Lighting of the cannabis plant: What should I know as a beginner?

Led lighting weed

Cannabis plant light

If you want to start growing cannabis plants, you will need some knowledge about the life cycle of these plants. This applies to both indoor and outdoor cultivation. Light is an element in the development of cannabis plants that is of great importance for the growth and flowering of the cannabis. If you don't pay enough attention to good light, growth can be stunted, or the buds can't develop enough. And that would of course be a pity.

 

The sun in the house (and beyond)

A very cheap and also high quality source of light is the sun. A cannabis plant will automatically adapt to the natural solar cycle. The hue of the sunlight will be more blue in the spring and more orange in the fall. You also have the variation in hours of light and dark. The more the plants are exposed to the natural sun, the better higher the harvest is becoming. This is of course especially true for plants that are grown outdoors.

Cannabis plant in sunlight

Growth phase and flowering phase

The development of the cannabis plant can be roughly divided into two phases; the growth phase and the flowering phase. If you want to grow cannabis indoors, you will have to accurately copy natural sunlight to achieve optimal results. In the growth phase that occurs in the first weeks, an average of eighteen hours of light will be needed per day. This is the summer position for the plants. Three to six weeks later, the amount of light is reduced to twelve hours a day, then the days seem to get shorter, which triggers the flowering phase. The flowering phase varies by type of cannabis with a duration of six to fourteen weeks.

 

Grow lamps and bloom lamps

When the cannabis plant is in the growth phase it will need a different part of the light spectrum than is needed in the flowering phase. To shine different types of light you will also have to use different lamps. This simulates the natural sunlight that also changes in the different seasons. When the plants grow they will need more blue light. These types of lamps are indicated with the description "cool white". During flowering, the cannabis plants need more orange light. You can use HPS lamps for this or High Pressure Sodium lamps.

grow under LED Led lighting weed

Beginner tips

Here are some practical tips when you start growing cannabis:

 

  1. Be careful with the heat of the lamp: When you use the Lights hanging near the plants there is a chance that the tops will scorch.
  2. Do not purchase used lamps: Because you do not know how many burning hours the lamps have had, it is better not to buy second-hand lamps.
  3. Consider LED lighting: Although the price of LED lamps is higher than Metal-Halide, mercury lamps and fluorescent tubes, LED lamps will stimulate growth because no heat is generated that stresses the plant. In addition, less moisture and nutrition is needed with LED lighting.
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