What is CleanLight's UV technology?
The short version: UV-C light destroys the DNA of powdery mildew, botrytis and other pathogens on contact — in seconds, without chemicals, without residue.
What is UV-C?
UV-C is ultraviolet light at 254 nanometers — the germicidal wavelength. It has been used for decades to disinfect hospitals, drinking water and food production lines. When UV-C hits a fungal spore, bacterium or virus, it disrupts the organism's DNA so it can no longer reproduce. The infection cycle stops.
How CleanLight applies it to crops
Raw UV-C would damage plants at high doses. CleanLight's innovation, developed in the Netherlands since 2006, is a calibrated dose delivered through a parabolic reflector: strong enough to destroy pathogens on the plant surface, gentle enough to leave the plant unharmed. A daily sweep of a few seconds per plant is all it takes.
Why growers choose light over chemicals
- Zero residue. Nothing is sprayed, so nothing shows up in lab tests. Usable through flower and even post-harvest.
- No resistance. Fungi adapt to chemical fungicides over time. They cannot adapt to having their DNA destroyed.
- No re-entry intervals. Treat and keep working. No protective-equipment downtime, no waiting periods.
- No license required. UV-C treatment is allowed on all types of cultivation.
What it controls
CleanLight is effective against pathogens that live on the plant surface: powdery mildew (preventative and curative), botrytis / bud rot (preventative and surface-curative), fusarium spores, and bacteria and viruses on plants, surfaces, water and air. Botrytis that has already grown into plant tissue cannot be cured — which is why daily prevention is the winning strategy.
The routine
- Let the unit warm up for about one minute.
- Sweep the light across your canopy — a few seconds per plant.
- Repeat daily (or 2–3× per week minimum for surface fungi).
For airborne spore pressure, the CleanLight Air runs 24/7 and continuously disinfects the air in rooms up to 100 m³.