Supplemental or sole-source lighting, both intensity and spectrum, plays an important role in maintaining cannabis mother stock plants. Light levels and spectral quality influence the plants’ endogenous hormone levels.
Depending on the health and vigor of the mother stock plant, the quality of the cutting and the number of roots it develops will be affected. These outcomes can be improved by optimizing light intensity and spectrum while managing energy use.
Ideally, growers should provide a photoperiod of 18 hours to ensure that cannabis mother stock remains and prevent flowering. Maintaining good lateral bud formation is essential to ensure a consistent supply of cuttings. Along with growth, consistent and appropriate nutrition helps maintain endogenous hormone balance. The goal is to produce consistent, genetically stable cuttings.
Because light drives most of the physiological and biological processes in the plants, it is crucial to focus on managing its quantity and quality (spectrum). Traditional high-pressure sodium (HPS) and metal halide lights (MH) do not have the PAR light needed to enhance photosynthesis. Also, static LED lighting does not allow the real-time adjustments necessary to optimize light intensity, spectral quality, photoperiod, DLI control as well as zoning for different cultivars. This flexibility in the adaptive dynamic LED lighting is important to ensure ideal vegetative physiological state of the mother stock plants.
- Blue-rich light (400–500 nm): Enhances leaf thickness, compact structure, and rooting potential of cuttings.
- Red-rich light (600–680 nm): Drives photosynthesis and biomass accumulation.
- Far-red (700–750 nm): When applied carefully in low intensity or end-of-day pulses, can stimulate stem elongation if mother plants are too compact.
- Green light (500–600 nm): Improves canopy penetration and supports morphological balance.
With advanced dynamic LED lighting, growers can vary spectrum across an 18-hour photoperiod. A higher blue percentage in the morning promotes photomorphogenic signaling. Increased intensity with more red at midday maximizes photosynthesis and an end of day far-red treatment helps manage plant balance.
Lighting should be synchronized with the greenhouse’s environment, i-e coordinate temperature, humidity, VPD, CO₂, air movement and nutrition to maintain hormone balance and canopy health.With this coordination, growers can expect:
- Improved cutting uniformity
- Improved rooting percentages
- Optimally sized cutting based on requirements for different cultivars
- Reduced chlorosis in the cuttings
- Better productivity of the mother plants while maintaining good canopy
- Energy savings compared to HPS or static LED systems
Want to know more, contact our Customer success team today.
