Clone Lighting Research Update! Let’s Amplify Cannabis Research Together

Introduction: As pioneers in the lighting industry, we've always strived to push the boundaries of innovation and research to benefit our customers. Traditionally, our research posts have been a monthly occurrence, but we're considering upping the ante to a weekly basis. Your feedback on this shift would be invaluable!

Our Trusted Design Process: Our design process has always been threefold: (1) Objective academic research, (2) Our own meticulous trials, and (3) Consultation with industry experts like Dr. Bugbee to validate the data. This approach, akin to a triangulation method, has consistently steered us and our customers in the right direction. Without this rigorous process, we'd just be akin to Pfizer conducting our own vaccine trial—just kidding! 👁️

Recent Research Findings: Recently, there's been a significant shift in clonal cannabis propagation methods, with many cultivators considering the transition from fluorescent lights to LEDs. This transition not only promises energy savings but also enables tailored spectrum treatments to enhance rooting—an essential stage in cannabis cultivation. A recent study conducted by the University of Guelph delved into this topic, comparing various LED spectrum treatments, both fixed and temporally dynamic, with traditional fluorescent lighting for clonal cannabis propagation.

Key Findings:

• The study hypothesized that certain LED spectral combinations would outperform fluorescent lighting in producing cannabis transplants.
• Preliminary results indicate that LEDs indeed offer a promising and energy-efficient alternative to fluorescent lighting for cannabis propagation.
• Spectrum treatments enriched with B (blue) appear particularly effective in enhancing the rooting performance of clonal cannabis cuttings.
• Interestingly, at the plug stage, spectrum treatments showed no significant effects on the chlorophyll content index. However, cuttings grown under B treatment displayed thicker stems compared to other treatments, while those under F treatment exhibited the lowest percentage of new aboveground growth.

Conclusion: In essence, the use of various LED spectra has proven to be as effective, if not better, than traditional fluorescent lighting for the rooting and post-transplant stages of clonal cannabis production. This highlights the viability of transitioning from older lighting technologies to energy-efficient LEDs, particularly for the critical propagation stage. All tested LED treatments demonstrate potential for cannabis cutting rooting propagation, with B and B+UVA treatments showing slight advantages in specific aspects.

Join the Conversation: We're excited about these research findings and the potential they hold for the cannabis cultivation community. We'd love to hear your thoughts on our proposed shift to weekly research updates and any insights you may have on this exciting topic!

Light Spectra Have Minimal Effects on Rooting and Vegetative Growth Responses of Clonal Cannabis Cuttings in: HortScience Volume 58 Issue 2 (2023) (ashs.org)