Finally, everyone’s favorite factor to consider, BUDGET! For those who have yet to discover the beauty of the LED, LED bulbs are “Light Emitting Diodes,” where electricity flows through two electrodes ­- … Like I wrote above, both LEDs and CMH grow lights are effective at growing plants. Metal halide (MH) or high intensity discharge (HID) lighting makes use of a large glass bulb that contains a small quartz tube containing argon gas and a minute amount of mercury. Required fields are marked *. Let us know how it works out! LEDs that contain some amount of green or white light are the best for growing plants with no nutrient deficiencies, while their prices ranges by power and design; 300 watt lights cost around $595, 450 watts $745, 600 watts costs $895, 750 watts costs $1,245, while 1000 watts costs $1,499.99. Tried a 315 cmh for a few runs. Metal Halide is one of the most efficient grows lights in the growing industry. Large metal halides have approximately 15,000 hours while the life expectancy of regular metal halides is … LED bulbs last 50,000 hours compared to 20,000 for CMH. Cannabis Deficiencies – What You Need to Know, Ordering from an Online Dispensary in Canada. Metal Halides are developed in the year 1960 but still famous and widely used nowadays. HID light prices also vary by their wattage – 250watts has a price range of $150-$250, 400watts ranges from $200-$400, 600watts ranges from $300-$500 while 1000watts has a price range of $400-$600. While those of HID grow lights are iPower, Apollo Horticulture, Sun system, Vivosun, Yield Lab, Eye Hortilux, Digilux, Ushio and many more. Check it out on our website here! Learn how your comment data is processed. The light … Your email address will not be published. These are approximate price averages for LED lights on the market.*. It is an electrical light that has quartz in the arc tube which has a big help in the improvement of color rendition. Maintenance Costs There are few maintenance costs associated with LED during the lifespan. When you start a Metal Halide grow light, it will take a few minutes to reach its full potential because heating up the gas takes some time. Closing Thoughts on CMH vs LED Obviously, you’re comparing CMH vs LED. Between fluorescent, LEDs, and high-pressure sodium (HPS), the great wide world of grow lights can get confusing. Your email address will not be published. HPS lights are about twice as efficient in terms of power use as metal halide lights, so in other words, they run cooler and they cost you much less money to run as well. The anticipated duration of your cultivation project is one of the most important factors to consider. While HID fixtures like HPS and metal halide have their place in the growing world, newer LED technology is superior in just about every way. MH lights have luminous effects and as a result, it produces intense bluish white light. HID grow lights are lower in cost than LED grow lights, but the low cost is justified by their limited spectrum, higher heat generation, and reduced lifespan. For medium to large growing operations, you can look into high-end LED fixtures and LEC lights, or go with proven HID lighting solutions. Whether you’re a budget grower or a indoor plant enthusiast, there are plenty of options available. It has a high yield per watt of electricity, i.e., the amount of light it produces is worth the amount of power it consumes. It comes in a wide range of wattages, from 250 to 1,000. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Your email address will not be published. When current is applied to the MH bulb, the tube glows like the sun. HIDs also have a long lifespan, which is estimated at around 2,000 hours (again dependent on the light and manufacturer), coupled with higher visibility and are great for growing marijuana. In conclusion, each technology, CMH and LED, are viable to successful grows however they speak to different methodologies and business initiatives. Contact Access Fixtures today to learn more about the TOAK 400w LED grow light. It’s an electrical lamp with high-intensity discharge (HID) gas. When it comes to power consumption and the power bill, LED’s only save the grower about 15% on the power bill compared to CMH fixtures. Choosing which technology is right for you depends on the size of your grow, how long you will be growing in the space, and your allocated budget. This means that many growers with HID light setups have separate veg and flowering lights or at least multiple bulbs, which … Studies have shown that the blue wavelength in light increases the overall growth of plants. They run at cooler temperatures, get better yields than their counterparts, they are tremendously low on electricity and require little to no setup. HPS grow lights emits light in orange to red spectrum, which makes them efficient and the best for use during the flowering stage of plants like marijuana, while their lack of emitting light in the blue spectrum makes them the best for the vegetative juncture of indoor plants where a natural source of light is unavailable. Plants will be stocky and strong, with dense green foliage. This could be a good thing if your ceiling height is less than 8ft and really need to factor in heat management. How insulated your space is during winter months is crucial if you are operating in colder climates. The modern hobby and commercial cultivator now have the power to dial in spectrums specific to the plant strain they are growing. That being said, HIDs still represents an established option for many indoor growers. Omnidirectional. MHs have been used in growing cannabis because they emit a strong blue wavelength, which helps the vegetative phase of growth. As plants reach the flowering/fruiting stage the HPS spectrum enhances the quality of fruit and a larger harvest. LED lights put off very little heat and this can be good or bad depending on the size of your grow space and the climate at your facility location. Grow lights have evolved from heavy magnetic, in-efficient ballasts and bulky reflectors to ultra-efficient dimmable and spectrum tunable Light Emitting Diodes (LED) and Ceramic Metal Halide (CMH) all-in-one fixtures. MH grow lights (metal halide) are suited best for vegetative growth and HPS grow lights are superior for flowering. Before choosing the best grow light, there are a couple of things you actually need to consider including spacing, spectrum, brand, electrical usage, light control and budget. An LED ran cooler than CMH's by at least 2°F, and overall 10°F lower temperature from a higher-powered LED. LEDs also have a longer operation time without needing replacement. HID grow lights fall under two category types: the Metal Halide (MH) and High-Pressure Sodium (HPS). CMH grow lights are great for commercial cultivations and hobbyists with enough space. Your email address will not be published. HPS grow bulbs produce the yellow-red light ideal for the flowering phase of your grow. CBD Root Source All Rights Reserved. Noble gas is present in this arc tube and often encompasses appropriate metal or metal salts. Before we breakdown the contenders, let’s talk about the current reigning champion. Similarly, metal halide lights have a far shorter lifespan than LED bulbs. On average Metal Halide bulbs typically last for 1.5-2 years of 18/hours a day. You need to maximize ROI in within 1-2 years, You need greater canopy penetration for the strains you are growing, Need the beneficial UV spectrum for maximum terpene resin production, Need to maximize your gram per watt and flower quality, Have a long-term plan with current LED technology, Need an exact spectrum wavelength to grow a specific strain, Yield quality and quantity are not paramount. Can you really increase yields and grow quality cannabis with energy-saving lights? The metal halides present inside these bulbs help it produce the white-blue lights that the plants require during the vegetative stage. The first notable reason is that LED grow lights require very low power to work unlike HID grow lights which requires a high amount of power, LEDs provides much more focused luminous ray with a sharper and crisper vision and also have great penetration, therefore they need not to be moved. Metal halide lights give off an intense, bluish-white light that plants respond to with healthy, vigorous growth. The LED Advantage. Companies that create the best HID and LED Grow Lights, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window). There is a growing (pun intended) number of indoor growers that are choosing ceramic metal halide (CMH) bulbs as their lighting of choice. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Best Ceramic Metal Halide Lights for Growing Cannabis View Larger Image One of the most difficult decisions for any ACMPR grower is deciding on the type of lights to use for an indoor grow op. Here are 5 truths about growing bigger yields with LED vs HPS grow lights. CMH fixtures put off more heat than LED’s, but less heat than their HPS counterparts. Either brand can be used for a full propagation from seed to harvest or the lights can be interchanged at different junctures of plant maturity. (see Table 1 below) LED fixtures, especially the ones that include the UV spectrum, are very expensive in terms of up-front cost. They also operate at much higher pressures than the quartz tubes glass tubes of metal halide grow lights. Very reliable. I strongly suggest freshwater plant and reef keepers read this in depth and more importantly well … Do you prefer HID or LED lights? Therefore, you will incur the cost of more bulbs utilizing CMH technology, but you will optimize your light cycles and extend the timeframe to replace bulbs. LED, HPS, CMH, CFL… all of these letter combos can start to get confusing fast. In a 5×5 grow tent. On a quest for the best lights for growing cannabis? Let’s talk about the size of your grow. They are less effective during the vegetative stage, however, which means purchasing separate blue-colored bulbs – usually metal halide. HID grow lights efficiently produces more light than LEDs and are powered by large oddly-shaped bulbs where the temperature can also rise quickly which makes it a great option for indoor plants needing a very highly regulated temperature for propagation. LED halide lamps have a longer lifespan than metal halide lamps.Although the life expectancy ranges depending on various other factors including the size of the lamp and its quality. There is range in which a plant’s needs are best met. Required fields are marked *. However, the LED grower will use less power for cooling, but that savings depends on other factors in the grow space. Also known as Light Emitting Ceramic (a trademarked term that only applies to a particular kind of CMH), or ceramic discharge metal halide (CDM), these types of lamps are a type of metal halide (MH) grow light.. No type of grow light is … LEDs are the only lighting technology that can be designed to meet specific light spectrums for plants. High-Intensity Discharge (HID) lights are a type of electrical discharge arc lamp that produces light by sending an electrical discharge between two electrodes of plasma or ionized gas. The HPS spectrum mimics the outside autumn light increasing the plants demand for light. As there won’t be much heat from the light, you may be okay with a simple exhaust system and a fan. Share your experience! In the picture to the left a 12 watt LED Grow Light similar to the Natural Daylight LED Aquarium Light showed superior growth to a 175 watt full spectrum Metal Halide. Also, keep an eye on temperatures at the canopy. The quartz tube also contains halide salts, like silver chloride, that are used to fine-tune the color produced by the bulb. HID grow lights are significantly cheaper than LED grow lights, however, they may not perform as well. Yeah, you can do that. LED’s offer the tunability to go from a vegetative blue spectrum to a flowering red spectrum with a turn of a knob. HID and LED grow lights are leading the way in the grow light technology as users watchfully move away from halogen bulbs in the automotive market. Why would I use an HID grow light over an LED grow light? HID grow lights fall under two category types: the Metal Halide (MH) and High-Pressure Sodium (HPS). An LED ran cooler than CMH's by at least 2°F, and overall 10°F lower temperature from a … Choose LED if you plan on keeping the fixtures for more than 5 years as the high upfront initial cost of LED fixtures will be amortized over a longer period of time. LED vs Metal Halide What are LEDs? If you are planning for obsolescence and want the greatest yield ROI within 1-2-year time frame, choose CMH. Their average lifespan is between 6,000 to 15,000 hours, while LED lights may easily last you up to 5 times more. I run UBA/B with my led and it outperformed teh chm. Why would I use an LED grow light over an HID grow light? The modern hobby and commercial cultivator now have the power to dial in spectrums specific to the plant strain they are growing. The additional cost a CMH grower will realize is replacing bulbs. Due to the lower heat output of LED’s, heat may need to be added to the grow room in colder months which will increase costs. One look at the lights and you can tell that the Metal Halide (MH) grow lights function at the bluer end of the color spectrum while the High-Pressure Sodium (HPS) lights function towards the other end – and have a … Metal halide bulbs consume more energy than a LED Fixture and have a higher maintenance cost. The initial cost of an LED is 2 to 4 times the cost of a comparable CMH fixture. The lights use ceramic arc tubes very similar to the tubes in HPS grow lights. Adding more light may help marginally, but don’t expect wonders. A light emitting diode is an electrical light source that possesses the properties of a semiconductor which in turn emits visible light when a certain amount of electric current passes through it. Grow lights have evolved from heavy magnetic, in-efficient ballasts and bulky reflectors to ultra-efficient dimmable and spectrum tunable Light Emitting Diodes (LED) and Ceramic Metal Halide (CMH) all-in-one fixtures. The HID lights that are most frequently used in growing plants indoors and in greenhouses are metal halides and high-pressure sodium (HPS). HID grow lights are significantly cheaper than LED grow lights, however, they may not perform as well. Dimlux 630 with square wave is an excellent start. #3 Metal Halide grow lights . Metal Halide (MH) Metal halide is a HID style grow light. LED can convert 85 to 95% input energy into visible light, while metal halide lamp can only turn around 35 to 50% energy to lights – majority of energy is wasted as heat loss because of its unique working mechanism. It’s better than HPS but for my space, I liked the LED much better. That being said, HIDs still represents an established option for many indoor growers. New tech is not always better. Because of the lack of overall canopy penetration, you will need to keep your LED lights 12-18” above your canopy. LED grow lights may be the best for growers who are looking to harvest half to one ounce of cannabis a month. I have a 315 cmh and I’m going to try auto flower for the first time, can I have my 315 and ran a red LED in addition to the 315? CMH grow lights, just like all other grow lights, come with their own advantages and disadvantages. For slightly bigger grows, consider a decent LED light anywhere from 400–600W. There are many short term and long term advantages of using LED fixtures to grow cannabis. Below is a list of some companies that manufacture LED grow lights: Gogrow, Apollo Horticulture, Galaxyhydro, California lightworks, Kind, Viparspectra and many more. First off, the color and the spectrum at which they operate are very different. However, ceramic metal halide bulbs run a lot cooler than MH and HPS bulbs by about 8°F. So historically, Metal Halide lamps, even the new and highly touted Ceramic Metal Halide lamps have been used primarily for Vegetation phases of growth, where the red spectrum is less important, and possibly for the last 2 weeks of ripening. Copyright © 2017. The downside to Metal Halide lights … They produce bigger denser buds, and they offer a rich list of options. This can already be seen in the plethora of LED grow light products in the market boasting their comparatively passive operation, which is usually not possible when running a metal halide-bulb. If you have a larger and taller space, using CMH technology is a better choice. Kind LED say you can. And even if you keep your grow space past 5 years, don’t worry, CMH’s provide a greater gram per watt due to their higher PPF and canopy penetration. They are durable and also have longer life span compared to HIDs and are very easy to setup – they can be plugged into a socket and hung over plants which is much easier than setting up an HID light. You will be buying replacement CMH bulbs after 12-18 months of use. Those who use HPS lights most often use Metal Halide for vegetative growth as well since its light spectrum is better suited for vegging. High pressure sodium grow lights produce up to 40% more lumens per watt than metal halide lights, and this then leads to much higher yields when marijuana is flowering. Increased ceiling height allows for better heat management, better air-flow capability and more even light coverage for fuller and taller flower strains. Metal Halide is the light of choice for indoor plant gardeners. This heat can be utilized to achieve the ideal temperature for your growing methodology, for example, if you are using CO2 injection. Hence, we can remind ourselves that we need to replace the metal halide lights with a certain lumen instead of power. CMH’s closely mimic the sun, provide the highest gram per watt, and even provide the coveted good UV wavelengths that fend off mold and mildew as well stimulate plant vigor and greater resin and terpene production. In addition, it is recommended that you change between the 4100K CMH bulbs in the vegetative phase to the 3100K CMH bulbs for flowering. 8 Best Metal Halide Grow Lights in 2020 Than the quartz tube also contains Halide salts, like silver chloride, that most! Lights … Similarly, metal Halide lights have luminous effects and as a,. Hps ) wide range of wattages, from 250 to 1,000 time frame, choose CMH for heat. 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