There're two most common statements about why cannabis grow light need UV:
1. UV can promote the conversion of more cannabinoids into THC than CBD.
2. UV can enhance the resistance of plants and make plants stronger.
But in fact, UV has another function: to prevent microbial contamination.
What is microbial contamination:
Microbial contamination refers to the infestation of cannabis with harmful microorganisms such as powdery mildew and mold.
On the one hand, these microbial contamination will destroy the secondary metabolites of cannabis such as THC and terpenes, greatly reducing the commercial value of the product;
On the other hand, many local governments (such as the United States) have established specific standards for the content of harmful substances in cannabis products, and products contaminated with microorganisms cannot enter the market for sale.
Once the microbial content of the product is detected to exceed the standard, it is almost equivalent to a loss of 50% of commercial profits.
Generally speaking, if the cannabis flower fails to pass the microbiological test, we generally have two remedies:
1. Reduced microbial content in cannabis flower.
But the remedy itself will have a cost of $150-$250/list, and the processed product will have a 40%-50% market value reduction because it must be marked with an asterisk. At the same time, the remedy itself may in some way damage the cannabis flower, altering the product's shape, taste and smell, and reducing THC levels.
2. Distillation. Using chemical means to remove the characteristics of cannabis flower, the refined oil containing THC or CBD is distilled.
But the price of distillate oil is much lower than the price of cannabis flower, and this remedy can significantly reduce the commercial value.
Once the above two remedies cannot solve the problem of excessive microbial contamination, the final result can only be the destruction of the product.
Based on the above, some cannabis growers will use UV for microbial removal.
But since they often use UVC, which is harmful to both humans and plants, all plants must be moved out when used.
The result of this practice is that they only clean the house, but they cannot clean the plants themselves, and can only reduce the probability of plant microorganisms exceeding the standard to some extent.
Based on the above, the solution taken by Ultra Plant is to implant 405nm in the traditional spectrum.
405nm is a natural germicidal band from sunlight (close to UVA but not strictly UV). Studies have shown that this band is not harmful to human skin and plants in addition to killing microorganisms such as mold, aspergillus, gray mold, Escherichia coli, salmonella, and other coliforms that can cause plant contamination.
Therefore, it can be turned on when plants are present, directly reducing the probability of plant microbial contamination.
One LED chip covers all spectrums and solves all problems, which is the most important value of Ultra Plant's All-In-One technology.
For more information, welcome to visit:https://www.ultraplantled.com/uv-grow-light/
