Is 3 x 315w cmh enough light for 4x8 area?

Stoneypony

Member
I have 3 x 315 watt cmh hydrofarm ballasts in a 4x8 space. This is my first grow with them. Two of them are 3100k and the middle is 4200k. That's the bulbs that came with them. Is this enough light or should I add supplemental lighting?

Thank you in advance
 

Blue brother

Well-Known Member
I think that would be on the low side, not impossible, but if you want a decent yield per square foot and have the cooling and wallet capacity to add more then I deffo would.
 

Stoneypony

Member
I think that would be on the low side, not impossible, but if you want a decent yield per square foot and have the cooling and wallet capacity to add more then I deffo would.
I have 3 600 watt ballasts and hoods for hps/mh also. Should I use 3 600 watts or just add a 4th lec?
 

Stoneypony

Member
That's 29.5w/sq ft, definitely on the low side.
Good point! I'm debating 3 x 600 hps/mh or just adding a 4th lec. I have noticed the bugs are gone when I switched from led to lec. So I'm thinking a 4th 315 cmh/lec to get the watts up and keep the uv spectrum
 

MidnightSun72

Well-Known Member
Copy that midnight. Should I have them all in a row? I'm going to get a 4th. Its bright as shit but the ends are dim compared to the rest. So all 4 in a straight line?
Ya spread them as evenly as possibly and check the intensity with a light meter if you can.

side note:
If you are gonna buy new gear I would just spread the 3 CMH you have and then fill in the edges with LED bars. Better spread, more efficiency and no bulbs to change out.
 

jimihendrix1

Well-Known Member
If youre going to use HID, just make it easy on yourself and use 2x 1000w Hortilux HPS.

Ive used them from seedling stage through flowering for almost 30 years.

A 600w HID, with the highest PAR bulb ( Hortilux ) covers a 3 x 3 area/9 sq/ft. 3 of them will cover a 9 x 3 area. 27 sq/ft. You have 32 sq/ft. Leaving you 5 sq/ft short.

If you use different wattages, youre also going to have them at different heights. You will have to have a 315w CMH much closer than the 600w HID

For maximum production you need 62.5w Sq/ft of HID. Hortilux make probably the best bulb available for a 4 x 4 area. A 1000w HID has always been recommended for a 4 x 4 area.

Ushio does make a bulb thats more powerful, and can be used in a 5 x 5 area. Its 2100umol. Hortilux is 1880. But after 1 month all HID except DE lose about 10%. This is a stabilization period. Ushio must be run 36-40 inches from canopy.

DE HID does not lose 10% the first month, but are extremely hot, and need good cooling, and either CO2 enrichment, or airflow like your outside, or the plants simply wont be able to use all the umol. The Ushio will also run hotter vs SE Hortilux.

1000w HID is good for a 4 x 4 area. And is the industry standard. 4 x 8 area would need 2 of them.

A 600w HID is good for a 3 x 3 area, you need to cover 4 x 8

A 315w CMH is only good for a roughly 4.9 sq/ft, 2.2 x 2.2 sq/ft area. You would need at least 3 of them to cover a 4 x 4 area to equal a 1000w Hortilux. 4 315w CMH in a 4 x 4 would be better and more evenly covered. Using 4 of them would only be .8 sq/ft over the recommended coverage area.

A 600w HID in a 3 x 3 area is 66w sq.ft.

A 400w Hortilux has slightly more than 1/6 more umol per second than a 315w CMH. CMH may run a bit cooler.

A 315w CMH has 598 umol per second.

A 400w HPS/Hortilux has 713umol per second.

If you want to add UVA/B use 2x 32w Solacure 4ft Flower Power bulbs per 1000w HID. You would need 4 of them for a 4 x 8 area, and run tem about 4 hours a day

Most dont do it, but run UVA/B from Seedling stage, all the way through flowering. I also start seedling under 1000w HID, and have for more than 40 years. I figurre they get blasted at the equator from day one, so why not inside too?? And they also get UVA/B from day one outside, I add UVA/B for that one simple reason. Also adding it in the last stages of flowering can ither stress them, or fry them because they arent used to UVA/B. Its like setting an indoor plant in full sun. It can get fried to a crisp.

I run my UVA/B bulbs 5 hours a day at a height of 20-24 inches in flowering, and 24 inches from seedling-veg. Recommended is at least 2 hours a day. To much UVA/B can reduce yield 5%-15% but increase trichome production by alot.
 
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Blue brother

Well-Known Member
I have 3 600 watt ballasts and hoods for hps/mh also. Should I use 3 600 watts or just add a 4th lec?
If I were you I’d use 2 hps and 2 cmh, so a hps and cmh over each half of the space, there’s a million ways to do it and never really one solid answer, cos we all do stuff different which is what makes this such a brilliant place to learn. What works for one with their nicely scrogged thin canopy might not work for another with their taller bushes.
 

Stoneypony

Member
If I were you I’d use 2 hps and 2 cmh, so a hps and cmh over each half of the space, there’s a million ways to do it and never really one solid answer, cos we all do stuff different which is what makes this such a brilliant place to learn. What works for one with their nicely scrogged thin canopy might not work for another with their taller bushes.
Very true. I have thought about that. If I did mix hps with cmh should I get 400 watt bulbs and dial the ballast to that? The 600 watt bulbs are much hotter than the cmh bulbs for sure. So as far as mixing them a 600 watt hps vs 315 lec, should I match the wattage so I can keep the reflectors at a similar height? I have ballasts that do 250, 400, 430, 600, 600 boost. 600 watts is most efficient I've read, however the 400 watt bulbs would run cooler. I have 3 600 watt ushio hortilux hilux gro. I believe that's what they are. Super hps bulbs. So I can run 600 watts or buy 400 watts or another cmh.
 

Blue brother

Well-Known Member
Very true. I have thought about that. If I did mix hps with cmh should I get 400 watt bulbs and dial the ballast to that? The 600 watt bulbs are much hotter than the cmh bulbs for sure. So as far as mixing them a 600 watt hps vs 315 lec, should I match the wattage so I can keep the reflectors at a similar height? I have ballasts that do 250, 400, 430, 600, 600 boost. 600 watts is most efficient I've read, however the 400 watt bulbs would run cooler. I have 3 600 watt ushio hortilux hilux gro. I believe that's what they are. Super hps bulbs. So I can run 600 watts or buy 400 watts or another cmh.
I would run the 600w hps, wattage isn’t the be all and end all but it’s worth noting that all watts require 3.14btu to cool. The infra red from the hps is what will burn your plants and could still at 400w. Both lights on max power hung at the same height. Then read ur plants to dictate the perfect distance.
 
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