Ceramic Metal Halide (CMH)

[chimei]

But there is one thing I have found out about the CMH that is undeniable.
The light colors plants purple. That is a fact that is undeniable.
I had two plants purple up alot when they were grown with the CMH last run. My MOC carnivals got real purple. I even sent in a pic of them to the breeder and they stated they had never seen their strain do that before. Asking me about how cool my temps were, etc...

I have noticed 2 things under CMH.

Purpling of plants at the end of the flowering - I have had this on every female strain to some degree that I have grown so far under CMH. (some more then others)

Before CMH I rarely had a strain that would purple. I honestly can't recall the last time I had a strain purple under HPS. My environment has always stayed the same and my methods for feeding have also, so I have attributed this to CMH directly.

The other thing I have noticed is that my plants when going from fluorescent to CMH wilt more then they ever did when going from fluorescent to MH or HPS. Almost like the move shocks them. I have seen this now with several different strains. They always recover from the wilt, it just takes like 4 or 5 days if I recall correctly.

 

[hoosierdaddy]

I don't know what about the light is causing the purple thing, but it does indeed cause it, and that is an undeniable fact that I have confirmed for myself.
The light is coloring stems, leaves, and calyx'.

 

[FreezerBoy]

None of my Thunks showed purple under the CMH but my Destroyer sure does. The male under HPS did not. No idea what it means, just throwing it out there.

Not all benefits of CMH are above ground. This shot got some positive response in my diary. What's left of my home made net cup after being destroyed by my Destroyer.

 

[CTSV]

New set up.

New set up.

I've got a brand new flowering chamber! CMH are doing better than ever! I am about to add a 400w CMH and hang it on a mover in my Vegetation Laboratory.

 

[freeradical]

I am curious when you guys start to notice purpling. How far in flower? How much purpling? Any pics? Thanks!

 

[simba]

only few showed up the purple.. like 3 outa 1,000+ cmh lamps
im not concerned with it at all.. as i haven't heard any negs about it..
if we find it to be bad we will find out why.. it might be breeder spef or sometin with full spd vs hps (it may do it outdoors..)

FB, Duh its destroyer LOL J/K,,
ya i had Destroyer like when this thread was started.. Oh it dont lie... ay?

 

[HairlessCaveApe]

I dont think its doin anything bad. I wish I had a beter control situation but I kinda fell into this. My inputs got a variable but here it is anyway, mabey it'l be of some value anyhow. --I had a Shack mom under flouros no problem. I wanted to get her a bit bigger so I put her under a 400hps, even tho I read bout the spectrum bein wrong. I had a couple layin round so I used one. Anyhow, within 2 weeks my Shack mom was turnin light green/yellow and givin hard to root clones. I ran it for another 2 weeks to make shure of what I was seein, and got me a 400cmh. There was an instant improvment. Within 2 weeks my mom got a much nicer green. The clones seem to be rootin better too. Heres whats up too tho. She's still recoupin, but it seems like the cuttings start doin better when theyr not in any cmh light. It seems they do better in the light of the flouros and in the shadow of the cmh. Now like I said, I got too many variables in my observations to make a call on where this is goin but it looks like the cmh is reversin the bad effects of the hps but not as fast as flouros or mh would. Im gettin the purplin on the petols too but I dont think I woulda got it if the plant was absolutly healthy when ity went under the lamp. In other words, the petols were purpl when they were introduced to the cmh and the cmh is reversing the purpl effect. But I think my flouros would clear up the purp quicker. Still I like this light and Im shure that when the plant is back in shape the purp will dissapear. When I start a new mom I'l know for shure. --Hey Simba! How far should I have this light above my mom? Shes bout 3' high and 4 ' wide and in a 5 gallon bukkit fulla FF3-2-6. Is 20" good?

 

[CTSV]

As for the "purpling", I am of the opinion, that the CMH extracts the maximum from your plant. If your plant has a tendency to purple, then the CMH amplifies that through superior light output. Plants do better under CMH, and your plants will reflect that. I would do a comparison, but I don't want to use HPS anymore.

 

[HairlessCaveApe]

I think this light might be kikkin the plant into overdrive. I think what Im seein wherever the cmh is concentrated is a nute deficency. I think the lights makin the plant feed heavily wherever the light strikes it. Im already feedin agressivly so I dont wanna bump it up so Im just gonna wait till I grow out one of the cuttings I took from her 2 days ago to replace her. Il feed the new mom as usual and if I get the good results I usta get with my flouros or beter Il know that what I did to my mom with my hps was the problem. Thats what I figure is gonna happen. I bet this cmh grows out the damage that I did to her with the hps.

 

[duddits]

--Hey Simba! How far should I have this light above my mom? Shes bout 3' high and 4 ' wide and in a 5 gallon bukkit fulla FF3-2-6. Is 20" good?

I have my reflector glass about 5" away from the canopy with my 400. I guess it depends on air movement between the light and the plant as well as the reflector, hood, and extraction of light's heat.
Long story short, I still go by the back of the hand heat test for how far to pull back the light.

 

[hoosierdaddy]

I would also be thinking the light is causing a deficiency to accelerate. Only problem with that theory is that I am only seeing the purple effect on the sides of the branches that face the light. The other side of the same branches are green as can be. It is apparent that the purple is only where the CMH light hits the plant. Buds facing away from the light are not seeing purple either. This brings me to believe it is much more light dependent than strain.
And Like I have stated before, I have a cut that was grown only under HPS and there was no signs of any other color but green. Same cut under CMH got lots of purple.
I am not a purple freak, and I see nothing special about the color, other than it brings a certain level of sight appeal to some.

THis is a bud from the cut I spoke about. You can clearly see how purple/black the stem is under my thumb...the other side of that stalk is green.
You can even see in this shot where the green line meets the purple.
If I showed the other side of that bud, there is NO purple whatsoever on the side that never saw the light directly.
Look close and you can see this side of the stalk at the top where the light was blocked and a clear indication of shadowing (green on purple).

 

[HairlessCaveApe]

Hey Howdy Duddits! Good test to go by! Howdy HoosierDaddy! Yea. Theres somekinda weird purpl shadow thing goin on here too.

 

[onegreenday]

wow that's one sweet flowering chamber

wow that's one sweet flowering chamber

I've got a brand new flowering chamber! CMH are doing better than ever! I am about to add a 400w CMH and hang it on a mover in my Vegetation Laboratory.







nice, nice job with the chamber. real organized. top shelf grow there.

 

[yamaha_1fan]

I had a couple extra hoods and 400W HPS ballasts. I needed some more light over my mom table, its about 8' or 9' x 5'. I used to keep the moms to one side under a 1000 but with new strains, I maxed it out. So I ordered two CMH's. I hung one up over the weak side of the table and man it looks good. I was worried that 400W was going to be weak next to the 1000. Plus the bulb looks so small. But it looks just as bright as my 1000, which is well over a year old though.

I need to flower some new strains and instead of possibly contaminating the flower room, I am going to take the other light and put it in a closet with a small ebb and flo system to sex them. I am confident it will do well.

128 pages of CMH, holy #*$)

 

[Mackawber]

I'm happy to report my day 28 white russian / white widow babes are happy as hell. I havent watered them in a week and they still look perky under the 400 watt CMH. Day 28 and this bud is starting to get huge. I was going to finish this with a 600 watt hps but why bother!



Here's another view....too bad they are packed in there but there's no room!

 

[Hydro-Soil]

No news on 1000w CMH yet?

 

[Mackawber]

400 Watts CMH--we takes what we's can get

400 Watts CMH--we takes what we's can get

Sorry, Hyrdo-Soil---Phillips won't give us what we want. Everything is about money and they are happy as pigs living in shit with what they want to sell. I hope some other company reverse engineers their product and screws them. After all, it's just all about MONEY.

 

[chimei]

I would also be thinking the light is causing a deficiency to accelerate. Only problem with that theory is that I am only seeing the purple effect on the sides of the branches that face the light.

What brand CMH bulb do you run?

I am using the philips 400 horizontal.

I am just finishing a strain that has completly purpled 2 times previously under CMH, this time it is not purpling much, maybe just a little like 5% compared to the 60% I have got before on the same plant. The only difference is that this one is full of seeds, I am making seeds so it is completly full of seeds (I polinated EVERY site)

 

[hoosierdaddy]

I'm using the Philips in a vertical tube of cheap lead glass.

 

[Warpainted]

There was some talk about cooltubes maybe messing with the spectrum of the CMH bulb. Is that true with the DIY cool tube with the bake a round tube or whatever?