How to Select the Right Mars-Hydro LED Grow Light for Your Specific Gardening Needs

[Mars Hydro]

Re: How to Select the Right Mars-Hydro LED Grow Light for Your Specific Gardening Nee

Hi gofer420wow this looks so nice.You will get a big harvest Looking forward to your new grow with new light

I've had my Mars for almost a year now. I've gotten some great grows from the old style Mars - I can only imagine how much better the newer lights are.

This is a 300w light in a 30x18x30 tent. The tent is on the small side but I've been able to grow two 3 gallon pots in there at a time.

Here is my current Jack Herer

 

[Mars Hydro]

Re: How to Select the Right Mars-Hydro LED Grow Light for Your Specific Gardening Nee

Hi Grojoe.I'm glad that the problem has been solved.

I ordered a light from your company almost 2 weeks ago and still no word. I check the status of my shipment and it says " Pending" what's up with that?

I ordered through paypal and they definately took the money but still no word on the merchandise. I seen people giving good reviews on these guys and so far my experience with them has been awful. Customer service sucks

 

[Gonzfather]

Re: How to Select the Right Mars-Hydro LED Grow Light for Your Specific Gardening Nee

How to Select the Right Mars-Hydro LED Grow Light for Your Specific Gardening Needs


Case Study - Grow Space Size: 4' wide x 4' Long x 6'6" High

How do I determine the square footage of my grow area?
Measure the floor space that you'll be looking to illuminate with your future LED light and hopefully fill with sticky buds someday.
Multiply the length times the width and this will give you the square footage. Since the grow space indicated in our case study is 4' long by 4' wide we would multiply 4 times 4 which equals to 16 square foot of grow space.
Length (4') x Width (4') = Total Square Feet (16')

How many actual watts of power will it take to for me to grow decent or high quality meds?
You should be able to get good results with as little as 20-25 actual watts of power per square foot of grow space with the light set about 18" above the canopy during bloom.

If you want to step up your game, increase yields, and grow really thick and dense nuggets with higher resin content then you'll probably want to be somewhere around 30 to 50 watts of actual power per square foot during bloom with the lights set approximately 18" above the canopy.

In general, the more power per square foot, the better the quality of the finished product.....within reason of course.
Yes, there is a such thing as too much light. Anything over 50 actual watts per square foot would likely require CO2 supplementation and heat issues would need to be adequately addressed.

For the same light, Mars-Hydro gives two different numbers for actual watts. How do I determine how many actual watts to use for my calculations?
Visit the Mars-Hydro website and select the light you are interested in evaluating. For the purpose of this exercise we'll evaluate the Mars2 700 Watt light.

Now check the following:
How many actual watts does the light draw? The website list 300-380 watts power draw. This means that the light will draw approximately 300 watts if using a 220volt/50Hz electrical grid or 380 watts if using 110volt/60Hz electrical grid. For the purpose of this exercise we will use 380 watts as our wattage draw number.

What is the effective illumination area at 18"?
Note that the effective illumination area for the Mars2 700 is shown as 3.5'x3.5' @ 24".
But remember, you'll usually want to have your lights set at 18" or less during bloom not 24". So 3.5'x3.5' (12.25 sq/ft) is not the number that you'll want to be using to evaluate this light if you want to use it for flowing.

Scroll down a bit on the web page and on the lower right side of the web page you'll see this illustration.

This illustration shows how the light intensity increases and the effective illumination area decreases as the light gets nearer to the plant canopy. This is why you'll want to set your light as low as possible during flower without burning your plants.

Per the illustration you'll find that the Mars2 700 watt light delivers about 9880 LUX at 50cm or 19.6". This is the approximate distance that you'd want this light set during bloom.
So effective illumination for this light when used for bloom will be less than 3.5'x3.5' as stated in the specs.
The actual effective illumination area when using this light for flowing would be about 3'x3' or 9 square foot.

So....now that we know how much space we need to illuminate (16 sq/ft), we know the actual wattage the light puts out (380 watts), and we've determined the approximate effective illumination area for this light when used for flowering (9 sq/ft)....what now?
Take the actual wall watts that the light draws (380 watts) and divide this number by the effective illumination area with the light place 18" above the canopy (9 sq/ft).
380 watts divided by 9 sq/ft = 42 watts per sq/ft
So this means that the Mars2 700 watt light would deliver approximately 42 watts of actual power per square foot when set approximately 18" above the plant canopy.

42 watts per square foot will grow some really fine medicine. But if you recall, our grow space is 16 sq/ft. In order for this light to illuminate 16 square feet we would need to raise it to about 32" or more above the plant canopy. Now moving the light further from the canopy will light up more area but it will also result in less light intensity at the plant canopy or less wattage per square foot.
380 watts divided by 16 square foot = 23.75 watts per square foot. Can you still grow pot with 23.75 watts per sq/ft. Sure you can, but yields and bud density will not be as good as they would be with a larger/more powerful light.

So now let's go ahead and take a look at the Mars2 1600 Watt light.
This light has an actual power draw of 780 watts when plugged into a 110 volt grid.
Lets assume that the effective illumination area at 18" above the canopy would be approximately 4.5'x4.5' or 6" less in all directions than what is stated on the website for a light being set at 24".
4.5'x4.5'=20.25 sq/ft
So we would take the actual wattage (780) and divide this by the effective illumination area at 18" above the canopy (20.25 sq/ft) to determine the watts per square foot.
780 watts divided by 20.25 = 38.5 watts per square foot.
At 38.5 watts per square foot this would allow you to grow top quality buds with large yields.

But wait, our grow space is only 16 sq/ft remember. So if we set this light at 18" above the canopy we still come up with the same answer of 38.5 watts per sq/ft but we now have light spilling over onto the walls since the effective illumination area is larger than our space. This will result in some of the light being reflected back onto the plants so the actual light being delivered to the plants will actually be a tad greater than 38.5 watts per sq/ft. Don't ask me how to calculate reflected light unless you want a B.S. answer.


On the other hand, if your plants can handle the light being lowered to 12" above the canopy which they often will you'll end up with a perfect fit in regards to effective illumination area of the light versus grow space size. With the light lowered to 12" above the plant canopy the effective illumination would now be reduced from 20sq/ft to 16sq/ft, the exact size of our grow space. In addition, your watts per square foot will increase to 48.75 watts per square foot since the the light is now closer to the plant canopy.
780 watts divided by 16 square foot illumination area (reduced illumination area caused by dropping the light to 12" above the canopy) = 48.75 watts.

This light would be about as large and powerful as you'd want to go for this size grow space. Anything more powerful than the Mars2 1600 for a 16 sq/ft grow space would likely be overkill and only result in wasted electricity and heat issues.
**Note - LED's may run cooler than some other lighting options but they do generate heat. Be certain that you are able to address heat issues.

Assuming that your gardening skills are up to par, you'll be able to grow top quality buds with this lamp so this lamp may be a perfect fit for your needs.
However, if you are on a tight budget, trying to minimize heat inside of your grow space, or minimize electrical usage you could certainly go with a less powerful light and still grow high quality produce.

Now lets take a look at the Mars2 1200 watt light.
520 actual watts using 120 volt power supply.
Effective illumination area for flowing with this light would be approximately 4'x4' or 16 sq/ft.

520 watts divided by 16 sq/ft = 32.5 watts per square foot.
This light would be a nice fit for anyone looking to grow good quality medicine with the expectation of respectable yields in a 16 square foot grow space. This light is not too powerful but not too weak either and it will not generate as much heat in your grow space as the Mars2 1600.
This light would probably be the "sweet spot" for most hobby growers.

Should I go with 5 watt or 3 watt diodes?
The 5 watt diodes should allow for deeper penetration into the plant canopy resulting in less "larf" or airy buds below the main canopy. As a trade off, the 5 watt diodes may result in more heat compared to 3 watt diodes.
Note that I've seen some really fine crops grown with the 3 watt Reflector Series lights.
3 watt or 5 watt would be based on the personal preference of the end user. Also note that LED lighting technology is constantly evolving so what holds true today may be completely different next week.

For larger areas should I go with a single large panel or multiple medium to small lights?
In general it would be best to use multiple lights instead of a single light panel. The reason for this is improved lighting coverage. With all or most LED lights the light intensity at the canopy is greatest near the center area of the effective illumination area. In other words if the effective illumination area of the light is 9 square feet, the middle area of this 9 square feet (about 4 sq/ft or so) will be much more brightly lit up with light intensity diminishing rapidly as you move further away from center. This results in buds located nearer to the center of the light having better growth / thicker denser buds with bud quality diminishing as you move further away from the center of the effective illumination area.
Using multiple lights allows you to better distribute the intense light in more areas of the grow space instead of having all of the higher intensity light concentrated in only one area while the outer edges never receive intense light.
It also allows you to minimize low light areas by having the ability to move individual lights around as needed in order to minimize light gaps or dark/shaded areas.
I hope this makes sense to everyone.

Anyways, I do hope this helps those that may be new to LED lighting technology to properly evaluate all of the different Mars-Hydro LED light offerings and determine which light would best suit your needs and available grow space.
Hopefully this will also result in less Q&A sessions for Sara.

Sara,
Please feel free to chime in and correct me if I've stated anything that may be incorrect or misleading.

Happy gardening friends!

Wondering..... Just bought a new 8x4x7 foot quictent I have a mars 2 1600 which by the way I think is an amazing light! Anyways I also have a light mover I'm trying to figure out how to mount in there. Now... what are your thoughts on the light mover? Will this be sufficient? Being that the 1600 will give me 23 watts per Sq ft at 18 inches... I can also have it I believe closer than 12 inches being that it is never stationary and burning plants? Good ventilation setup as well for heat, so no worries there.

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[Mars Hydro]

Re: How to Select the Right Mars-Hydro LED Grow Light for Your Specific Gardening Nee

Mars II 1600 coverage is:4x4inches,and our recommend hanging(from the canopy)distance is 18-30inches.You can move it closer than 12inches,the coverage will reduce,you may need to add more light,but intensity will be higher.

Wondering..... Just bought a new 8x4x7 foot quictent I have a mars 2 1600 which by the way I think is an amazing light! Anyways I also have a light mover I'm trying to figure out how to mount in there. Now... what are your thoughts on the light mover? Will this be sufficient? Being that the 1600 will give me 23 watts per Sq ft at 18 inches... I can also have it I believe closer than 12 inches being that it is never stationary and burning plants? Good ventilation setup as well for heat, so no worries there.

Sent from my SM-N910W8 using 420 Magazine Mobile App

 

[Gonzfather]

Re: How to Select the Right Mars-Hydro LED Grow Light for Your Specific Gardening Nee

Mars II 1600 coverage is:4x4inches,and our recommend hanging(from the canopy)distance is 18-30inches.You can move it closer than 12inches,the coverage will reduce,you may need to add more light,but intensity will be higher.

Another question I have is about PHing I PH distilled water to 5.8. But after I add nutes the pH changes.... should I be setting it back to 5.8 after I add nutes too? Or I before sufficient. For example: yesterday, I pH 10L of distilled water and added superB+ and propagator for I just transplanted before watering the pH came down to 5.3 so I adjusted back to 5.8 after nutes. Plants seem super happy right now. 1 day after transplant and root nutes.

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[Gonzfather]

Re: How to Select the Right Mars-Hydro LED Grow Light for Your Specific Gardening Nee

Just want to avoid nutelock

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[Mars Hydro]

Re: How to Select the Right Mars-Hydro LED Grow Light for Your Specific Gardening Nee

Hi Gonzfather,
Marijuana grows best in soil with a pH level between 5.5-6.5 (slightly acidic).As your plants react good at 5.8,i suggest you keep the PH level around 5.8.

Another question I have is about PHing I PH distilled water to 5.8. But after I add nutes the pH changes.... should I be setting it back to 5.8 after I add nutes too? Or I before sufficient. For example: yesterday, I pH 10L of distilled water and added superB+ and propagator for I just transplanted before watering the pH came down to 5.3 so I adjusted back to 5.8 after nutes. Plants seem super happy right now. 1 day after transplant and root nutes.

Sent from my SM-N910W8 using 420 Magazine Mobile App

 

[weedman79]

Re: How to Select the Right Mars-Hydro LED Grow Light for Your Specific Gardening Nee

My Nyc diesel loves The New Mars led

 

[Mars Hydro]

Re: How to Select the Right Mars-Hydro LED Grow Light for Your Specific Gardening Nee

I'm glad to hear that they are happy with the new light.I'm sure your will have a good yield.

My Nyc diesel loves The New Mars led

 

[Nugnut]

Re: How to Select the Right Mars-Hydro LED Grow Light for Your Specific Gardening Nee

Hello to everyone.

I have read too much and I now have information overload.
I have a 1m x1mx2m (11 sq feet) tent and I am trying to decide on lighting.

I am really leaning towards the Mars II 1200w but Ruby from Mars Hydro informs me that those stocked in Australia are not switchable.
She also informs me that the Mars II 1600 in stock are switchable. I was hoping for a switchable version.

Would the 1600 be an overkill for my small space and should I just go with the 1200.

What really is the difference between the reflector series and the MarsII

Any help with some definitive answers would be appreciated.

 

[resinous]

Re: How to Select the Right Mars-Hydro LED Grow Light for Your Specific Gardening Nee

Get the mars pro epistar 320 .. the pro series are much much better than the mars 2

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[Mars Hydro]

Re: How to Select the Right Mars-Hydro LED Grow Light for Your Specific Gardening Nee

Hi Nugnut, Mars II1200 coverage is 4"x4",Mars II 1600 coverage is 4.2"x4.2".Your growing space is 1m x1mx2m ,Mars II 1200 is enough for you.
Mars II and Reflector both have their advantages:
1 The design is different:Mars II use glass cover,which will reduce some light.However,Reflector uses reflection board,which all reflect maximum light back to the plants compared to MarsII.
2 Intensity is different: The gap is wider on Reflector compare with MarsII.So Reflector will cover more area but Mars II will have stronger intensity on average area.
3 The coverage is different.
You can choose the better one for your plants according to your situation.

Hello to everyone.

I have read too much and I now have information overload.
I have a 1m x1mx2m (11 sq feet) tent and I am trying to decide on lighting.

I am really leaning towards the Mars II 1200w but Ruby from Mars Hydro informs me that those stocked in Australia are not switchable.
She also informs me that the Mars II 1600 in stock are switchable. I was hoping for a switchable version.

Would the 1600 be an overkill for my small space and should I just go with the 1200.

What really is the difference between the reflector series and the MarsII

Any help with some definitive answers would be appreciated.

 

[Mars Hydro]

Re: How to Select the Right Mars-Hydro LED Grow Light for Your Specific Gardening Nee

Yes Mars Pro series is better than Mars II, Mars pro with better built-up.

Get the mars pro epistar 320 .. the pro series are much much better than the mars 2

Sent from my SM-P600 using 420

 

[Nugnut]

Re: How to Select the Right Mars-Hydro LED Grow Light for Your Specific Gardening Nee

Thanks for the replies.

I have been talking to Ruby and I think I will go with 2 x 144 reflectors at this stage. It appears there are a few problems with some LEDS in the Mars II

 

[Mars Hydro]

Re: How to Select the Right Mars-Hydro LED Grow Light for Your Specific Gardening Nee

Reflector144 is also good.

Thanks for the replies.

I have been talking to Ruby and I think I will go with 2 x 144 reflectors at this stage. It appears there are a few problems with some LEDS in the Mars II

 

[hushlushstuff]

Re: How to Select the Right Mars-Hydro LED Grow Light for Your Specific Gardening Nee

Would a marsii 400w be good in a 800×800×1.6 tent ?

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[Mars Hydro]

Re: How to Select the Right Mars-Hydro LED Grow Light for Your Specific Gardening Nee

Mars II 400 coverage is 2.5'x2.5'.

 

[chordpounder]

Re: How to Select the Right Mars-Hydro LED Grow Light for Your Specific Gardening Nee

Just ordered the Reflector 48 yesterday. I know it ain't much, but it looks like I'll be happy with 1-2 plants in a 2' X 2' tent area. Hopefully, no more CFL's hanging all over the place anymore, and some better medicine. Also trying to bend the plants a little for LST.

I live in central California, so I hope it's a quick shipping experience. Thanks to the potwonks here on this thread who explain everything so clearly. Looks like I'll be getting around 25 watts per sq ft at 20-24", but I'll be happier if I lower to 18". Since I'm just doing 1 or 2 plants and trying to learn, I figured this would be a great setup.

If I add another of those Ref48's at a later point in the same tent, my corners should be better covered. I'm going to keep everything as close to centerpoint as possible.

Chordpounder (I can't play much lead, but I'm your guy for strumming chords all up the neck of an old Martin)

 

[Mars Hydro]

Re: How to Select the Right Mars-Hydro LED Grow Light for Your Specific Gardening Nee

Hi chordpounder,Reflector48 coverage is 2'x2',i'm sure your plants will love it.
You can adjust the hanging distance to a better distance according to the react of your plants. If you need know anything ,please feel free to ask, i will try my best to help you.
Yes,when your girls grow bigger,you can add another LED,it will be better.

Just ordered the Reflector 48 yesterday. I know it ain't much, but it looks like I'll be happy with 1-2 plants in a 2' X 2' tent area. Hopefully, no more CFL's hanging all over the place anymore, and some better medicine. Also trying to bend the plants a little for LST.

I live in central California, so I hope it's a quick shipping experience. Thanks to the potwonks here on this thread who explain everything so clearly. Looks like I'll be getting around 25 watts per sq ft at 20-24", but I'll be happier if I lower to 18". Since I'm just doing 1 or 2 plants and trying to learn, I figured this would be a great setup.

If I add another of those Ref48's at a later point in the same tent, my corners should be better covered. I'm going to keep everything as close to centerpoint as possible.

Chordpounder (I can't play much lead, but I'm your guy for strumming chords all up the neck of an old Martin)

 

[chordpounder]

Re: How to Select the Right Mars-Hydro LED Grow Light for Your Specific Gardening Nee

I just woke up to an email telling me that the light is on the UPS truck for delivery. I ordered Monday, it's getting here Wednesday, free shipping? So far, I'm impresses with MarsHydro. Hope the light works well, and from what I see here, I have high hopes for that to happen. Looks like the company is committed to communicating with their customers. Smart way to build a business.

chordpounder

Hi chordpounder,Reflector48 coverage is 2'x2',i'm sure your plants will love it.
You can adjust the hanging distance to a better distance according to the react of your plants. If you need know anything ,please feel free to ask, i will try my best to help you.
Yes,when your girls grow bigger,you can add another LED,it will be better.