Author: Ward Benn

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LST – Low Stress Training

Low Stress Training is how we make the plant grow where we want it to. If the stalk or branches are bent and held in place for a long period of time, they will adapt and change their shape to grow around the resistance instead of fighting it.

Some growers use low stress training to grow a plant in a certain direction while others will use it to completely alter the original path the plant had in mind. The point is that LST is a skill and it can be applied at a varying levels.

When Low Stress Training is applied along side with Topping, the change in shape from a traditional plant can be drastic.

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HID (High Intensity Discharge) Grow Lights

Ballast

A HID grow light needs a ballast to get started. A ballast is a special type of power supply that regulates current to your light and also provides enough voltage to start your lights.

The ballast is like the running car needed to jump start a dead one and if your ballast is not powerful enough for your bulbs then they will not start due to a lack of voltage.

Types Of HID Bulbs

The type of gas inside of the bulb determines the light color

MH – Metal Halide

  • Used for vegetative state

HPS – High Pressure Sodium

  • Used during flower

Exhaust

These bulbs burn hot so to control the temperature an exhaust system that incorporates the light’s hood and acts as a housing for the bulb is often used. This allows the bulb’s excess heat to be constantly removed and a stable temperature can be maintained much more easily.

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LED Grow Lights

These LED lights really are amazing and have come such a long way in a very short period of time. The 2014 Nobel Prize for physics went to the inventors of the blue LED. The blue LED is needed in the production of other colors like white and is the reason LED grow lights are even possible today.

LEDs provide us with with much more light while using the same amount of electricity when compared to older High Intensity Discharge technologies. They are much more efficient because they turn less energy into heat which allows growers better control.

Most LED grow lights will still need fans to help cool them down but can get away with fans that very closely resemble computer fans.

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Best Climate Conditions For Growing

Controlling your climate is just as important as getting your nutrients right if not more important.

Temperature – with my Grow Light on and osculating fan off my tent will get to a maximum of 27° Celsius and at night was dropping to 16°. To fix this I got a space heater that will maintain room temperature at 22° even at night. This is a common growing method used to reduce stretching and will also prevent hot/cold shock further into flower.

Humidity – this will sit around 27% with no other controls in place and I like to keep it around this level for flowering. During early development and the vegetative stage a humidifier is turned on for 40 min periods every 2 hours throughout the day. This keeps the humidity around 65% which is more ideal before entering flowering.

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Controlling Your Climate

Timers

A must for grow lights

Humidity and Temperature Sensors

Inkbird Humidity Controller

The controller will turn the plugged in humidifier on when the humidity falls to a set low and will run increasing the humidity until a set high is reached which turns the humidifier off.

Inkbird Temperature Controller

The controller will turn the plugged in heater on when the temperature falls to a set low and will run increasing the temperature until a set high is reached which turns the heater off.

Light Rails

Great for covering more area with light without adding heat