CU-20STR-UVC-280

Like just about everything else on planet, cannabis plants are damaged by too much UV light. That’s why a cannabis plant will create more trichomes to protect itself if there is an increase in harmful UV-B rays. As such, supplementing UV-B light using UV-B fluorescents (commonly sold at pet stores for reptiles) in a flowering room can help boost trichome production.

This trick is particularly useful to growers who exclusively use high pressure sodium (HPS) bulbs for flowering as that technology doesn’t produce much UV-B light. However, it is important to remember that the supplementary UV-B light is just that: a supplement.

You don’t need a lot of it and too much can be counterproductive. One to two watts of UV-B light per square foot of garden space is efficient. Also, note that other commonly used lighting technologies, such as metal halide, already contain a good amount of UV-B light and do not need additional supplementation.