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Issue #461 - Sunday, February 14, 2021
Dear Fellow Grower,
In today's issue...
- For decades, the HPS (High Pressure Sodium) reigned supreme as the ultimate overlord of cannabis growing. In commercial settings, they are still the dominant force. But when it comes to home growing, LEDs have snatched the crown. How did LEDs do it while keeping many of the same problems from before? Let's find out!
- As part of today's deep dive into cannabis grow lights, I also reported on the differences between LEDs and CMH/LEC grow lights. The winner is not quite as clear cut in that matchup!
- We've gone trichome crazy! This week's trophy pics are all super close pictures of tasty looking trichomes. But be warned: one of them is not like the others. In fact, it's so weird that we have no idea what it is. If you can unravel the mystery of these monster-like trichomes, let us know!
Nebula Haze & Sirius Fourside (founders of GrowWeedEasy.com)
"We must learn to live together as brothers
or perish together as fools."
~Martin Luther King, Jr.
R.I.P. HPS grow lights,
LEDs finally finished the job ☠️😲
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What is the most controversial cannabis growing topic in your opinion? For me, I’d have to say grow lights! And for many years, the two biggest competitors for top spot have been HPS and LED grow lights.
There has been a years-long showdown between HPS and LED grow lights for “best grow light” for growing cannabis. Has a clear winner emerged?
History of LED Testing at GrowWeedEasy.com
At GrowWeedEasy.com, we’ve been testing LED grow lights since 2008, and until relatively recently, the LED technology just couldn’t keep up with HPS when it comes to yields and (in my opinion) bud quality. Here’s an article I wrote about the barriers to LED domination in 2015. Even though there were huge leaps in LED grow light technology from 2008 to 2015, LEDs hadn’t quite surpassed HPS
yet.
But since then, the quality of cannabis growth, yields, and bud quality from LEDs has increased exponentially. In fact, the technology improvements seem to be speeding up, not slowing down. We’ve tested over a dozen LED grow lights and each LED model is better than the last. I regularly run side-by-side experimental grow journals between different grow lights, and the LEDs performed better and better until they finally surpassed HPS in tests.
Anyone who’s been following me for a while knows I’ve been a champion for HPS grow lights, so you may be surprised to hear me finally say it: modern LEDs are better than HPS for growing cannabis in most situations.
After almost 15 years of defending HPS over LEDs for growing cannabis, the field has truly changed. LED grow lights may have finally won the battle. RIP HPS.
What About LEDs vs CMH/LECs?
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Today's article focuses on LEDs vs HPS, but what about another popular grow light technology: CMH/LEC? Since I've also tested this extensively, I figured I'd share my thoughts while you're here.
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CMH stands for "Ceramic Metal Halide". CMH is also commonly referred to as LEC for "Light Emitting Ceramic".
What is a CMH? Ceramic Metal Halide lights were invented in 1962 as sort of a hybrid between a Metal Halide and HPS grow light (it’s a Metal Halide that uses ceramic like an HPS). When I first started growing in 2008, CMH was often sold alongside MH and
HPS. It was available in the same sizes, for a similar price, and many ballasts could actually support all 3 types of bulbs. You can still find those if you look in the right places.
However, CMH technology was rebranded several years ago under the name “LEC” by the company Sun System, and the cost more than doubled for these “new” fixtures. I personally believe Sun System was trying to make CMH seem like a new type of light like LEDs even though CMH technology was already old. These new versions come in 315W and 630W sizes which can no longer be mixed and matched with MH or HPS bulbs. The new versions need
specialized ballasts and unique bulbs (with an annoying bulb locking mechanism vs the previous standard mogul bulb socket).
CMH grow lights produce great results, especially when paired with the Phillips "4200k" CMH bulb!
Despite the questionable marketing and lame new bulb socket design, CMHs are excellent cannabis grow lights that provide significant differences and some improvements over HPS. I have had great results with CMH and although they do get hot, I recommend them for
growers who aren’t worried about heat and want to try something different. I’ve been able to yield over a pound with a 315W CMH grow light in one grow, and bud quality is excellent.
But how does CMH compare to LEDs?
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"Just a quick note to thank you for such a rich array of content. I grew back in the 1990's when Ed Rosenthal was all there was outside the growing community. Now, with all of the various options, this one is by far the go-to for me. Also the search function works awesomely. Thank you!!"
~Tom
Someone mentioned us and Ed Rosenthal in the same paragraph! I guess we're on our way up, eh? Thanks, Tom and I'm glad you're back growing.~Sirius
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"I'm on my first grow and i try to read a new article of yours every day. Though I find myself rereading some more often than not. What an invaluable resource you have given us. Thank you.
I personally don't use marijuana but on a rare occasion I may partake. Unfortunately my wife of 33 years has medical concerns and we live in a prohibitive state. We do have medical marijuana but her disease doesn't qualify. Thank you so much."
~Eric
I get really angry at the idea of people living in pain because they aren't allowed to have cannabis. It's especially crazy when you consider than in 2012, one in seven Americans had an opioid prescription. 🤯 ~Sirius
"Don't know how you guys do it, but don't stop doing it."
~Major Tom
Ground Control to Major Tom: We don't ever plan on stopping! ~Sirius
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"Here goes the infamous Chihuapei a cross up of the Very Berry Kush and the good ol' Sour D. I'm thinking im about 5 days out on these guys. Hope you enjoy."
~Pocketknifewilly
Hey, what do ya know? I did enjoy these pics! Well done! ~Sirius
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"Some close ups!!! Hope you can use. Purple Haze towards the end of the harvest window. Outdoor grow."
~Bipolarbear
I consider myself a connoisseur of close-up pictures of cannabis, and these are excellent. Is anyone else reminded of the carnivorous Sundew plant when they look at this? 🍖 ~Sirius
"I've had a new experience with trichomes this last grow and would like to share it with you.
Recently replaced my 600watt hid lights with new Grower choice 680 and I had a noticeable improvement in resin production. Upon close inspection of the state the trichomes in the final week, I spotted webbing and just about lost it with the first thought being THE BORG! [spider mites]
Poking around I could not find any bugs and started looking a little more at the "spot" after removing the cola from the plant, to my surprise it was resin webbing running from one bulbous head to another bulbous head as if the flower had unfolded and the goo was peeling back like unfolding a sticky trap. This was all over my plants(different strains) and was really cool to find, I however could not get a great picture of it on the buds but as I was trimming
something caught my eye.
At first I thought it was a patch of WPM but under a loup it looked like a foreign object but then I spotted bulbous head on the ends and notice the vine like growth along the leaf. It's a new one for me and there is a little to no info on it."
~Mr.Furley
Wow, I've never seen anything like this and I see a ton of pictures each day. This is completely new to both of us and we're hoping one of our readers has seen this type of growth before. If you know anything, just reply to this email.
We encourage you to forward this email to a friend in need!
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Who Runs This
Newsletter? |
Nebula Haze:
I'll be honest with you, when I first started growing, I struggled. Now, it is my mission to make it easier for new growers to get started as well as help advanced growers get bigger, better yields with less time and money. We update/add articles every week and have built a comprehensive growing resource. Anyone and everyone can grow if they want to! If we all share the knowledge there's more buds in the world for everyone
:)
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Learn which seed sources are personally recommended by Nebula Haze |
Sirius Fourside:
Sirius Fourside is a hobbyist grower who has gained the bulk of his experience growing in water as a medium (deep water culture, bubbleponics).
"Growing cannabis can be a relaxing hobby in and of itself, but it also saves you money and keeps you from having to deal with shady characters. Cannabis is much easier to grow than people give it credit for, and growing in water doesn't increase the difficulty much, if any. But whether you want to grow in water, coco, or a different medium, we'll show you how easy it can be!"
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