Mars-Hydro LED Grow Light Discussion

[Mars Hydro]

Hi guys, the website has finally gone back to work. order can go through now. Our site revision will finish this end of month. August is full of suprises.

 

[UncleCannabis]

you guys are the reason why I love 420 more than other forums. People here are very generous and friendly. I feel be loved here and feel the meaning in my work. I literally share the instruction with my colleagues. Thank you, UncleCannabis.

You're welcome Sara. I'm happy to be of help. I just hope that my lengthy explanation doesn't confuse or scare away any of your potential customers.

 

[Robert Celt]

How to Determine the Correct Mars-Hydro LED Grow Light to Purchase for Your Specific Gardening Needs


Case Study - Grow Space Size is 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 decent 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 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 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 graph.

This graph illustrates 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 graph 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 at 18" (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 plant 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 illumination area of the light versus grow space size. In addition your watts per square foot will increase to 48.75 watts per square foot since the the light is closer to the plant canopy and the effective illumination would now be reduced from 20sq/ft to 16sq/ft, the exact size of our grow space.
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.
Assuming that your gardening skills are up to par, you'll be able to grow top quality buds with this lamp and may be a perfect fit for your needs. However, if you are on a tight budget or trying to minimize heat or electrical usage you could probably go with a lesser 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 ideal yields in a 16 square foot grow space. This light is not too powerful but not too weak either. 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.

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 better growth / thicker denser buds which are located nearer to the center if the light.
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, my work is done here and 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!

Rep+ UncleC, this write up should be put on its own in this forum so it is easily accessed and referenced to. I am not sure how it can be done but maybe some of the veteran members to see to it being done.

 

[santb]

"Rep+ UncleC, this write up should be put on its own in this forum so it is easily accessed and referenced to. I am not sure how it can be done but maybe some of the veteran members to see to it being done."

I second that. As comprehensive as you need (just in time for me thinking about LED!), and easy to read.
Should be a sticky! Or whatever you call it... What Celt said!

 

[UncleCannabis]

Thanks again Friends.

It's good to see that my post is proving to be useful to the visitors of this thread as I had hoped.

 

[Sunray]

#SmokeSara,

What is the best way of ordering? Amazon, eBay, website etc..

 

[Dave Groomer]

#SmokeSara,

What is the best way of ordering? Amazon, eBay, website etc..

Website. Use code CoFinest at check out for a 420 discount.

 

[Sunray]

Website. Use code CoFinest at check out for a 420 discount.

Thanks very much for the heads-up, appreciate it.

 

[randy355]

Thanks again Friends.

It's good to see that my post is proving to be useful to the visitors of this thread as I had hoped.

I think a lot of the people here need to thank you for the time you spent on your post and that you made it simple too follow and understand it should be made available for future reference and not get lost among the many posts on this site.

Now my only question for you is how about the BBQ? Ribs, Brisket ,Pulled Pork or Yes to any and all

 

[Fiete]

hi, someone told me the Old Modell 60x5 Watt Mars LED are a very good Light what are your thoughts?? On Ebay now for 155€ for 2x300 Old Modell are the Decission good to buy them ore is the Quality not so good and the Reflector ore the MARS2 are a better Option??? I thought 2 x 300 Watt are Better than only 1 Mars2...

Please Help me by my Decsission!!! Thx Guys

 

[RootSpaGuru]

I have one 300 watt mars classic 100x3 and i love it, there hard to find next to it i have a off brand 300 watt cause it has the same 100x3 and i love it , its perfect for a grow and being 2 lights with light hangers i can raise and lower them independently when my girls get in bloom by then i will have saved enough for a 600 watt mars light to the room for a total of 1200 watts , i like what i hear about the reflector series and that with the added power switch , veg switch and bloom switch plus the proven ability of mars lights you really cant go wrong, one note 3 watt leds have better mixture and thats why i think the new cree leds have dimmable features , its really just what you feel you can do with the tool. MARS LIGHTS RULE

 

[Fiete]

Are the Quality from the Lights are all the Same good??? I road a komment from Sara and she said the Quality from the Old Modell are not good this is what she said! I dont want Bad Quality stuff....

Here on ebay are the Reflector for 182€ 500 Watt Reflector


2x300 Watt Old Modell ore the 500 Watt Reflector i dont now Please Help me.....

 

[UncleCannabis]

Now my only question for you is how about the BBQ? Ribs, Brisket ,Pulled Pork or Yes to any and all

Add Mary Jane to that list and you pretty much got it covered.

 

[flexy123]

hi, someone told me the Old Modell 60x5 Watt Mars LED are a very good Light what are your thoughts?? On Ebay now for 155€ for 2x300 Old Modell are the Decission good to buy them ore is the Quality not so good and the Reflector ore the MARS2 are a better Option??? I thought 2 x 300 Watt are Better than only 1 Mars2...

Please Help me by my Decsission!!! Thx Guys

Hello, if you ask me - the "old model" 60x5W is like a smaller Mars II except that the small square Mars II has 80 LEDs, additional IR and the "old model" 60 LEDs. But it seems to me that both, the Mars II and the 60x5W have 5W LEDs so both should have the advantage of having better penetration, since both have the same LEDs.

In other words: If you're on a budget the 60x5W look like a good deal to me. I got two of them and I can't complain about quality or whatever...both lights work nicely.

I personally also think that having two lights gives more flexibility how you place them as opposed to one light. (I mean you can also place them side by side of course, at the price they're sold right now on ebay you can buy two or three or whatever ). From that point of view I think that 2x or 3x "old model" 60x5W make even more sense than, buying a larger Mars II. But that's just my opinion.

**
>>
she said the Quality from the Old Modell are not good
>>

I wouldn't call them "military quality" but they're ok for the price, I paid €100 for one and this included express DHL shipping (!) from the UK. Maybe the Mars II etc. have better heatsinks and cooling. Possible.

As for the reflector lights, while reflectors sound nice and especially the option to switch them to "vegging mode" with less LEDs active they have "only" 3W LEDs. The question here is whether 5W LEDs would be better as opposed to 3W LEDs with reflector. People generally say 5W LEDs have better penetration. So ultimately, both types, 3W LEDs with reflector and 5W LEDs without reflector may come out about the same, in my opinion.

Edit: If you're from Germany and they have stock in the German warehouse (which I don't know) it should be possible to get the old model 60x5W really cheap without paying a lot for shipping. Wow..it seems they even have free shipping if you order in Germany.

 

[RootSpaGuru]

Really good stuff comes from these lights just get enough power to the plants... What room size is the first thing than you know about how much light you need then from there the reflector, or the mars 2 lights is the way to go.

 

[RootSpaGuru]

Your wrong 3 watt led are better than 5 watt led that why cree is making tunable 5 watt...

 

[Brainzfuxed]

I just got a 96x3 for my 3x2 area because of heat concerns. Will this work??

 

[yuyo]

now that they have the same 5w chips the classic is just a mars II 300, so 2 of them would be approximately
33.3% more grow power than mar II 400
the price is excellent i think that comes to about 85 USD per
also having the two panels gives more freedom for some adjustment

now after all that i must admit i am a person of fear and only want to order from sara or mars hydro site
i trust her and have never used ebay i hope whatever you decide it is a great success
take care and good luck

 

[flexy123]

now that they have the same 5w chips the classic is just a mars II 300, so 2 of them would be approximately
33.3% more grow power than mar II 400
the price is excellent i think that comes to about 85 USD per
also having the two panels gives more freedom for some adjustment

now after all that i must admit i am a person of fear and only want to order from sara or mars hydro site
i trust her and have never used ebay i hope whatever you decide it is a great success
take care and good luck

marshydro, marshydro-de, marshydro-uk, marshydro-au are all legit, it's them. So look at the seller name. Just be aware that buying from ebay only has one year warranty, while there is a longer warranty if you buy off their site. (What their warranty actually entitles I don't know). TBH, looking at the price to get a 60x5W for like €70 I can smoke the warranty in a pipe and could care less Ultimately, just check your budget and your grow room size etc. to see what light would be best for you.

 

[Fiete]

Hey Guys, my englisch is Not so good i am very Happy you Help me ;-)


I am from Germany and no price for Shipping ;-)

I dont have a tent now but i Order very soon i dont now which size are good for the LED???

Hm the Reflector have also 5 Watt Chips!


I thought the New 60x5 are better than 100x3.... I dont now what i Order ;-( Sarah make me unhappy because she say the old Modell are Not good Quality lights...