In cannabis cultivation, few qualities captivate consumers like aroma. From sharp citrus to deep gas and ripe fruit notes, aroma is often a signal of quality.
But what actually drives that sensory experience?
Nelson Lindsley, cultivation consultant and founder of Poetry of Plants, is digging deep into that question. Working closely with BIOS and leading growers across the U.S., he’s testing how lighting spectrum—particularly warmer tones—may influence the aromatic profile of cannabis flower.
The Secret Behind the Scent: It’s Not Just Terpenes
A common misconception in cannabis is that aroma = terpenes.
While terpenes are absolutely part of the story, Nelson is quick to point out that they’re not the full picture.
“The value of aroma is not based on terpenes alone,” he says. “It’s more based on phytonutrients and plant esters, compounds present in parts per billion that are much harder to measure. When we value aromatics solely on terpenes, we’re missing a large part of the equation.”
This broader chemical profile includes everything from volatile esters to complex secondary metabolites that are responsible for the kind of standout, dessert-like aromas consumers crave. Think baked apple, gassy cream soda, or syrupy berry notes that linger in a jar and tell you—without question—that this is top-shelf flower.
Lighting Spectrum as a Driver of Consumer Preference
In recent lighting trials tied to BIOS’s Bridge fixture launch, Nelson ran side-by-side comparisons between cooler and warmer spectrums across dozens of cultivars. Without telling the testers which lighting conditions were used, consumers consistently gravitated toward the flower grown under warmer-spectrum LEDs—those with a spectral balance closer to traditional HPS lighting.
“About 80% of the time, people preferred the batches coming out of the warmer spectrum,” Nelson explains. “The structure, the bract composition, the smell—it all came together.”
Among the cultivars tested were popular strains like Georgia Pie, Baby Yoda, and Apples and Bananas. Though lighting didn’t drastically alter the identity of these strains, it influenced the richness and appeal of their aromatic expressions.
That anecdotal data is backed by real results: Jeu Green, one of the test growers using this lighting spectrum won the “Gas” category at the Billy Awards—a major flower competition held in New York City in April 2025.
Why Warmer Light?
While modern LED grow lights trend toward high efficacy and full-spectrum white light, Nelson sees an opportunity to preserve some of the familiar characteristics of HPS while incorporating LED efficiency in the new Bridge fixture. Specifically, the warmer spectrums of HPS (those with more yellow, amber, and red wavelengths) appear to stimulate different aspects of the plant’s secondary metabolism, including the development of complex aroma compounds.
“It’s about recapturing some of the value we lost when we moved away from HPS,” he says.
By focusing on consumer value—rather than just micromoles per joule—Nelson and BIOS are reframing the lighting conversation. Instead of chasing only efficiency, they’re designing fixtures around what the end user actually experiences.
Balance is Key: Avoiding Aroma Suppression
Interestingly, too much light can have the opposite effect.
When growers push for maximum grams per square foot—flooding the canopy with PPFD and pushing nutrients aggressively—they risk muting aroma altogether.
“When you’re running that hot, even a short disruption in your environmental system can create stress you can’t recover from,” Nelson says. “And that absolutely impacts aroma.”
Aromatic expression requires balance—between light intensity, environmental stability, and post-harvest care.
Which brings us to…
The Most Overlooked Factor: Drying and Storage
Even the best-grown flower can lose its aroma if it’s dried and stored improperly. In fact, Nelson points out that much of the “generic weed smell” consumers encounter in dispensaries is due to poor post-harvest handling—not bad genetics or poor lighting.
“Most commercial-scale grows are designed for efficiency. That means trimming fast, drying fast, minimal touches. But quality aromatics come from careful drying, curing, and storage,” he says.
He even argues that pre-packaged flower in properly sealed bags can preserve aroma better than deli-style jars—so long as the product inside was handled properly from the start.
Cultivating a New Conversation
Aroma is a differentiator in a market flooded with THC numbers and race-to-the-bottom pricing. And lighting, long treated as a commodity focused solely on yield or cost per watt, has an underappreciated role to play in shaping that sensory quality.
With the Bridge fixture and ongoing cultivar trials, Nelson and the BIOS team hope to reshape the way growers and consumers alike think about cannabis aroma—and to build a market that values more than just percentages on a COA.
“We’re here to help growers capture the value they’ve been missing,” Nelson says. “And that starts by understanding what drives the experience, not just for the plant, but for the person opening the jar.”
