Magic
Canna Engineer
Growing with LED (Know The Basics)
Distance:
From my observations keeping your led light at the right distance can highly effect the growth of your plants. Too Close you can stunt your plants and possibly burn them. Too Far and you can cause your plants to stretch and have elongated internode spacing which can lead to lesser yields.*It is key to experiment with different heights to find the sweet spot with your lights seedling,veg, and flowering.*
Here i have a rough estimate of how high your lights should be hung at different stages of growth.
High Powered LEDs Ufo/Panels
Seedling: 24-30inches| 60.96cm - 76.2cm (with the exception of lower powered LEDs like 50w-90w output)
Vegetation: 18-24 inches| 45.72 - 60.96cm
Pre-flower: 18 inches| 45.72cm
Flowering: 12 inches +/- | 30.48cm
Lower Powered LEDs
Seedling: 15-20 inches| 38.1 - 50.8cm
Vegetation: 15 inches| 38.1cm
Pre-flower: 10-12 inches| 25.4 - 30.48cm
Flowering: 8-10 inches| 20.32 - 25.4cm
Ventilation:
Proper Ventilation is another key factor to growing with LEDs. Good environment not only helps your plants thrive it also add to the life of your led. Poor Conditions can cause LEDs to work harder or less efficiently ultimately causing them to give out faster. Tents with Carbon Filters have excellent results with LEDs because the carbon filtration system is able to suck out all the hot air and causing more fresh air to be cycled and can lead a at very consistent environment. Lower Temps and HR are required with LEDs for best results. LEDs can be stressed in temps over 80F and can lead to a shorter life of the led but plants will still grow fine it temps under 90F.I've heard of grow temps reaching 88-89F and plants where perfectly heathy.
My Suggestion
Temperature: 72-85F | 22.22-29.44C
Humidity: 40-60%
75-77F | 23.88-25C. 40-50% HR is the range you want, to get the best proformace from both your plants and LEDs.
Proven Feeding Regiment:
Other Than Light what do canna plants need? Nutrients! Not only that but a soild feeding plan. Depending on Nutrient Brand, Environment, and Method of grow style there will be a lot of differences. A Led grower who uses coco will not have the same feeding schedule as hydro or peat moss user, even if they are using the same nutrient line. they will be a lot of adjusting and when working on a feeding program. for example Some people may see cal+mag problems others wont, so you cant generally say that all LEDs cause cal+mag issues. Some people get really good results watering every day or every other day in small amounts and others wet there medium really good and go 3-4 days between feeds. You cant completely judge how well you light works until you have a feeding schedule that you know that works.
Plant Management
A subject that i feel gets skipped over a lot is plant management. some growers get the hang of this early, others have to learn for themselves the best LED growers use excellent techniques in this area. Say you have 2 300w Led panels, and you want to grow 4 plants in a 3x3Ft space. They best option would be to start 2 plants let them get half way thru their cycle and then start the next two seeds. This is a way you can insure all your plants are getting the most out of your two lights instead of having 4 plants in full flower all fighting over the same two lights. if you have 1 light and grow two plants it can be done the same start one, let it hit 35-40 days, and then start your next. It is easy to take a 1000w Hps put it in a tent and then stuff it full of plants and get wonderful results. its a little harder to do the same with led lighting so its best to stick with as many plants as your light can handle to get the best results from both your plants and lights.
Spectrum
This may be the most widely debated subject on the topic of LEDs. What is the best Spectrum???? I cannot give you that answer but i will provide you with facts to help guide you in the direction of finding the best light for you.
Most Important: Red& Blue
You will find a lot of different spectrums but you want to look at the red to blue ratio you want a 4:1 ratio of red over blue for the best plant growth. Truth is just 2 wavelengths in the red band and 2 wavelengths in the blue band can provide over 95% of the light needed for all phases of plant growth. Some manufacturers also deliver UV and/or infrared light bands in their products to enhance resin production and flowering.
Red and BLue are important because of Chlorophyll A and Chlorophyll B.
Chlorophyll A: peaks in 400-450nm(violet to blue) and 650-700nm(near read to deep red)
Chlorophyll B: peaks in 450-500(Blue) and 600-650(red)
So this means that both A&B need red and blue light during veg and flowering.
Secondary Colors to consider:
Infrared 730nm
The plants use red and infrared light to regulate stem growth and flowering response. Plant cells produce a chemical called a phytochrome, which has two versions. One version, PR, is sensitive to red light (660 nm). Red light converts PR into PFR. PFR signals the plant to grow short stocky stems and also helps the plant grow into specific shapes. The plants also use red and infrared light to measure uninterrupted darkness. As far as plants are concerned in terms of flowering, if there's no red light, it's dark.
PFR is sensitive to infrared light (730 nm), which converts it into PR. When PR levels build to a critical amount, scientists hypothesize that a hormone called floragen becomes active and induces the plant to flower. The reason floragen is called hypothetical is that researchers can see its effects, but they haven't found it yet.
UV-B Light 280-315nm
Stimulates resin production. UV-B light is called “dangerous” UV because it can destroy DNA on a cellular level. Marijuana has a defense against UVB and they are called Tricombs. Tris/ Crystals are created by the plant to reflect back the dangerous UV light, the more UV that is present the more potential tri combs your plant will produce. you have to be very careful with UV-B light because it should only be used as in “late Flowering” too much UVB light can cause cellular damage if used thought an entire grow cycle. this why the LEDs with UV-B its a separate light from the LEDs because you only need it at late stages. There are a few companies that offer UVA light which is a more violet color light its what you would find in a black-light. this UV acts more as a dark blue for the plant.
One thing i can not stress enough when it comes to Led lighting is The Band its self. We do not suggest buying knock off Viper’s, Apollo’s, Blackstar’s, ect. if you want that type of led then it is best to go to a trusted vendor or the actual webesite to make a purchase. here is a list of LEDs you will find around AFN and have proven results.
Distance:
From my observations keeping your led light at the right distance can highly effect the growth of your plants. Too Close you can stunt your plants and possibly burn them. Too Far and you can cause your plants to stretch and have elongated internode spacing which can lead to lesser yields.*It is key to experiment with different heights to find the sweet spot with your lights seedling,veg, and flowering.*
Here i have a rough estimate of how high your lights should be hung at different stages of growth.
High Powered LEDs Ufo/Panels
Seedling: 24-30inches| 60.96cm - 76.2cm (with the exception of lower powered LEDs like 50w-90w output)
Vegetation: 18-24 inches| 45.72 - 60.96cm
Pre-flower: 18 inches| 45.72cm
Flowering: 12 inches +/- | 30.48cm
Lower Powered LEDs
Seedling: 15-20 inches| 38.1 - 50.8cm
Vegetation: 15 inches| 38.1cm
Pre-flower: 10-12 inches| 25.4 - 30.48cm
Flowering: 8-10 inches| 20.32 - 25.4cm
Ventilation:
Proper Ventilation is another key factor to growing with LEDs. Good environment not only helps your plants thrive it also add to the life of your led. Poor Conditions can cause LEDs to work harder or less efficiently ultimately causing them to give out faster. Tents with Carbon Filters have excellent results with LEDs because the carbon filtration system is able to suck out all the hot air and causing more fresh air to be cycled and can lead a at very consistent environment. Lower Temps and HR are required with LEDs for best results. LEDs can be stressed in temps over 80F and can lead to a shorter life of the led but plants will still grow fine it temps under 90F.I've heard of grow temps reaching 88-89F and plants where perfectly heathy.
My Suggestion
Temperature: 72-85F | 22.22-29.44C
Humidity: 40-60%
75-77F | 23.88-25C. 40-50% HR is the range you want, to get the best proformace from both your plants and LEDs.
Proven Feeding Regiment:
Other Than Light what do canna plants need? Nutrients! Not only that but a soild feeding plan. Depending on Nutrient Brand, Environment, and Method of grow style there will be a lot of differences. A Led grower who uses coco will not have the same feeding schedule as hydro or peat moss user, even if they are using the same nutrient line. they will be a lot of adjusting and when working on a feeding program. for example Some people may see cal+mag problems others wont, so you cant generally say that all LEDs cause cal+mag issues. Some people get really good results watering every day or every other day in small amounts and others wet there medium really good and go 3-4 days between feeds. You cant completely judge how well you light works until you have a feeding schedule that you know that works.
Plant Management
A subject that i feel gets skipped over a lot is plant management. some growers get the hang of this early, others have to learn for themselves the best LED growers use excellent techniques in this area. Say you have 2 300w Led panels, and you want to grow 4 plants in a 3x3Ft space. They best option would be to start 2 plants let them get half way thru their cycle and then start the next two seeds. This is a way you can insure all your plants are getting the most out of your two lights instead of having 4 plants in full flower all fighting over the same two lights. if you have 1 light and grow two plants it can be done the same start one, let it hit 35-40 days, and then start your next. It is easy to take a 1000w Hps put it in a tent and then stuff it full of plants and get wonderful results. its a little harder to do the same with led lighting so its best to stick with as many plants as your light can handle to get the best results from both your plants and lights.
Spectrum
This may be the most widely debated subject on the topic of LEDs. What is the best Spectrum???? I cannot give you that answer but i will provide you with facts to help guide you in the direction of finding the best light for you.
Most Important: Red& Blue
You will find a lot of different spectrums but you want to look at the red to blue ratio you want a 4:1 ratio of red over blue for the best plant growth. Truth is just 2 wavelengths in the red band and 2 wavelengths in the blue band can provide over 95% of the light needed for all phases of plant growth. Some manufacturers also deliver UV and/or infrared light bands in their products to enhance resin production and flowering.
Red and BLue are important because of Chlorophyll A and Chlorophyll B.
Chlorophyll A: peaks in 400-450nm(violet to blue) and 650-700nm(near read to deep red)
Chlorophyll B: peaks in 450-500(Blue) and 600-650(red)
So this means that both A&B need red and blue light during veg and flowering.
Secondary Colors to consider:
Infrared 730nm
The plants use red and infrared light to regulate stem growth and flowering response. Plant cells produce a chemical called a phytochrome, which has two versions. One version, PR, is sensitive to red light (660 nm). Red light converts PR into PFR. PFR signals the plant to grow short stocky stems and also helps the plant grow into specific shapes. The plants also use red and infrared light to measure uninterrupted darkness. As far as plants are concerned in terms of flowering, if there's no red light, it's dark.
PFR is sensitive to infrared light (730 nm), which converts it into PR. When PR levels build to a critical amount, scientists hypothesize that a hormone called floragen becomes active and induces the plant to flower. The reason floragen is called hypothetical is that researchers can see its effects, but they haven't found it yet.
UV-B Light 280-315nm
Stimulates resin production. UV-B light is called “dangerous” UV because it can destroy DNA on a cellular level. Marijuana has a defense against UVB and they are called Tricombs. Tris/ Crystals are created by the plant to reflect back the dangerous UV light, the more UV that is present the more potential tri combs your plant will produce. you have to be very careful with UV-B light because it should only be used as in “late Flowering” too much UVB light can cause cellular damage if used thought an entire grow cycle. this why the LEDs with UV-B its a separate light from the LEDs because you only need it at late stages. There are a few companies that offer UVA light which is a more violet color light its what you would find in a black-light. this UV acts more as a dark blue for the plant.
One thing i can not stress enough when it comes to Led lighting is The Band its self. We do not suggest buying knock off Viper’s, Apollo’s, Blackstar’s, ect. if you want that type of led then it is best to go to a trusted vendor or the actual webesite to make a purchase. here is a list of LEDs you will find around AFN and have proven results.
- Blackstar: Rob Wars, Astro, Magic, DaBs
- Grownorthern: TaNg, DubV
- MarsHydro: Redd, Soh
- California Light Works: Briman, Eekman
- Apollo Horticulture: Trapper, Magic
- ViPaR Led: Ep, Namvet, Handbricks
- Cidly Leds: Hansbricks
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