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When marijuana growers decide on cultivating their crops indoors, the artificial lighting system is one of the first thing they have to think about. Cultivating any types of crops indoors, weather it is vegetable or an ornamental plant or marijuana, is a very challenging task for many. The biggest challenge that many marijuana growers when they set up the artificial lights is the cost of the utilities. In the past, operations by authorities against marijuana growers usually include checking up on unusually large electricity bill. This is because using grow lights consume so much energy.
Grow lights and the system that supports it are very important in the success of an indoor garden for marijuana. However, due to cost of electricity bill, finding grow lights that are energy efficient is extremely important and could be the deciding factor in ensuring the success of your enterprise as a marijuana grower. Before we proceed with the discussion on how to save energy and cost of utility bills when using artificial solar system for marijuana, check other necessary tools before continue reading.
REASONS WHY GROWERS OPT TO PLANT INDOORS
There are three main reasons why a marijuana grower will opt to plant indoors.
First, in places where marijuana is illegal, planting indoors is the only option for many marijuana growers. In fact, this has been first and foremost why many marijuana growers have started planting marijuana indoors in the past. Cultivating plants indoors allowed marijuana growers avoid prosecution from authorities.
Secondly, cultivating marijuana indoors allows marijuana growers to cultivate this herb in cold environments. Marijuana is a plant native to the tropical regions of Asia – South and Southeast Asia in particular. In these regions, it is warm all year round with no to very little fluctuations in the length of day and time. This means that naturally, marijuana cannot grow in an area where there is winter. The cold weather will kill the plants. The differences in lengths of day and night throughout the year will cause any surviving crop to fail to bloom. Given this, marijuana growers are able to maintain a constant environment when they farm indoors.
Thirdly, growing marijuana indoors allows growers to prevent contamination of pests. Marijuana buds are extremely sensitive. Bugs and fungi can easily destroy a whole crop. By plating indoors the marijuana growers can easily control the environment. Under such an environment, fungi and other pests are unable to penetrate the cultivated crops.
THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING THE RIGHT GROW LIGHT TO BUY
As mentioned above, there are grow lights for places with access to natural light like in greenhouses and there are grow light in enclosed and otherwise dark spaces. These two are not just the only ones you need to consider when choosing the right grow light. Below are some important discussions that will help beginners not only to choose the right grow light for their garden but also to help them save on the bills.
#1 CONSIDER THE PHOTOPERIOD SENSITIVITY OF THE STRAINS OF MARIJUANA
Photoperiod sensitivity is the length of light and darkness a plant needs in order to bloom and bear flowers and fruits. In the wild, plants that are native to places where there are dramatic shifts in seasons have evolved to time their life processes with the temperature of the seasons and the shifting lengths in day and night. This is how cherry, pear and other trees only blossoms in springs. The change in temperature and length of day from winter to spring signals these plants to blossom.
To allow you to shorten the time that your grow lights are turned on, it is best to cultivate pants that are have no photoperiod sensitivity. Autoflowering cannabis are stains of cannabis that blossom regardless whether the lengths of days are long or short.
#2 Choose Energy Efficient light bulbs.
There are many different types of grow lights that are now available in the market. Cannabis growers from all over have debated on which bulb is the best. However, if choosing the grow light with more efficient power consumption, LED lights are a better choice than the ore popular high intensity discharge lamps. In order to select proper lighting, growers need to consider PAR, PPFD, DLI, and other factors that describe a light’s electrical use, lifespan, and color temperature.
#3 Provide Access to Natural Light
There are grow lights for green houses that are penetrated by natural lights, while there are grow light made for enclosed places. Now that cultivating and trade of marijuana has been legalized, planting marijuana in greenhouse is a much better option than inside a dark room. Your artificial light may be accompanied by the natural light is you cultivate in a greenhouse. You may turn off the lights in the afternoon when the sun is at its brightest and turn them off again when it has gotten a bit dark.
Clearly, there is so much to learn about marijuana. Hopefully, through this article, we have helped you learn a thing or two about how to save more money when using indoor grow lights.