blackjacksoil.com

[Blackjack]

First let me say this:

Most plants will grow despite what I say here and I'm sure that at least one of my views will be news to you. In which, you may not agree with me because of what you may have heard, read or experienced. What can I say? My views here represent many years of helping gardeners be better growers. I'm not going to tell you that they are better gardeners than you, but most of them are successful growers time after time. To me, consistency in great harvests is the most important thing for gardeners. It gives them breathing room to try different techniques because they’re not fighting failure. When you're not fighting failure you inherently have the time, money and fortitude to try different techniques. I like time, money and fortitude; it’s that combination that made me a better gardener. It is my wish that your continued success will give you command of time, money and fortitude. So here we go. I will expound on some of my basic lighting views that I assure you will not hurt your plants, and I think will give gardeners who are new to indoor growing a good head start. For others, it may be time to think fresh.

Cloning Stage:

I suggest the use of a combination of one Actinic T5 tube to three 3000K fluorescent tubes. This helps the clones to establish a proper and powerful epidermis cell structure to help deter insect and mold attack. UV light will also help the plant with the ability to generate chemically based hormone events needed in later life. The use of Actinic fluorescent tubes should be used throughout the plants life.

Note: 3000 Kelvin tubes are the warmer looking yellowish tubes, not to be confused with the whiter looking 5000-6500 K tubes. All fixtures that come with tubes use the whiter looking 6500k tubes. They must less expensive for the manufacturer. Ask if they can be exchanged or purchase the 3000K tubes and use them instead. Believe me there is a difference between a 3000k tube and 5000-6500k tubes when your growing plants!!!!!!


Vegetative Stage:

When it comes to the lighting of the vegetative stage of plant growth I recommend 3,000 Kelvin Metal Halide lighting or the new T5 fluorescent tubes in a combination of one Actinic T5 tube to every three 3,000 Kelvin T5 tubes. The reason behind this view is the blue spectrum that Metal Halide inherently emits from the burning of the metal halides inside the lamps electrode. It is my belief that good vegetative plant growth starts with a light spectrum of 3000 -4000 degrees Kevin, preferably 3000 Kelvin. A spectrum below 3000 degrees Kevin ( like an HPS lamps) may very well signal the plant to manufacture hormones for bloom growth and stretch toward the light source but may also prematurely prepare for winters die-out. You don't want this happening in the vegetation stage of plant growth. Metal Halide lamps can be purchased with Kelvin ratings of 3000K to 14,000K. For gardening I think we only need to pay attention to MH lamps with Kelvin ratings of 3000K to 6000K. But once again, 3000 kelvin lamps and tubes are my choice for vegetative growth with they added T5 Actinic tubes. When comparing MH 6000K lamps with MH 4000K lamps, many gardeners have reported better vegetation growth with 6000K lamps but then again just as many gardeners don’t like the 6000 K lamps and if they are not introduced to 3000K lamps they will generally go back to the 4000K lamp. This is probably because the 4000/6000 Kelvin lamps are just outside of the 3,000 Kelvin threshold of color temperature that I prefer. Mixing the MH 6000K with 2000 K HPS or another MH 3000K lamp or Actinic T-5’s tubes might very well be a good application choice. Many gardeners have successfully used the MH 3000 Kelvin lamps for vegetative growth and used the same 3000K lamps for bloom. While HPS lamps rated at 2000 K are used by some gardeners for vegetative growth, I would never use them without the use of helper lamps or tubes to boost the total Kelvin temperature of all the light output rating to at 3000K. Usually these helper lamps are T-5 fluorescent with a color output of 5,000-28,000 Kelvin. Without a doubt, the Actinic fluorescent tubes are the best choice with HPS. HPS lamps are rated at 2000 Kelvin and it is my view that there simply isn’t enough blue light and UV light emitted for a proper and healthy vegetative plant growth. Yes, even the HPS lamps that advertise 30% more blue light than standard lamps don’t have enough blue light. The standard HPS lamp only has about 2% of its spectrum in the blue range. HPS lamp manufacture’s that advertising 30% more blue in their lamps really don't have much to brag about. In other words, they raised the output of blue light from 2% to 2.6%.

New tests have shown that combining one Blue fluorescent Actinic T-5 tube for every three 3000 Kelvin fluorescent tubes can be a great help in producing healthy strong vegetative plants. Actinic T-5 tubes produce Ultra Violet (UV) light and I believe it is this frequency that promotes the plants positive health response creating a thicker and stronger epidermis cell structure to fend off insects and create needed hormones at the same time. Actinic lamps will gives the plant the needed UV to grow like it was in the outdoor sun!! Outdoor quality plants growing indoors, I like the sound of that and the looks of the plant isn’t bad either. WOW! I also believe this is the frequency that LED light manufactures are trying to emulate with their red, white and blue lamps but they don't come close to the results of a combination of HPS with Actinic T5 or Actinic T5 with 3000K T5 fluorescent tubes. Caution to those who use Actinic T-5 tubes as the UV will give you a sunburn just like the Sun so use sunglasses when you’re around them. Actinic lamp's Kelvin color temperature is about 28,000 K. Wow! Not a misprint, they’re really blue.

Just as a side note, I have not seen any real inspiring results with LED lighting. I tried for two years with every combination possible. I was terribly disappointed with LED testing. The spectrum is almost there but the physical light candlepower to the leaf will most likely never get there. I would not suggest LED lighting in any form since T5 lighting is so affordable, easy to use, powerful and a proven winner.

Those who use HPS in vegetation growth will be very happy to know that there have been reports of awesome plant growth using Actinic tubes in conjunction with HPS lamps. The difference is dramatic. Better health, a greater vascular system and more resistance to insects and mold is just a few of the benefits you will see from an enhanced epidermis cell structure. WOW!!!The ratio seems to be a minimum of 4-6 Actinic 4 foot tubes for every 600 watt lamp. More of course would be better but information available to me suggests that no more than 8 -12 Actinic 4 foot tubes for every 600 or 1000 watt lamp is necessary. Hang them in close to the plants. Any less than 4 inches to the plant and you may get burn. But, then again, some have reported good results with the Actinic at the same height as the HPS lamp. No matter where you place them you will see a difference. As a test, do one area and not the other. See the difference yourself. Actinic T5 tubes used in the bloom stage of growth is also fantastic!! Do not under estimate the extra performance from the UV emitted from the Actinic Tubes. Note: MH and HPS lamps are literally stripped of UV when their light passes through their glass envelope and reflector/hood glass shields.

How many lamps per square foot is always a question worth investigating. Don’t get me wrong here, I am a firm believer of "the more lamps the better”. However, my views here are intended to serve the minimum amount needed to get the job done. Having said that, I think that the standard rule of thumb of a 400-watt MH lamp for every 4-foot by 4-foot area is pretty close to being correct, but I think you should place Mylar on all surfaces in the growing area. I believe it to be more reflective than white paint or white plastic. This will help to illuminate the plant on all of its surfaces and get you closer to outdoor lighting conditions and its subsequent growth characteristics. I would always recommend two 400 watt lamps or two 600 watt lamps to any one 1000 watt lamp. You simply give the garden a better coverage of light and a more even plant growth throughout. Reflectors should be chosen on the basis of climatic conditions that are currently occurring or may occur in the future and, any climatic conditions that you wish to induce to help your micro climate's atmosphere deliver a proper photosynthesis. As an example, those gardeners who wish to artificially enhance the micro climate’s atmosphere with supplemental Carbon Dioxide should make use of enclosed air-cooled reflectors. They will reduce the heat from the lamps, take the burden off of air conditioners and allow the atmosphere to hold a consistently high level of Carbon Dioxide without exhaust fans constantly blowing all of your CO2 out of the room. For those growers who will never modify their micro climates atmosphere, just about any kind of reflector will work. Just remember, reflectors that allow the grower to be exposed to a hot lamp are risky at best. HID lamps get hot, and I mean hot. If a hot lamp touches your cheek or other unprotected skin, it will leave a nasty burn. I do not recommend open reflectors with exposed lamps when children are around. Little faces can be scared for life. Also, a lamp’s glass envelope can break when accidentally hit with a hard surface or implode with a quick shot of water. Reflectors with glass safety shields are good for gardeners. Ask your indoor garden store for the safest reflector you can afford. Everything starts and finishes with safety. Let’s face it; living without good health just isn’t living.


Bloom Stage:

When it comes to the blooming stage of plant growth, I really would like to divide blooming into two parts. I will do this by referring to the bloom cycle of plant growth as ‘the first stage of bloom’ and ‘the second stage of bloom’. The first stage of bloom starts with a transition from the normal 18 hours of light a day of vegetation to 12 hours of light a day in bloom. When this lighting change happens, it triggers specific hormones to start making buds and blooms. The two main environmental conditions that inherently start the manufacturing of hormones that induce the bloom cycle are: the changing of light/photo ON periods (18 hours ON, 6 hours OFF to 12 hours ON, 12 hours OFF) and the physical shifting of the light spectrum from 3000-6000 Kelvin to 2000-3000 Kelvin. It is my opinion the transition of the light spectrum from a vegetative growth to a bloom growth is best accomplished on a relatively gradual basis.

The First Stage of Bloom:

The initial lamp or combination of lamps used in the first stage of bloom should have an average rating of 3000 Kelvin. This will ensure that the plant will have enough time to manufacture essential bloom hormones and fully fuel photosynthesis to keep the plant healthier and more compact in stature.

The Second Stage of Bloom:

After the plant develops buds and the gardener wishes the plants to be firmly placed into a harvest growth, the switching to a lamp or lamps with a spectrum rating of 2000 Kelvin will push the plants into their last one to two weeks of life or the second stage of bloom. This final stage of bloom sets up plant physiology to better Trans-locate essential oils and sugars to the consumable parts of the plant or to the blooms of an extra special blue ribbon show plant.


What kind of lamps can accomplish the tasks of illuminating the first stage? Let’s explore our options:
1. Metal Halide lamps can be purchased with a 2700k-3000K rating for the first stage of bloom.
2. An alternate method would be to combine different lamps. Add a higher Kelvin degree lamp (fluorescent T5 Actinic or metal halide) to a HPS lamp so that an average of 3000 Kelvin of total light temperature can be achieved for the transition from vegetation into the first stage bloom.
3. Should you wish to combine lamps to accomplish a 3000-Kelvin light spectrum for the first stage of bloom, I might suggest the use of fluorescent tubes in combination with HPS lamps. I have always used this rule: 100-200 watts of 4000 - 28,000 Kelvin fluorescent light to every 1000 watts of HPS light will get you close to the 3000 Kelvin goal.

The use of Actinic tubes I believe are the best combination with HPS.

What kind of lamps can accomplish the tasks of illuminating the second stage of bloom? Let’s explore our options:
Simply turning OFF the Actinic lamps in the final or second stage of bloom, the HPS lamp’s spectrum will end the plants cycle nicely. Better yet, to let the plant know that you would like to wind things up, specific red T-5 tubes are available to drive the point home to the plant to finish its cycle and be all it can be. Pentron red T-5 tubes aren’t just redder in color than your normal 4000 Kelvin T-5 like you would see when comparing a 4000 K T-5 to a 3000 K T-5. Nope, these bad boys are really red like the crayon red coloring stick. A Pentron red tube is about 250-1,000 Kelvin in color temperature. At the time of this writing feed back from growers say that Pentron red tubes will really work wonders to help end the plants cycle. To initiate the second stage of bloom, their story is to simply replace the Actinic blue T-5’s or other higher Kelvin fluorescent tubes that they are already using along side their HPS lamps with the Pentron red tubes. It gives an eerie red glow amongst the green plants.

Those gardeners who only utilize the vegetative growth cycle for very short periods might ask if the aforementioned two stages of bloom is right for them. I would I have to say that any growth cycle can be split up to accommodate the extra amount of blue light applied to the garden in the first stage of bloom. As a matter of fact, I believe it would be this gardener who would benefit most from it.

***All lamps have a Kelvin rating should the manufacture decide to disclose it. This rating indicates the color of light that the lamp emits. The lower the Kelvin rating the more orange-red light it emits. HPS lamps are rated at 2000K. As the temperature rating of a lamp in Kelvin (K) goes up, so does the amount of blue light the lamp emits. So, consequentially a Metal Halide 3000K lamp is not as orange-red as a HPS lamp and a 4000K lamp is approaching white in color and a 5000K-6000K lamp has obvious blue tinges to them.

I have often times explained Kelvin temperature ratings with a camping analogy. You’re sitting around the fire and as the fire dies down the coals take on an orange-red color (2000K). To get the fire going again, you find a piece of sturdy cardboard and start to fan the coals. The coals get hotter from the wind and they start to change color until they are white hot (6000K). The bluer the color of the light, the higher the Kelvin temperature rating will be.

Supplemental Lighting:

Let me say this about supplemental lighting. It is absolutely necessary. Light coming from above will give you blossoms and blooms mostly at the top of the plant. Why? Because the plant will choose a bud site determined by the amount of electromagnetic waves (light) hitting the leaves. The less light, the less buds. Without light hitting the plant from the sides, it leaves a lot of the plant without blooms! Outdoor plants are blessed with the Sun’s strong rays. So strong are these rays that they can bounce from the ground to the side of the plant and be strong enough to coax the plant to make a bud. T-5 fluorescent tubes are great for side light because they can be purchased separately and be daisy chained together to form an array. This allows the gardener to purchase one every payday and at the end of the year have all the light they need. Place supplemental light on the sides and in between the plants. Some great growers have even placed them close to the floor for light penetration into smaller plants. Always use Mylar to reflect misguided light back onto the plant. I have always found it better than white paint or plastic. After all, you can see your image in it. Can you see your image in white paint? Think about it. Use Mylar on the ceiling, walls, floor, top of pot and side of pot. The object here is to get the light onto the plant and not sucked up into paint, plastic or concrete. Waste not want not.

Blackjack
Copyright all rights reserved.

[Blackjack]

This topic has been unlocked. Feel free to ask questions now.

[roseofgold]

[jimmyblakk]

I am a very good gardener, but even I have my limits with indoor gardening. For years I have never understood what people like about African Violets - those pink, white, purple little plants with fuzzy leaves that some people keep in colonies on their desks and window sills. They fuss over them, filter their water, dust their leaves, tweeze off old flowers and talk to them.

[Blackjack]

Hey Jimmy.

It's what makes the world go round. Bless her soul, that's what my mother did to me every morning before I went to my first grade class.

[milloreeri]

sustained decrease in the production of energy from the sun could be more widespread than the modern experience shows, according to an international team of astronomers who have studied the activity of a number of Sun-like stars. The results may mean that past changes in global temperatures are more likely to be linked to variations in solar activity than previously thought, and may enable us to predict similar changes in the future