When should I add the ionbeams?

For your first run with Ioneams, here's a general recommendation on when to include them in your light cycle: Seedling Stage: Start with lower intensity or keep them off initially to avoid stressing young plants, Seedlings prefer gentler light. Early Veg (after 1-2 weeks): Gradually introduce IonBeams to complement your main lights, increasing intensity as plants develop. Full Veg and Flower: Run IonBeams at your desired intensity alongside your main lights throughout the light cycle for maximum benefit.

Point them at shielded areas under canopy as best you can, but only the tops of leaves can effectively use light. so... this does limit effectiveness of this light but should still improve 'something' in the lower canopies. the leaves will probably try to bend toward them but inevitably a lot of light will miss the intended mark compared to your primary lighting. Also, make sure that any leaves close by do not exihibit sings of light damage... if borderline, it may teek 2 weeks or more to see such symptoms - faster if more extreme, of course. it shod have a positive effect. May or may not be obvious beyond normal genetic volatilty and limitations of human eyesight / memory. High risk of confirmation bias, lol.

Hold off ’til they’ve got 4–6 true leaves (around day 10–14). In week 3 veg, slap the Ionbeam up top or angle it from the side about 30–40 cm away. Start with 6 h extra light, then bump it by 2 h every 3–4 days. Watch for burn, if leaves bleach, back it off. Run it through week 2 of bloom for tight internodes, then ditch or swap to a red-heavy bloom tweak.

i use them the whole cycle but in increased levels depending on life stage. aiming for level 8 or 10 by the last half of flower. just be mindful of temperature. with my set up they raise the temp a bit too high if im also increasing my main light intensity

The moment they arrive. Just add them to canopy lighting. Undercanopy lighting is flawed. Leaf orientation matters, so if you want them to be effective then you need a suboptimal canopy in the first place...so recursively it is just not logical.