From CMH to LED
FROM CMH TO LED:
HOW MARSENI FARM TRANSFORMED LIGHTNING IN OUR GIGROW ROTARY SYSTEM.
BIGGER LEAVES, STRONGER YIELDS & LOWER COSTS.
Author:
William St-Aubin Ing.
IN COLLABORTATION WITH:
Picture this: a compact rotary drum where every plant gets perfectly uniform light, waste heat drops dramatically, energy bills shrink, and suddenly your basil and leafy greens are producing larger, more marketable leaves with sturdier commercial appeal. That's exactly what happened at Marseni Farm in Casselman, Ontario, after we upgraded from an inefficient CMH lighting system to the high-efficacy Arize Life² LED bars from Hort Americas. The upgrade delivered a 39% reduction in power use per drum, slashed HVAC demands, boosted yield by 25% (from 16 kg to 20 kg per drum), and most exciting for market readiness, shifted plant morphology toward bigger, broader leaves and smaller, more compact stems. This is the kind of tangible progress that accelerates our path to success.
THE CHALLENGE WE FACED
Our Gigrow rotary garden system a patented gravity-injection design that optimizes space, water, and nutrient delivery in a rotating drum started with three 630 W Ceramic Metal Halide (CMH) lights per drum, totaling 1,890 W. CMH lamps deliver a broad spectrum, but they waste significant energy on heat and photons outside the most efficient PAR range for photosynthesis. In a vertical farming setup like ours, this inefficiency translated to:
High electricity costs
Excessive heat buildup, forcing heavier HVAC runtime and energy use
Shorter lamp life and maintenance headaches
Suboptimal light penetration and uniformity in the drum's geometry, limiting canopy development
In Casselman, Ontario – with its cold winters and reliance on year-round artificial lighting – these issues directly impacted our margins and scalability.
THE SOLUTION: ARIZE LIFE² LED UPGRADE
Working closely with Hort Americas, we simulated our exact Gigrow drum layout, crop targets (primarily basil and leafy greens), and desired Daily Light Integral (DLI).
Their recommendation: install 32 × Arize Life² LED bars (approximately 36 W each, with efficacy up to 2.7–3.2 μmol/J depending on spectrum, and compact 1.2" wide design perfect for tight vertical spaces).
New power draw: 1,152 W per drum → 39% energy savings on lighting alone.
The lower heat output from LEDs reduced our cooling needs by an estimated 30–40%, compounding the savings. But the real game-changer showed up in the plants:
Yield increased of 25% (16 kg → 20 kg per drum across multiple cycles)
Plant morphology improved dramatically: larger, broader leaves for better commercial presentation and packing density, with smaller, more compact stems – ideal for premium retail and restaurant packs
The optimized spectrum (tailored vegetative + reproductive wavelengths) drove better biomass allocation, more efficient photosynthesis, and the kind of leaf expansion that makes our product stand out on shelves.
In 2026, with energy costs still elevated and investors prioritizing efficient CEA models, this upgrade strengthens our fundraising narrative significantly.
WHY THIS UPGRADE MATTERS FOR OUR FARM AND FOR YOU?
This lighting upgrade is about more than just technology – it's about delivering better, fresher food while making our operation more sustainable and efficient.
By switching to modern LEDs:
We use 39% less electricity for lighting and generate far less waste heat, which means lower cooling needs and reduced overall energy consumption. This helps keep our costs down and supports our commitment to a smaller environmental footprint.
Our plants now grow faster and healthier, producing 25% more harvest per drum and developing larger, more appealing leaves with compact stems. This translates to higher-quality basil and greens that look and taste great – perfect for local restaurants, grocers, and home cooks who value fresh, locally grown produce.
The upgrade makes it easier for us to scale up responsibly: we can add more growing drums without dramatically increasing our energy use, helping us grow more food locally while staying efficient.
In short, smarter lighting means better plants, lower impact, and more reliable supply of premium, pesticide-free greens right here in Ontario.
At Marseni Farm, we're proving that smart upgrades deliver outsized results: more efficient energy, higher yields, marketable plant quality, and a clearer path to profitability. This LED transition is one milestone – many more are coming. Let's grow the future of food together.
