I’m “sun-centric” in my general philosophy toward indoor horticultural lighting, i.e., the main objective of an indoor plant light is to replicate the spectrum and intensity of the sun. That full spectrum and intensity produce the healthiest plants and best quality and quantity of product, in ways we only partially know how. That low intensity partial spectrum environments (blurple) grow plants like bread and water feeds prisoners: it keeps them alive but greatly reduces their potential for a robust and healthy existence.
With that in mind I prefer the 3500-4000K range, I believe it is the best compromise between a red-spectrum heavy environment with a deep blue component, and the better efficiency, which means more intensity per watt, of the bluer spectrums above 4000K.
But I am certain, and have seen, excellent bloom room results with 2700k, 3500K and even 5000K. I guess I would go with 2700K if I was more of an OG/kush/full indica grower, and 3500-3700K if I was a mixed hybrid or sat grower.
As for the X3’s dual band spectrum, there’s some initial research on dual spectrum being more beneficial, but repeated practical testing remains to be done. I am certain it can’t hurt, and definitely grows top-shelf product on its own. Whether it’s better, remains to be determined, imho. Here’s a spectrograph of the 2700K X2 and X3 strips:
X2 2700K
X3 2700/5700K
Glad things are going well, especially since i wrecked an X3 strip and will be needing a replacement at some time soon. I wont fill this thread up with my pics but if you want to see my first attempt at an actively cooled build using X3 Solstrips…
