For starters, the colour of CMH grow light produced by this latest development is far more natural. The outcome is, it becomes much easier to see the natural colour of your cannabis throughout its lifecycle. This may not sound important, but it can be vital for reviewing how your plant’s growth is progressing and if there are any issues that can be recognised quickly by changes in colour. As a point of reference, HPS grow lights give off a very yellow light, while LED grow light typically produce a purple hue.
The light spectrum given off by CMH grow light also provides another point of difference. CMH grow lights give off UV-B rays, something that, according to anecdotal accounts, improves the trichome production of cannabis during the flowering stage. The result is a perceived increase in yields, however, the verdict on how much it improves yield is still widely speculated. Two more distinct advantages are the life expectancy of LEC lights and their plug-and-play nature. They include built-in ballasts, so setup is very simple. Some manufacturers also claim that CMH bulbs will last up to two years, which is significantly longer than any other options (besides LED).
Best CMH Grow Bulb
Power Elite Agro 315 Watt CMH Lamp
If you’ve read everything written on this page so far, you’ll already be familiar with this bulb. It is the one included in both of the kits we reviewed above — and for good reason. The Philips Master 3100K GreenPower Elite Agro 315 Watt CMH Lamp is as good as it gets.
It gives you 33,000 lumen of output, which is incredible for a bulb that only uses 315 watts. Moreover, it retains 90% of that output after 8000 hours of use.
The rated lifespan of this CMH lamp is 20,000 hours and even at that point, it still retains 85% of its initial PPF output, which is an unbelievably high 1.95 PPF (photosynthetic photon flux) per watt per second.
Philips uses a unique open rated lamp construction that reduces radiant heat from the arc tube and makes their bulbs perfect for open fixtures. Simply put, they emit far less heat than comparable HPS and MH bulbs, greatly reducing the need to cool your grow space.
The bulb we’ve linked to in this review has a 3100K color spectrum, which is our preferred bulb to use for all stages of growth. It is a flowering monster and does well in vegging too. There is a 4200K version available as well, the Philips Elite MW 4200K Master Color CDM Lamp, for anyone who plans on only using it for vegging or for those who prefer a full-cycle bulb with more blue spectrum light (to me, flowering performance is the most important).
Protopia Ceramic Metal Halide Growing Lights 315 Watt, 3100K
Protopia has a much more affordable price for their CMH bulb compared to the Phillips.
In a test done for PAR out of CMH bulbs by growers, it is shown that Protopia has a more PAR than Phillips. But that’s the only winning point of Protopia. This bulb deteriorates faster with only 15,000 hours of lifespan. It also has a less CRI at 90.
And like Phillips, it is available in 315W, 630W. Temperature is available in 3100 and 4200K.
So this is still a great choice if you care much about the price difference, the light intensity, but bear in mind that you will replace the bulb faster than the Phillips CMH light.
So this is still a great choice if you care much about the price difference, the light intensity, but bear in mind that you will replace the bulb faster than the Phillips CMH light.
Best Value: Ushio HiLux Gro 315w CMH
If you’re looking for another option besides the Philips, the Ushio HiLux Gro is a solid choice. Ushio is well-known for their quality bulbs and earned most of my “best value” picks in my best HPS bulb roundup.
The Ushio HiLux Gro is available in 3100K and 4200K.
The company sells all minds of bulbs including LEDs, HPS, CMH, MH and CFL among others. Many growers trust the brand because of the durability and quality of the products.
This particular CMH bulb comes with many benefits, which include a temperature of 3100 and a lumen of 36,000 outputs. After 8,000 hours of use, the bulb can retain about 36,000 lumen. The lifespan of the CMH bulb is 20,000 hours of natural light, which is sufficient for all the stages of growth.
The bulb is good for the flowering stage though it is also efficient for the vegetative stage. It uses low frequency ballast and an open rated lamp construction that reduces heat from the arc tube allowing it to emit less heat than MH and HPS bulbs.
Now you can buy it with 25% Off by using code: Vic25off
Conclusion
Not only do CMH grow lights save you energy and produce less heat per watt used and provide very good light spread, but they’re also a complete-cycle growing solution suitable for most green and flowering crops with their balanced spectrum output, UV supplementation and the capability to be hanged in any position over the canopy.
Comments
Post a Comment