FAQs

What can I grow with Curtis Mathes' Harvester lighting?

Anything! Due to our full spectrum output and efficient photon delivery, growing with our lights is highly effective for every plant we have come across. This includes cannabis, hemp, roses, orchids, vegetables, herbs, spices, carnivorous plants – anything!

How many Lights will I need?

This depends upon your crop type, footprint (grow area), and stage of growth. Lighting a crop is a three-step process:

  1. Provide the correct Spectrum (which we do),
  2. Cover your crop, and,
  3. Add lights to reach your desired yield.

While we are more than happy to tailor a lighting solution for any size grow and any plant at any stage of growth, we can provide a general rule-of-thumb for certain crops.  For hemp and cannabis cultivation, we suggest 205W-410W (1x-2x Harvester® modules) per 25ft2 for vegetative stages and 615W-1025W (3x-5x Harvester® modules) per 25ft2 for flowering stages of growth.  For choice of lighting during flowering, you’ll need to consider plant genetics, plant densities and grow methods to determine the amount of light necessary to produce the highest yield.  Call us – we are glad to help with this!

How do I determine yield Capabilities?

It is very important to keep in mind that lighting sets the POTENTIAL for your crop –  potential for yield and for quality. There are hundreds of variables that must be monitored and adjusted to produce the highest crop yields and quality. New growers following some simple instructions routinely achieve 1 gram of dried cannabis flower per Watt of lighting power used. Some of our customers are boasting 2gms/W.  See the section in this FAQ titled “How many lights will I need?” and feel free to call or email us at

My plants look like they are burning, Help!

There is almost no way heat produced by our lighting is burning your plants. It is most likely that your plants are “bleaching”. This bleaching is commonly known as ‘cotton-top’ and is caused by underfeeding your plants. Our full spectrum output activates many more plant photo-receptors than non-full-spectrum lighting. This causes plants to process more nutrients, CO2 and water. If you don’t provide enough nutrients to satisfy your plant’s newfound hunger, it shows in the form of this ‘cotton-top’ effect. In most cases, increasing nutrient availability will solve this issue.

Some customers have put too much light on minimal plant material, though.  Call us and we'll help you determine the cause of any problems!