Mars-Hydro LED Grow Light Discussion

[JohnnieJC3]

I have grown with LEDs and HPS and you will water less with LEDs in soil. Not sure with hydro if there is a difference.

 

[aphrodisia]

Hello guys, I have a favor to ask. We are updating the website and consider adding grow tips under LED.
You are all professionals in growing and have experiences in LED grow. Could you give us some advices?
For example, compared to HPS.
1. How often the grower should be watering?
2. How much Cal/Mag should add?
3. What other cautions need to pay attention?
4. Any other advices?
The advice is totally from grow's side.
My dearest friends, you are like my teachers in grow. I am all ears on.

Hi SmokeSara. Under Leds it is generally recommended to keep ambient temperatures warmer than under HIDs, under Leds ambient temperatures should be in the 80 - 85 Fht. range whereas under an HID it is generally recommended to keep ambient temps at around 75 Fht.
This is because HIDs give out a lot of their energy in the infrared range, i.e. heat, which the plants actually do need some of to keep up an optimal rate of metabolism and growth, and Leds don't or hardly put out any heat.

 

[ColoradoGriz]

Hi SmokeSara. Under Leds it is generally recommended to keep ambient temperatures warmer than under HIDs, under Leds ambient temperatures should be in the 80 - 85 Fht. range whereas under an HID it is generally recommended to keep ambient temps at around 75 Fht.
This is because HIDs give out a lot of their energy in the infrared range, i.e. heat, which the plants actually do need some of to keep up an optimal rate of metabolism and growth, and Leds don't or hardly put out any heat.

These lights do put out IR but not sure of the amount. I think you are referring to how ambient temps can be 80 but the IR makes a plant function at 85-87 as leaves produce an additional 5-7 degrees from IR.

 

[Evo-Rat-93]

Hey SARA , PM sent

 

[HeavyChevy59]

What's up guys I have a mars II 400w in my 2.5'x2.5'x7' tent I'm thinking of getting a 48x3 reflector series I would prefer a 48x5 if they make them I was also thinking of having the spectrum geared more towards flowering if it even matters on a light that small and how well would both those lights fit in my tent.

 

[Dave Groomer]

Hello guys, I have a favor to ask. We are updating the website and consider adding grow tips under LED.
You are all professionals in growing and have experiences in LED grow. Could you give us some advices?
For example, compared to HPS.
1. How often the grower should be watering?
2. How much Cal/Mag should add?
3. What other cautions need to pay attention?
4. Any other advices?
The advice is totally from grow's side.
My dearest friends, you are like my teachers in grow. I am all ears on.

There is a lot of great advise. Cal/Mag definitely. I add 10ml/gal to every watering. Also, transition from another type of light (ie CFL or HPS) start the light high above the plants (3ft) and gradually move them down as the plants adjust.

 

[Mars Hydro]

Hi tucker, what's wrong with the 96x3w? Is it not performing good?

Hi jonkofied. Is there an appreciable difference in the 5-watt led over the 3-watt led?? I have a 96X3 reflector and considering selling that an upgrading to a 96X5. Little pricey and trying to justify the extra cost.

 

[Mars Hydro]

Hello Brian,hmm... you can try to lift the light a little higher to check the reaction. numerous light burn is not a good sign...

Hey guys , just getting ready for flowering , got 3 lemon Kush and 2 afghani plants growing.
This is my second grow , my first grow was with a Marshydro reflector 96x3.
This time Im using the reflector and a 300w old model .
For some reason the old mode gets really hot and has burned on of my plants numerous times at about 15-18inches away .
Has any one else had this problem ?
I'm thinking of swapping the old model for a small 48x3 reflector .
I'm thinking two reflectors would be better.

Also I have a small problem . Can anyone confirm that this is a cal/mag issue ?

 

[Mars Hydro]

thanks for the help, John.

Probably ph flux from drawing more cal/mag with LEDs. My first grow did the same with foxfarm soil. I added a bit of garden lime, cleared it right up. You can also get liquid cal mag, all personal preference. Don't worry, the plants will bounce back like nothing ever happened. . Keep it green.

 

[Dennise]

It looks like a cal/mag issue to me also... I use cal/mag at 1 tsp per gallon with every watering... Good morning Sara.....

 

[Dennise]

Here's a shot of my auto Sugar Mango at day 52 under a 96x3w reflector....

 

[Mars Hydro]

Kriaze, I love you so muchhhhh! Thank You! It's very helpful. How are you? How are the lights?

In my opinion there are not many differences between growing with LED and HPS but here are a couple of things I would note down:

1. First and foremost check the plants reactions to the light. Putting your hand under the light and using the warmth test will not work with LED, you need to be checking your plants for signs of bleaching or even if they are shying away from the light. If so then move the light further away accordingly.

This is a seedling that shied away from the LED lights:

2. Secondly most plants seem to need extra CalMag (or possibly iron which is in CalMag) when growing under LED so it's best to keep some on hand to avoid deficiencies. Usually a teaspoon/5ml every other feed seems to be the general amount, but each strain is different so just keep an eye on your strain's particular needs.

3. Thirdly watch your grow style. At the moment although LED's are getting better their penetration isn't yet as good as a HPS and so are better suited to grow styles such as Sea of Green (SoG) or Screen of Green (Scrog). It's best to bear this in mind when preparing or training your plants.

Although I'm working around the penetration limitations myself by using a reflector as a Photographer would by bouncing light to the shadows

As for watering there is no difference here, plants will need feeding as an when and there is too much variation to give a definitive set timing. I would suggest poking your soil to the first knuckle to check if it's dry, or watching your plants if using other mediums (I have no experience here but I would think it's always best to watch the plants anyway)

I hope one or two of these tips help someone. I've tried to make them as newbie friendly as I can, all the best

 

[Mars Hydro]

Thank you very much, Johnnie. I will put it down.

I have grown with LEDs and HPS and you will water less with LEDs in soil. Not sure with hydro if there is a difference.

 

[db003]

do you growers think my scrog is ready to switch to flower this plant is in day #44 of veg so far I just got done doing a bunch of leaf tucking and training with the pipe cleaners the light it is under is a mars II 700 24x24 scrog 8 inches above the top of the pot in a 32x32x63 tent and thanks fellow mars hydro growers

 

[Mars Hydro]

get it, thanks aphrodisia, our MarsII and Reflector series also have infrared diodes, but not as much as HIDs.

Hi SmokeSara. Under Leds it is generally recommended to keep ambient temperatures warmer than under HIDs, under Leds ambient temperatures should be in the 80 - 85 Fht. range whereas under an HID it is generally recommended to keep ambient temps at around 75 Fht.
This is because HIDs give out a lot of their energy in the infrared range, i.e. heat, which the plants actually do need some of to keep up an optimal rate of metabolism and growth, and Leds don't or hardly put out any heat.

 

[Mars Hydro]

thank you for the info, Griz.

These lights do put out IR but not sure of the amount. I think you are referring to how ambient temps can be 80 but the IR makes a plant function at 85-87 as leaves produce an additional 5-7 degrees from IR.

 

[Evo-Rat-93]

HeySara , PM sent

 

[UncleCannabis]

Hey there friends. I'd like to share my recent experience regarding light penetration with 2 different types of Mars-Hydro LED offerings.

A few months ago I purchased 4 of the Sun Series at the high introductory price offering and am just now finishing my first run with them. I'm very satisfied with the results but out of curiosity I purchased 4 of the newly upgraded Reflectors with the 5 watt diodes to compare with before purchasing more of the Sun Series. After putting the Sun Series side by side with the Reflector Series the Sun Series is the clear winner even though the Sun Series has 3 watt diodes and the the new Reflectors have 5 watt diodes. It's not even a close comparison.
I do not have a LUX or PAR meter to provide anyone with actual numbers but I can tell you all that the Sun Series are WAY brighter and have much better penetration than the Reflector Series.

Now comes the disappointing part.
Because of the success of my trial grow with Sun Series and the comparison with the Reflectors I wanted to purchase 2 more of the Sun Series to complete my LED lighting plan in my flowering tent.
Unfortunately I'm being told that the Sun Series is no longer available but there are new and improved models on the way with a bunch of useless features like remote control and custom light spectrum adjustment. Of course the price will be more than the Sun Series that had just come out and are now being phased out.
In addition, all of these useless features are just something else that has the potential for failure which will likely result in a less reliable light.
I don't know about you folks but I have no need to be able turn my lights on and off from another room in my home... The remote will likely end up pulling disappearing acts just like my TV remote does too.

Keep it simple Mars-Hydro (KISS). If you think you have complaints about failing diodes with your Mars II and Reflectors just wait until those remote adjustable spectrum lights hit the market. I hope that you're planning to upgrade your customer support department in time for the introduction of your "new and improved" Sun Series Pro.

 

[Mars Hydro]

Welcome, Heavy, thanks for visiting You will get 48x5w in EU and Australia. The coverage of Reflector48 is 2.2'x2.2' at the height of 24". It will work great with MarsII400w in your tent. The Reflector already has switches for veg and bloom. You can turn on both switches to get full spectrum, which is good for the flowering stage.

What's up guys I have a mars II 400w in my 2.5'x2.5'x7' tent I'm thinking of getting a 48x3 reflector series I would prefer a 48x5 if they make them I was also thinking of having the spectrum geared more towards flowering if it even matters on a light that small and how well would both those lights fit in my tent.

 

[Mars Hydro]

Thank You, super~

There is a lot of great advise. Cal/Mag definitely. I add 10ml/gal to every watering. Also, transition from another type of light (ie CFL or HPS) start the light high above the plants (3ft) and gradually move them down as the plants adjust.