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Ceramic Metal Halide (CMH)

rives

Inveterate Tinkerer
Mentor
ICMag Donor
Veteran
what cdm lamp would you guys suggest to compliment the gavita 1000w DE?

i'm thinking of doing a hybrid set up, with the gavita's mounted high overhead for overlap, and having the 315 CDM bulbs in a vertical configuration underneath.

Interesting question, should be a killer combination. Whichever one you decide on, you need to make sure that it is one of the T12 Agro lamps so that you have the double envelope for running open.

After finally finding an SPD chart for the 1000w DE, it appears to have a stronger red spectrum than the typical HPS, which typically have more yellow. The 930's big bump in the red area would undoubtedly still be of benefit, but I'd be tempted to try the 942, particularly if you plan on vegging in the same area.

Maybe one on each end and see which one gives you the results that you want?
 
D

Drek

As it's unfolded, I think I might like the whole indoor growing process better than smoking the stuff.
I also have unusual stealth requirements.
The charts in the Cycloptics link were a real eye-opener for me. Over half the output from a HPS goes to heat in the near infrared. the 315 agro puts almost half that, 24.8% of total output, back into the visible range where plants can use it. That's huge.

Hey Jh. My sentiments basically as well. I usually smoke a bit, then take a big break from it. I hadn't smoked any weed for the last two years. I enjoy the relaxation of growing things which is one of the reasons I'm intrigued by pure landraces. Something about the challenge of growing a very different non-indoor species successfully and propagating the genetics intrigues me.

Depending on the state, you can never be too careful.

Those figures are huge in terms of the total PPFD of the light across it's entire spectrum. It runs cooler while providing a lot more total PAR light. Awesome. People see the 315 number and dismiss it. :D

anyone have any idea how much retrowhite stock is still left?

I'm pretty sure I bought the last stock on Ebay. lol.
There were some on there, but they're gone now too. I did see some lighting companies that do still have stock on Google.
 

jorgeblen

Member
Hello fellas,

I just would like to report my first harvest using the 315w cmh system. This is really a great grow light. I got 330g from a single mango haze grown 12/12 from seed. The 942 lamp was used until she stopped stretching then I changed it to the greenpower. The total was a 19 weeks cycle, from germination to chop. Flowers are curing now, it just got a stabilized rh of 62%. Coco hempy bucket w/ clay pebbles on the bottom, canna coco a&b, a bit of liquid silicon every now and then and pk 13/14 for about 5 days during late flowering and 2 final weeks of plain water. Oh yes, I used a mix of RO and tap water, getting a background EC of 0.2 or 0.3. This mango haze is a very light feeder, she was getting maximum EC 0.8 - 0.9 of nutrients.

I give this 3 ingredients credits for this successful harvest: 1. light, 2. genetics, 3. water quality.

I am pretty happy with the quality, scissors hash was nice and strong, just waiting a few more days of curing to really taste the flowers. I also collected a good amount of trim to make bubble hash. I believe I can get about 5g of it.

315w cmh, the way to go.

Cheers
 

Jhhnn

Active member
Veteran
anyone have any idea how much retrowhite stock is still left?

They're apparently gone, or nearly so. OTOH, the CDM330/U/O/4K EA Allstart for 400w MH core & coil ballasts is apparently here to stay. It's Philips' high end energy saver lamp for industrial applications.

They should run fine on switchable 400w ballasts.
 
D

Drek

Durban Poison - Landscapes - 350x
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Jhhnn

Active member
Veteran
Hey Jh. My sentiments basically as well. I usually smoke a bit, then take a big break from it. I hadn't smoked any weed for the last two years. I enjoy the relaxation of growing things which is one of the reasons I'm intrigued by pure landraces. Something about the challenge of growing a very different non-indoor species successfully and propagating the genetics intrigues me.

Depending on the state, you can never be too careful.

Those figures are huge in terms of the total PPFD of the light across it's entire spectrum. It runs cooler while providing a lot more total PAR light. Awesome. People see the 315 number and dismiss it. :D

I'm pretty sure I bought the last stock on Ebay. lol.
There were some on there, but they're gone now too. I did see some lighting companies that do still have stock on Google.

Last time I took a break, it lasted 25 years. It wasn't the pot, but rather the booze, the coke & the lifestyle that were killing me. It was a package deal back then, but A64 lets me come back to pot w/o the rest of it being in the picture. We stay legal, stick to plant count limits, an amazing thing to be able to do.

The whole stealth thing here in CO is more about rippers than anything else. That's particulalry true in our very urban neighborhood w/ lots of foot traffic. We even have alley people. I need no appreciable noise outside the house & zero smell to feel comfortable about it all.

We're real gardeners, anyway, so pots & soil & the rest of it have been part of it long before I came back to growing. It finally dried out enough to get stuff planted in the beds & the garden.
 
D

Drek

Ok. Should be working now...thanks. I was thinking private kept it to forum members only? Guess not! :)
 
D

Drek

Last time I took a break, it lasted 25 years. It wasn't the pot, but rather the booze, the coke & the lifestyle that were killing me. It was a package deal back then, but A64 lets me come back to pot w/o the rest of it being in the picture. We stay legal, stick to plant count limits, an amazing thing to be able to do.

The whole stealth thing here in CO is more about rippers than anything else. That's particulalry true in our very urban neighborhood w/ lots of foot traffic. We even have alley people. I need no appreciable noise outside the house & zero smell to feel comfortable about it all.

Sounds good man. It's good to hear things are coming together.
I grow such a small amount (3 plants - ~24") that you almost can't even smell them in the room. No Carbon, no vent system (convection) but I keep a window open in the room for fresh air and a small fan blowing over them. Pretty humble setup.
 
Interesting question, should be a killer combination. Whichever one you decide on, you need to make sure that it is one of the T12 Agro lamps so that you have the double envelope for running open.

After finally finding an SPD chart for the 1000w DE, it appears to have a stronger red spectrum than the typical HPS, which typically have more yellow. The 930's big bump in the red area would undoubtedly still be of benefit, but I'd be tempted to try the 942, particularly if you plan on vegging in the same area.

Maybe one on each end and see which one gives you the results that you want?

that's the particular area i'm wondering about, and had me thinking maybe the blue shifted lamp would be better as the gavita would be pushing good output in the red side of the spectrum.

yes, veg in same area, most likely mostly under the cdm alone, with the gavitas ramping up wattage over a few weeks before flip.
 
R

rüdiger

why pay big dollars for the 315w, got her little sister,

MASTERColour CDM-T Elite 100W/930 G12, ~120€ for 3 complete modules with bulb(new, industrial quality):biggrin:

lets see if those work...

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btw, much better pic possible now:
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rüdiger
 

HunterJ

Member
Looks good, and good fly shot, even though centered ... :)

Judging by the shadow under the fly diffusion could be better, from a 'togs POV.
 
R

rüdiger

i just switched all my plants from fluoro to them, so there is no evidence they rock right now. time will tell.

what is 'togs'?
im no photographer i just noticed better pictures with my crappy cybershot.
 

nr nodes

Member
Those require electronic ballasts or special pulse start mag ballasts. They will not fire on standard MH probe start mag ballasts.

Just sayin', so peeps won't order 'em w/o the right stuff to go with 'em.
I'm using standard 750w Lumateks, nothing special. Venture has a 775 c&c for under $100.

Hi J. Can you tell me if these bulbs need a special MH ballast or will the standard do, and will they work on 220v system (in Oz)?
There are conflicting reports about the 860, some have claimed problems with probe start c&c and went to hps/pulse-start, while other report the opposite. High frequency electronic is not an option, and the only low-freq on the market is DNA of which availability is questionable.

what cdm lamp would you guys suggest to compliment the gavita 1000w DE?

i'm thinking of doing a hybrid set up, with the gavita's mounted high overhead for overlap, and having the 315 CDM bulbs in a vertical configuration underneath.
For my next setup with overheads I will do either exactly this, or else the 775 from Venture for the verts. I'm impressed by quality from the smaller cmh, but I also get equal results on a larger scale with mixed hps and proper mh lamps. It really depends on plant spacing, and I'm not yet convinced twice as much equipment is worth it (315 vs higher wattage). For inter-lighting with tighter spacing, the 315s sound great.
 

clp

Member
Can anyone give me some recommendations on the equivalent of a 250/400W bulb that would be used in a dresser grow? Would love to go the CMD/CMH route. I've been reading as much as I can but 300+ pages with years of history is a lot to dig through!

Also with that, what ballast would I need?

Much appreciated!
CLP
 

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