320w QB or 315 CMH

Dave455

Well-Known Member
324 boards come as a set with heat sinks, nothing else so far. Would need driver 320h-c1400a, power wire, 18gauge solid wire, hanging kits. I don't think one 324 board is enough for 3x3. I'd get the 3000k xl 260 kit if I was using a 3x3.
Build a frame and slam four in a 3x3......Frost city !!
 

Humple

Well-Known Member
OP, I think any QB setup approaching 300 watts will crush a 3x3. That said, there are benefits to choosing a specific configuration for your grow space and grow style. The big question is: do you want to save money, or time and effort? If the former, go DIY; I'd suggest a four pack of QB132s in 3500k, powered in parallel by a Meanwell HLG-320H-36A. If the latter, any of the 260-320 watt kits would suffice; it doesn't hurt to have the extra power on hand, so I'd lean toward the 320w kit.
 

Budies 101

Well-Known Member
I have yet to see any empirical evidence that proves one light technology has any advantage over another when it comes to potency. We've seen lab results that favor LED, but we've also seen lab results that favor the different types of HID. For that matter, you'll find a lot of HPS growers who claim to achieve greater potency under fluoros, but opt to stick with HPS for the many obvious benefits it has over something like T5s. There are far too many factors to draw a firm conclusion based on anecdotes. I believe that it comes down to personal experience, so if a grower feels that they are getting better results with any one light, more power to them, and may they continue to have great success. For my part, the weed I'm growing under LED unquestionably matches the perceived potency (and flavor) of any weed I've ever had, from any source.

I agree, anyone making claims that weed is higher THC under CMH, HPS, LED or anything else is looking at one grow that went well and comparing it to a different grow that didn't go as well.

I grow with LED PCB builds I did myself, and I have grown with Nanolux DE's. Both grow about the same as there are many factors that effect a grow to where a perfect side by side is simply not possible. In the end the LED are near 2x as good because they use almost half the energy to get the same results... Less heat, more room due to a lower profile, less degrading of the light source so no replacement bulbs and so on... It's very possible that LED in years to come might br using 30% of the power of an HPS for the same grows, at that point LED would be 3x as good as HPS, but that does not mean HPS can't grow equally as good weed, it simply does it with a lot more power, heat and so on.

I like LED because odds are they will get better and better while HPS stands stagnate. I like knowing that in years to come I can simply switch the diodes on a new build and have even better lights without paying someone else to make, advertise and sell the same light I can build myself.

As it sits I can build my lights for about 290$ a light, it takes 2 lights to equal a HPS but I get better spread of light... so in just one year my led lights are cheaper to build and run over buying a Nanolux/gavita, a bulb to keep yields up and near twice the energy consumption.

Better weed? hard to say.. I believe weed grown under my LEDs looks better but I think it's because it's harder to burn my plants, less heat so tighter buds and I can get WAY more purple-ing with my LED. But more THC? I doubt there is any difference.
 

wietefras

Well-Known Member
Plain and simple scientific fact: Delta 9-THC increases with exposure to Uv-B.
One test indeed showed this, but only when using a lot of UV and it's even unsure if this was with UV-B or actually UV-A.

So that might be true, but CMH and MH normally only produce UV in very small quantities. Is there any (scientific/repeated) lab test showing CMH/MH lights producing higher TC amounts than other lights?
 

rkymtnman

Well-Known Member
One test indeed showed this, but only when using a lot of UV and it's even unsure if this was with UV-B or actually UV-A.

So that might be true, but CMH and MH normally only produce UV in very small quantities. Is there any (scientific/repeated) lab test showing CMH/MH lights producing higher TC amounts than other lights?
well hps is none. cob is none. qb is none. look at the wavelenght charts and if they aren't less than 400nm, no uv at all.
 

rkymtnman

Well-Known Member
from the Lydon study:
There were no significant physiological or morphological differences among UV‐B treatments in either drug‐ or fiber‐type plants. The concentration of Δ9‐tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9‐THC), but not of other cannabinoids, in both leaf and floral tissues increased with UV‐B dose in drug‐type plants. None of the cannabinoids in fiber‐type plants were affected by UV‐B radiation.
 

No1up

Active Member
Fellas, I need to pull the trigger today lol. So 320qb board will work for a 3x3... Anyone with real grow under a 320 can confirm?

The cmh is tried and true with a solid 3x3 space rating but for its age it shouldn't cost almost $500 bones!

I was looking at the solar storm 550 with the UV lamp add ons but that's $1000.. That seems a bit much.
 
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Budies 101

Well-Known Member
Plain and simple scientific fact: Delta 9-THC increases with exposure to Uv-B.

CMH and MH have it, HPS, COB and QB don't (unless supplemented)
I don't know if I remember this right but I believe GrowMouse did a sup of UV with his lights and found that there was no difference and that his old CXA cob build is still his "workhorse" lights that out produced "better" builds.

I love numbers and one thing you notice is the big numbers VS small numbers. A LED light might grow 28% THC bud while another LED light Supplemented with UV might get 28.4% THC... The main source of light with no UV did 99% of the work, and the sup added almost nothing, to a point where UV could be in the "room for error" category. Adding extra watts to a light also might have given the better THC levels, who knows... Now if 1 LED grew 26% THC bud and a LED suped with UV grew 30% THC bud over and over, same strain, same room... I'd be on board... But if all I had to do was stick some UV in my room and I was getting that difference in quality, everyone would have UV running... But reality seems to be UV adds so little that the watts are not even really worth it nor is the cancer it can give you to work under.
 

rkymtnman

Well-Known Member
I don't know if I remember this right but I believe GrowMouse did a sup of UV with his lights and found that there was no difference and that his old CXA cob build is still his "workhorse" lights that out produced "better" builds.

I love numbers and one thing you notice is the big numbers VS small numbers. A LED light might grow 28% THC bud while another LED light Supplemented with UV might get 28.4% THC... The main source of light with no UV did 99% of the work, and the sup added almost nothing, to a point where UV could be in the "room for error" category. Adding extra watts to a light also might have given the better THC levels, who knows... Now if 1 LED grew 26% THC bud and a LED suped with UV grew 30% THC bud over and over, same strain, same room... I'd be on board... But if all I had to do was stick some UV in my room and I was getting that difference in quality, everyone would have UV running... But reality seems to be UV adds so little that the watts are not even really worth it nor is the cancer it can give you to work under.
well, sounds like you should do a side by side then.
get a T5 UV bulb from HTG supply and have at it. dont run it too much or it will melt your plants if too close.

i believe 3 scientists doing a published study vs a youtube grower.
 

Humple

Well-Known Member
If you're hoping to gain a notable and useful increase in THC via UV, relying on the UV inherent in a CMH bulb seems to me to be a poor way of going about it. Add UV fluoros to your space if you're hoping for anything significant. Also, there is speculation that other cannabinoids may be decreased by UV (who knows?), and if that were true, I don't know that it would be worth it. Let's not fixate on THC; remember the entourage effect, and that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. In my experience, weed that is absurdly high in THC, but low in other cannabinoids, doesn't have very long-lasting effects. I question both the medical and the recreational benefit of THC-above-all-else bud.
 
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Budies 101

Well-Known Member
Fellas, I need to pull the trigger today lol. So 320qb board will work for a 3x3... Anyone with real grow under a 320 can confirm?

The cmh is tried and true with a solid 3x3 space rating but for its age it should cost almost $500 bones!

I was looking at the solar storm 550 with the UV lamp add ons but that's $1000.. That seems a bit much.

IMO if you have the money: https://growerslights.com/products/horticulture-lighting-group-600h-quantum-board-led-kit?variant=6877581115420&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=Google&utm_campaign=Google Shopping&gclid=CjwKCAjw8r_XBRBkEiwAjWGLlPTfIuAKmUCr7rOpytWZkNkeghwy7Bk50F8qWFSS3q8K_yK2ppp1oRoCGrsQAvD_BwE

IMO if you want a solid grow but don't want to have the ability to fry your plants: https://horticulturelightinggroup.com/collections/kits/products/320w-xl-qb-led-kit?variant=2912808239131

IMO if you want to save a pointlessly small amount of money: https://horticulturelightinggroup.com/collections/kits/products/320w-xl-qb324-led-kit

My issue with QB is they are small, so while I'm sure they will grow a 3x3 great the design of the light is not very even over a 3x3 as 2 lights would be over a 4x4... but 3x3 is an odd space.

I use 3500k
 

Budies 101

Well-Known Member
well, sounds like you should do a side by side then.
get a T5 UV bulb from HTG supply and have at it. dont run it too much or it will melt your plants if too close.

i believe 3 scientists doing a published study vs a youtube grower.

I'll let them do the work haha. I'm really happy with the lights I build but my goal was to create a work horse light that is simple. On/Off and adjustable on watts is all I want. Again I doubt anyone is going to grow better bud than me based on different lights, it will be because they are a better grower, that's all. I am a mid level grower at best so I know others can do better =D.
 

Budies 101

Well-Known Member
Rky, when I built my PCB lights I thought they would do well... When i finished my first grow with 4 of my PCB lights over a 5/10 area VS my 1k Nanolux it was clear that my LED were better... Side by side, at the same time... But that was my experiences, that does not make it fact of the world.

If you're struggling with making the switch, don't... Stick with what you know, it will do great. LED is not about growing better bud, it's about doing it with half the power, less heat and better profiles and saving money over the long run (1 year).
 

No1up

Active Member
"IMO if you want to save a pointlessly small amount of money: https://horticulturelightinggroup.com/collections/kits/products/320w-xl-qb324-led-kit

My issue with QB is they are small, so while I'm sure they will grow a 3x3 great the design of the light is not very even over a 3x3 as 2 lights would be over a 4x4... but 3x3 is an odd space."

Is one that you say to save a bit of money is the one I like but not for the money aspect since it'
not much. It's the 2700k and 3000k mix. But you're right about the space. That's what makes this so hard for me! Lol
 

rkymtnman

Well-Known Member
Rky, when I built my PCB lights I thought they would do well... When i finished my first grow with 4 of my PCB lights over a 5/10 area VS my 1k Nanolux it was clear that my LED were better... Side by side, at the same time... But that was my experiences, that does not make it fact of the world.

If you're struggling with making the switch, don't... Stick with what you know, it will do great. LED is not about growing better bud, it's about doing it with half the power, less heat and better profiles and saving money over the long run (1 year).
i'm with ya. i replaced my cmh with 480w of DIY 3000K cobs. after 2 grows, i added 96w of actinic blue T5 bulbs too and the results are much better IMO. now my spectrum closely matches chlorophyll A & B absorption charts and i'm happy as a clam.
 

ANC

Well-Known Member
Fellas, I need to pull the trigger today lol. So 320qb board will work for a 3x3... Anyone with real grow under a 320 can confirm?

The cmh is tried and true with a solid 3x3 space rating but for its age it should cost almost $500 bones!

I was looking at the solar storm 550 with the UV lamp add ons but that's $1000.. That seems a bit much.
I use 320W driver with 3x 288 diode strips of the same diodes over 2x4 so you are in the ballpark.
 

No1up

Active Member
I can't get a hold of anyone at growers light which sucks since they are in Austin and I can just go to pick it up. No one will pick up the phone or email me back. I emailed them last week still nothing.
 

Budies 101

Well-Known Member
i'm with ya. i replaced my cmh with 480w of DIY 3000K cobs. after 2 grows, i added 96w of actinic blue T5 bulbs too and the results are much better IMO. now my spectrum closely matches chlorophyll A & B absorption charts and i'm happy as a clam.
One day I might try adding the UV but that's a long ways off if I'm being honest.
 
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