp beads when VEG right?

 

[Peat Phreak]

According to this conclusion, we should strengthen the use of IR lamp beads when VEG right?

They did not use supplemental IR during veg. So you can't make that conclusion from this study.

This is what I'm using now. 640W and I only need to run it at 60% power in bloom.

I have no plans to add more far-red. Maybe adding a little more 720 would do something for the Emerson effect. There might be an ideal ratio of red wavelengths described somewhere? This light will yield more than enough for me without a 720 chip.

I do have one light that has a 720 and it tends to be a little rough on the leaves. It dries them out if I don't spray them a couple times a week. So I can live without 720.