Adjust-A-Wings Reflector - User Guide

2021/10/25
THGrow
Products

Many growers assume that the only reason that Adjust-A-Wings reflectors are adjustable is to allow them to properly cover the space they are intended to illuminate. In reality, these reflectors are adjustable for a very different reason: to guide the plants with mimicking the growth and flowering cycles. One of the reasons for growing indoors is to be able to offer the best possible conditions for the plants. The imitation of the growing and flowering cycles is a very important part of this. It is then a matter of recreating the spring, summer and autumn seasons.

Spring (vegetative) - tight fit

In the vegetative stage, when the plants are young and begin to grow vigorously, they need intense light to encourage new branching by keeping the internodes short. However, their root systems are still underdeveloped and therefore susceptible to excess heat. Therefore, the ideal light is intense and penetrating (so that all branching points develop strongly) and at the same time cool, as in spring outdoors.

Excessive heat can cause unwanted stretching, weakening the plants, and can even cause premature flowering in some of them due to heat stress.

Setting the Adjust-A-Wings reflector to "narrow" (the furthest setting) will give a more intense light beam. Consequently, the reflector should be placed a little further away from the plants. This is the perfect setting for spring, as it provides an ideal balance between light intensity and cool leaf temperature.

Summer (pre-flowering) - medium setting

When the plants start to form their first buds it is time to put the reflector in the middle setting. The plants may have stretched a little at this point and the distance between the top and the light has been naturally shortened. If this has not already been done, it is advisable to place the Super Spreader on the reflector to help distribute the light evenly and reduce the risk of hot spots.

This setting allows the canopy of the plants to be illuminated even if the distance between the plants and the lamp has decreased. The result is an increase in light intensity and more distributed heating, environmental signals that make the plants prepare for the arrival of summer.

Autum (flowering) - wide setting

This is the time when the buds grow and group together on the branches to form the tails. This is the period when the light needs of the plants are highest. At the crucial point when the plants develop most of their harvest it is best to set the reflector to its widest setting with the Super Spreader coupling on. This will provide the widest possible light diffusion and light penetration with a maximally distributed heat footprint. These factors combine to promote a dense and prolific crop, not just in the canopy, but throughout the plant.

Ripening (harvest) - medium setting

During the last ten days before harvest is a good time to reduce nutrients, light intensity and temperatures in the canopy of the plants. This indicates the plants that it is time to finish. Now it is advisable to go back to the middle setting of the reflector and raise it a few centimetres. It's a small change, but these subtle signals give maximum impetus to a quality crop.

Other forms of use - fixed setting

Some growers are looking for a simpler option. If for some reason it is not possible to make these small adjustments during the cycle of the plants, the medium reflector position is the best all-rounder solution. If you are growing in a square cabinet then the medium width is also the right choice.

We hope this post has helped you to make use of your reflector. Do you know any other way to take advantage of its configuration that we haven't mentioned? Do you have any doubts? Feel free to let us know in the comments.