Does More Light Make Better Weed? Here’s What the Science Says

Hey growers! Ever wondered if cranking up the light in your grow room could give you better cannabis—bigger yields, stronger buds, tastier flavors?

Well, good news: science has some answers now! We just watched an awesome video breaking it all down (check the transcript if you missed it), and there’s a blog post on MIGRO’s site with even more details. We’ve pulled the best bits together here in simple words so anyone can get it. Let’s dive in!

Growers Are Turning Up the Lights—and It’s Working

Over the past few years, big commercial cannabis growers have been pumping up the light intensity like, way more than they used to. Back in the day, about 10 years ago, they’d use HPS lights at around 600 micromoles per square meter per second (don’t worry about the fancy term, it just means light power).

Now, some pros are hitting 1,400 micromoles—three times more! Even home growers are usually at about 800-1000 these days, which is still 50% higher than before.

Why? Because more light means more buds from the same space. And the proof is in the pudding—yields are going up. But here’s the big question: does all that extra light make the weed better, or just more? Two new studies—one from the Netherlands and one from Canada—finally give us some solid answers.

Study #1: The Dutch Experiment

Last year, some smart folks in the Netherlands ran a big test with a cannabis strain called Critical CBD. They grew a bunch of plants—90 in the first round, 48 in the second—under three different light levels:

600 micromoles (like what old-school growers used)
800 micromoles (a decent step up)
1,000 micromoles (pretty bright!)

They used high-tech gear to check everything—yields, cannabinoids (the stuff that gets you high or helps you chill), and terpenes (the compounds that make weed smell and taste good).

Here’s what they found:

More Light, More Buds: As light went from 600 to 1,000, the dry flower yield went up almost perfectly with it. For every 1% more light, they got about 1% more buds. Simple math, big results!

Stronger Stuff: Cannabinoids—like THC and CBD—jumped up too. At 1,000 micromoles, they saw almost a 30% boost (from 175% to 225% of the baseline). That’s a lot more potency in your buds!

Tastier Weed: Terpenes shot up by a whopping 75% at the higher light level. More terpenes mean better smell and flavor—think of that frosty, yummy weed vibe.
Pretty surprising, right? More light didn’t just mean more weed—it meant better weed.

Study #2: The Canadian Test

Over in Canada, they tested a strain called Still Water with nearly 400 plants. Instead of set light levels, they made a gradient—light went from super low (200 micromoles) all the way up to super bright (1,800 micromoles) across the grow space.

They took 22 samples along the way and checked them with fancy tools like chromatography (science stuff for analyzing compounds). They also cranked up CO2 to 1,200 parts per million to help the plants handle the extra light. Here’s what they got:

Bigger Harvests: Just like the Dutch study, more light meant more buds. From 200 to 1,800 micromoles, yields kept climbing—pretty steady increases all the way.

Cannabinoids Stay Steady: Unlike the Dutch test, this strain didn’t show much change in cannabinoids with more light. So, no big potency boost here.

Flavor Boost: Terpenes went up by 20-30% as light got brighter. Not as crazy as the Dutch jump, but still a nice bump for taste and smell.

What Does This Mean for You?

Here’s the deal: cannabis can handle a ton of light—way more than we thought! Pushing the intensity up to 1,000 or even 1,800 micromoles can seriously pay off. You’ll likely get:

More Weed: Higher yields from the same space—perfect if you’re growing for profit or just want extra stash.

Better Quality: More terpenes mean tastier, smellier buds. And in some cases (like the Dutch study), you’ll get more potent cannabinoids too.

One catch: at those crazy high levels (like 1,800), you might need extra CO2 to keep your plants happy and avoid stress. Think of it like giving them a boost to handle all that light power. But even without CO2, bumping from 600 to 1,000 micromoles is a no-brainer—it’s all upside with no real downside.

Why This Rocks for Growers

This is fantastic news! Turning up the lights doesn’t just mean more buds—it can make them tastier and sometimes stronger too. You get a killer return for your effort—more bang for your buck. Whether you’re a home grower or going big, these studies show it’s worth upgrading your setup.

Want the full scoop? Check out the detailed blog post on MIGRO’s site. They’ve got links to the original Dutch and Canadian studies, too, so you can dig into all the nerdy details if you’re into that.

Wrap-Up

So, does more light make better weed? Yep, most of the time! You’ll grow more, and it’ll probably taste and smell amazing—sometimes even hit harder. What do you think—gonna crank up your lights now? Drop your thoughts or questions below, and happy growing!