Today we're going to be talking about a lot dealing with lighting needed to grow your own medicine. We all know that light is a very essential part for any plant to grow.
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If you’re a cannabis patient in my home state of Oklahoma, you have the benefit of growing, Let’s Go
OUTDOOR LIGHTING
When growing outdoors there is a true benefit and that is simple:
You really don’t need to worry about having the light. The sun will provide all the light a plant could ever need and more. I mean you can try, but there is really no way to replicate sun rays, it's just by far the most superior light source on the planet.
The best way to maximize the Sun's light source is to simply begin by planting your seed outdoors to begin with. This way your cannabis plant will be acclimated to the suns power for its entire life.
However, in my experience it is possible to start your plant indoor and transplant your cannabis plant outdoor later, you just have to do it in a way that gets them used to the sun’s powerful rays, not just throwing out there in possibly throwing them into shock. The best way to do this is to have your indoor plant already in a portable garden pot and when you move it outside, what you want to do is put it in a shady area and gradually move it into more direct sunlight. After about a week your plant should be fully adjusted to the new outdoor environment.
Whether you're growing outdoor or indoor light is essential or a plant for the process of photosynthesis which helps with the plant's production of tissues and sugar. Cannabis plants grow well under a red spectrum that promotes this growth, which is usually found in one of the most powerful types of lights, HPS or High-Pressure Sodium bulbs. During your plants dark cycle, the only color I would suggest using if and only if necessary is the color green. This is because the plant reflects green light thus the true color of the plant.
What Type Of Light Should I Use To Grow Medical Cannabis?
In my experience as an “indoor grower” there are a more than a few choices of Lights that are recommended. You have your choices of LED, fluorescent, and incandescent bulbs but the best one for a quality cannabis grow would be metal halide or high-pressure sodium lights. These type of lights are mainly used during your vegetative and flowering stage of growth. Also HPS lights are a little on the expensive side but they produce a high-quality light source and last for a good amount of time for its value.
Another great light source for indoor Growers would be LED lights. These lights or not expensive at all and provide an excellent value to your grow area. Most legal cannabis operations and patients I know here in Oklahoma use LEDs throughout the plant's lifecycle. LED lights are unmatched at the price for its value. I love the power of a metal halide but LEDs are quite the bang for your buck… literally.
Cannabis Lighting Add-Ons
If you're looking to produce more light with what you already have it would be wise to invest in to some reflective material. This material can be simple household items like aluminum foil, or not so household but easily attainable mylar, or if you have the time and space in privilege, you could use some bright white paint from your local department store, and paint your grow space.
If you're growing indoor, you're missing out on the opportunity to tap into a 100% free light source. If you don't care about that last statement then know this, using grow lights in your house could potentially cause your electric bill to go up about $15 to $25 extra a month. I'm just saying.
LIGHTCYLCE FOR VEGETATIVE CANNABIS STAGE
During both the germination in the vegetative stage cannabis plant should be about 6 to 15 inches away from the light, this is because cannabis is one of the fastest growing plants with tons of energy. In return it needs all the light energy it can receive. Also at this stage in the lifecycle, your plant will need from 16 hours to 18 hours of direct light per day. This amount of light per day would be what the plant receives for the majority of its life. It can be hard to stay consistent with your life cycle so what I would recommend is a timer like this one here to help you stay on point.
As the plant gets older and bigger you should adjust your height between 10 to 15 inches away from the plant this time, encouraging your plants to stretch, still providing the necessary energy.
A big advantage of growing cannabis indoor is this:
You have more control over the entire process!
LIGHTCYLCLE FOR FLOWERING CANNABIS
With that being said, you are in control of when and when not to flower your plant. In reality, it’s possible to bush out your plant for as long as you’d like even more than a year before flowering it. It’s all at your discretion.
When you’re ready all you have to do is set your daily light cycle from the 16-18 hour (germination and vegetative stage) to a cycle that consists of 12 hours of light and 12 hours of extreme darkness. You want it this way because even a little bit of light seeping through might cause you some issues during the flowering stage. I know you don’t want that neither do I.
I’m curious to know from any experience growers out there…
QUESTION: Do you keep your light cycle at 12/12 during the entire flower phase, or do you switch to a total blackout for 24-72 hours?
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