green house material and potency

[jj7leaf]

I am wondering if there is any information on the change in potency with different green house materials ie.. glass vs. poly, different mils of poly, etc...

I think I read years ago that the amount of UV light through different materials would affect the overall potency.

any body see any evidence of this?


jj

 

[alotawatah]

I know this is old, but I'll post for others. Yes, different materials let through different amounts of light, I think it'd usually around 85 to 92 percent light transmisssion. You may wish to veg in just the frame, and add the plastic halfway through flower.

 

[ChaosCatalunya]

I remember from keeping reptiles that house window glass and polycarbonate fishtanks, using both filters almost all UV from the sunlight and my lizards got vitamin deficiencies due to this.

As the subject of potency and UV is not yet resolved, we are getting into guessland, many including skunkman have tried and failed to grow supermegakiller weed adding UV light, but me and many others have noted higher potency in outdoor weed over indoors, so there is something going on (my guess, the various UV lights tried have not hit the vital nm spot)

So, I don't think anybody really knows yet, but I believe that soon someone will point out that either glass or plastic grows better weed. It is also possible that some new techno spec of glass of plastic will be better still

 

[alotawatah]

Interesting chaos, resolving this issue has huge financial value. I know that a lot of these Green House plastics and panels have some sort of UV inhibitor that extends their life and I believe keeps them from glazing over. The idea is to make the light transmission last longer, but maybe it blocks the UV. Did Skunkman add those uv into a greenhouse? I've read that t-5 style blacklight reptile bulbs don't push the light far enough to be effective, so they have to be a right on your flowers like your vegging with a t5. Led might be superior.
I think reflector and light bulb companies are starting to use a low iron content glass that enhances UV transmission.
When you say higher potency in outdoors, do you mean the effects it has on you or lab tested THC? Maybe the sun develops other psychoactives besides thc. Are you including Green House as outdoors or as an indoor?

This is an interesting subject that will get a lot more attention paid to it when recreational hits and indoor growing becomes less economically sound.

 

[stoned-trout]

I have not noticed a difference in potency with diff materials ,,only bag appeal,bud density ect...I don't buy the outdoor is more potent theory ..having done both for quite a while ...but some strains do indeed grow better outside others do better inside....I had an iguana once and did the uv bulb thing with no noticeable increase in thc/potency....yeehaw

 

[alotawatah]

What do you think about 2 mil clear plastic from home depot, hdx brand, for a cover on a 2 month dep?
Separate note, I'm starting to hear to much uv is bad, and it gives outdoors that brown color, and the plastic greenhouse covers block it and give you the indoor bag appeal

 

[Lester Beans]

You want 6ml, the two will be destroyed very quickly.

 

[alotawatah]

Thanks for response, I only need 2 to 3 months out of it. Have you heard anything about quality or yield going down using the Home Depot stuff? Surely I can get 2 to 3 months out of it, no?

 

[alotawatah]

New England, getting light depped at 5:30 pm, no direct sun untill 9:00 am.

 

[ChaosCatalunya]

Interesting chaos, resolving this issue has huge financial value. I know that a lot of these Green House plastics and panels have some sort of UV inhibitor that extends their life and I believe keeps them from glazing over. The idea is to make the light transmission last longer, but maybe it blocks the UV. Did Skunkman add those uv into a greenhouse? I've read that t-5 style blacklight reptile bulbs don't push the light far enough to be effective, so they have to be a right on your flowers like your vegging with a t5. Led might be superior.
I think reflector and light bulb companies are starting to use a low iron content glass that enhances UV transmission.
When you say higher potency in outdoors, do you mean the effects it has on you or lab tested THC? Maybe the sun develops other psychoactives besides thc. Are you including Green House as outdoors or as an indoor?

This is an interesting subject that will get a lot more attention paid to it when recreational hits and indoor growing becomes less economically sound.

Yes, with Greenhouse material products, it is for Tomatoes, they want UV "Stablisation" because without it plastic rots in weeks or months.. it has nothing to do with transparency to UV wavelengths

Several trusted friends have reported epic quality crops with LEDs, although they are years away from being real competitors to HPS, MH, there is something, in the spectrum I believe (so, not just overly hot HPS bulbs cooking terps) that is doing this. From what you, Skunkman and others have said, I think that the UV supplemental lights so far tried, are not quite the right thing... But there is something going on.

By Outdoors, I mean outside, I have not had enough experience with glasshouse or polytunnel crops to say anything, but i have seen enough outdoor crops of clones I know well indoors to stick my head on the block and say that there is something, it may well be terpenes/entourage effect and not a % jump in THC, I have not side by side analysed this in anything more scientific than my and my friend's bodies, the opinion is just that and based on seat of the pants feeling, repeated many times over.

 

[Limeygreen]

Plastic tends to have a higher humidity inside the greenhouse, glass is drier. You get more light and generative growth with a glass house than a plastic. The biggest thing to me is the height, the higher the peak is the farther away the heat trapped in the peak is from your crop. I personally prefer glass house, would it be stronger in glass house, possibly but I am thinking there should not be a drastic difference, you should also look at the risk of glass, panes break you have to repair it, you have glass on your product that you now have to throw away, even with tempered glass, plastic tears you only have to tape it or replace the sheet.

 

[fatalxerror]

I was wanting to use double 6 mm poly in winter with inflator fans but I am not sure if two layers of 6mm will allow enough light for good bud production.

 

[ChaosCatalunya]

I was wanting to use double 6 mm poly in winter with inflator fans but I am not sure if two layers of 6mm will allow enough light for good bud production.

Depends on where you are and how high I guess, using varieties that work well in lower light conditions, there are big differences.

How is the hash/extracts market for you ? If your crop is too fluffy to sell, but you let it mature properly, you may still have a worthwhile harvest

Supplemental lighting ? Solar panels for winter lights and summer cooling ?

If you can get to speak to any professional local veg growers and get all the info you can about everything and more... There are many many things you can learn about all aspects of gardening from the old boys and local knowledge can also be critical to your success

 

[fatalxerror]

Depends on where you are and how high I guess, using varieties that work well in lower light conditions, there are big differences.

How is the hash/extracts market for you ? If your crop is too fluffy to sell, but you let it mature properly, you may still have a worthwhile harvest

Supplemental lighting ? Solar panels for winter lights and summer cooling ?

If you can get to speak to any professional local veg growers and get all the info you can about everything and more... There are many many things you can learn about all aspects of gardening from the old boys and local knowledge can also be critical to your success

I am at about 37N Southern Colorado. I am hoping it will still be enough light using two 6mm poly layers top layer was thinking clear 6mm (91% transmission and bottom layer opaque 6mm at 88% light transmission/60% diffusion. Think they will still get enough light? I am also wondering if there are any benefits of keeping the double poly in summer or should I remove the double layer in april-may once it gets warmer out.

 

[ChaosCatalunya]

I really do not know, I wish I did...

Personally, after 7 years outdoors, I like the fresh moving air of outdoors, greenhouses are to keep excessive rain off buds.

You may well have altitude affected issues that mean you need a greenhouse, but my ideal solution would probably have wheeled beds that could go in and out.

Like I said, invest some serious time in learning all you can from fellow Colorado pot farmers and also the tomato and cucumber old school boys there.

 

[who dat is]

I've wondered the same thing in the past but haven't heard anything one way or the other. subbed

 

[fatalxerror]

Well going by my horrible math. The two layers of 6MM together will allow 80% light transmission. Will be 50-55% diffused light with 20-25% direct light. Sounds good on paper. Compared to for example 8mm solarsoft which has 80% transmission and 95 diffusion. Thoughts?

 

[who dat is]

I was wanting to use double 6 mm poly in winter with inflator fans but I am not sure if two layers of 6mm will allow enough light for good bud production.

I am at about 37N Southern Colorado. I am hoping it will still be enough light using two 6mm poly layers top layer was thinking clear 6mm (91% transmission and bottom layer opaque 6mm at 88% light transmission/60% diffusion. Think they will still get enough light? I am also wondering if there are any benefits of keeping the double poly in summer or should I remove the double layer in april-may once it gets warmer out.

Well going by my horrible math. The two layers of 6MM together will allow 80% light transmission. Will be 50-55% diffused light with 20-25% direct light. Sounds good on paper. Compared to for example 8mm solarsoft which has 80% transmission and 95 diffusion. Thoughts?

One word of advice though. You won't get more than one season out of your traditional 6 mil vapor barrier type poly. It breaks down and becomes brittle when exposed to sunlight. If you plan on doing it one season then 6 mil will work but if you want to do it once right and not have to fool with again for several years then I would spend a little more money on some nicer material and you won't be kicking yourself after one year.

 

[fatalxerror]

One word of advice though. You won't get more than one season out of your traditional 6 mil vapor barrier type poly. It breaks down and becomes brittle when exposed to sunlight. If you plan on doing it one season then 6 mil will work but if you want to do it once right and not have to fool with again for several years then I would spend a little more money on some nicer material and you won't be kicking yourself after one year.

Thanks for the advice. I will probably go with poly weave solarig for the under layer. It looks like it is pretty tuff stuff. Then probably farmtek 6mm for top layer.

 

[who dat is]

Thanks for the advice. I will probably go with poly weave solarig for the under layer. It looks like it is pretty tuff stuff. Then probably farmtek 6mm for top layer.

I think I'm understanding your order. If so, I would switch it so the polyweave is on the outside where it get's the most exposure to the elements and the 6 mil is protected from tears from debris, wind, etc. I don't understand how you intend to layer with the two materials though so that might not work with your intended application. Sounds interesting either way though. Keep us posted