Mars-Hydro LED Grow Light Discussion

[Mars Hydro]

Good evening Dennise.

I know there are some excellent LED growers on here and I am not arguing but I actually start my babies from seed under my LEDs but when they are this small I keep the light about 4' off of them and they staack their nodes very tightly and never geet stressed.... I have read many times on here that some folks keep them as low as 12"... IMO when they are that young the lights are to intense.... Just sayin' for what it's worth... I currently have 2 girls under a 96x3w and 48x3w that were started from seed under these lights... you are more than welcome to check my journal to see how well these lights can grow your girls..

I would wait on Sara to reply this evening... She is usually on here around 8 PM eastern time... You have to have 50 post before you can pm..... But I do know there have been some fake lights on ebay and they only give a 2 year warranty... if you purchase from 420 and Sara you get a 3 year warranty.... and it is always the lowest price here.....

I absolutely cannot wait.......

Thanks for that i have sent an email to the address in Sara`s sig and i am happy to wait for a reply as i want the best products i can get and obviously for the lowest possible price I am going to be upgrading my whole grow system as i want to expand a little from my old setup and also switch to LED`s from the old HPS system. I will stick with the NFT grow system as although i have researched the DWC system i am more familiar with the NFT stuff for now.

 

[Mars Hydro]

I cannot afford the newer light systems in LED format as for the space i am going to be using i am going to need a minimum of 3 x 300w panels. But they do look fantastic as i love the idea of full spectrum lighting with less heat and of course less electricity being used too.

Will defo keep an eye on your threads KingJohnC but gotta say some of the science does baffle me a little i think the main areas i fall down at the mo is cultivating the plants for maximum growth/yield (eg topping the plants and pruning) but also the drying and harvesting bit.

Please send email to me.

Thanks i tried that code and it does work but doesnt give that much discount as the order i want is originally $326.97 (3 x 300w old model panels and shipping to the UK) and with the code applied it only saves me $9.81. Hopefully Sara can help me out a little more when she has time to reply

 

[Mars Hydro]

Thanks for sharing King

When I harvest I use disposable vinyl gloves and when I harvest a plant I start by cutting the branches off 1 by 1. I take the branch and first strip off all the fan leaves. I then use a pair of Fiskars Micro Tip Pruning scissors and trim all the sugar leaves flush with the bud. I then take the trimmed branches and place them in my drying rack to dry for 5-7 days or until the buds just break off the stems. I then trim off the buds from the stems and place the buds into storage containers. I take the buds out of the storage containers and place into a large bowl for 10 minutes per day for 10 days.

My drying rack

For trimming I use Fiskars Softouch Micro-Tip Pruning Snip recommended by the arthritis society, they come with a lifetime replacement warranty. One of the handles broke on my last pair, I used the warranty claim on the website and Fiskars replaced them at no cost.

https://www2.fiskars.com Titanium Micro Tip Easy Action Scissors No.5



drying racks

2' Dry Rack w/ Zipper Openings - perfectgardens

Good luck for you Boomer76

Thanks for the info KJC your harvesting method sounds very similar to mine actually as i too do it branch by branch using fiskar scissors (need to get me some gloves though as fingers get very sticky lol) my scissors are more like this though Fiskars 4014 Short Cut Sharp Thread Snips Shortcut Scissors NEW | eBay but i have found some like you linked to so maybe i will get some like this then Fiskars Soft Grip 5" Easy Spring Action Scissors Micro-Tip SELECT YOUR DESIGN! | eBay

That drying rack looks great where abouts do you hang it eg the conditions of the space?
does this rack look ok Drying Net dry rack hydroponics grow kit grow tent 8 tier drying | eBay as if so will add it to my shopping list

I was also going to get one of these to help decide on the best time to harvest too Microscope 60x Zoom LED for Hydroponics Grow tent UK SELLER First Class Deliver | eBay

I have also read recently that you should cut the whole plant down in one go and hang the whole thing for about a week before trimming etc. Whats your view on this?

 

[Mars Hydro]

I have a hook to hang the drying rack from my ceiling in a room that contains my Seed Cabinet with filtered air with a carbon filter and inline fan for scent control when drying. You want 70° Fahrenheit and from 40%-60% humidity to dry your cannabis buds. You want to cure your cannabis buds to 62% dried humidity.

I have trimmed plants that have been dried for days and I much prefer both the drying rate the buds dry at and removing leaves and trimming the buds from green plants rather than working with drier, stiffer and crumblier material longer drying periods before trimming begins with dried plants.

I think i will turn my old small grow tent into a drying room then as that sounds like the best way for me to control the conditions. So will defo add one of those racks to my shopping list.

I have always dried my plants in a dark enviroment before but am always concerned with mold growth as have had a couple of plants have this issue and its very upsetting.

Oh and thanks for the PM KJC ot looks very useful i would reply saying thanks but still dont have a 50 post count yet.

 

[Mars Hydro]

will get back to you soon.

Hi SmokeSara

Any chance of a reply regarding buying the second unit?

Please reply to my email I contacted you with. PM is not showing on my AC here?

 

[Mars Hydro]

Sounds good, you have ordered the tents and light on our website right? I am sure they will come to you very soon.

Just pulled the trigger on my upgrade (tax refund showed up!!) I got two 3'x3' tents and a Mars II 900. Now I can start playing like the big boys!! Seriously, I don't want to increase my number of plants. I just want them to have more light. I know my yields will increase if my flowering plants aren't squeezed so close together!!! I figure that I should be able to get 4 medium height plants in a 10+ sq ft worth of tent space. Having the 900 in there should really get things going.

 

[Mars Hydro]

Really long post Hiker.

You can control stretch somewhat with defoliation. If a branch is as tall as you want, take off the large leaves. In my experience that will have a localized affect on only that branch. My theory is it shifts resources from building internode length into replacing the leaves.

In my current grow I'm doing a test of not doing any defoliating during flower. I think I'm gonna do some trimming on the undergrowth (aka lollypopping) as I know I'll get dead stuff otherwise, but I am leaving the leaves on one plant of each strain.

I wait until week 2-3 of 12/12 to do my normal defoliation. If I have a runaway, I just do that branch earlier.



Really? I think a Mars II 400w covers 2'x2' pretty well. I space mine 24" apart. I'm used to a mover, so my only complaint is they are stationary.

In the batch that just finished, it did seem like I had space between my plants, but the new batch in flowering were bigger plants and have filled in their space more completely. 2'x2' still seems to be pretty good to me, but I'm willing to setup another set of hooks to do a test. With 24" between the lights, I'm at 50w/sqft now (I use 200w for actual draw, but I know most lights read in the 190's), so if I want to test 60w/sqft, I need to space the lights at 22" instead of 24", right? I checked my math twice... I think that's right. I'll do a test on my next run of Flower B. Problem is I'm always tweaking things, so it's hard to control for everything else. Maybe I'll hold off one some of the nute changes I want to try.



x3!!!!

I had a ton of other posts quoted about which lights to get. Northman is right and brings up the easiest way to decide between the reflector series or the Mars 2... vertical space. If you're limited, or doing a short grow style ie scrog, you should get the 3w reflector style. If you have the vertical space and are growing tall plants, get the 5w Mars 2.

As to which size? I will always advocate for buying the smallest size lamp and then get as many as you need to cover your space. I think the Mars 2 400w covers 2'x2' pretty well and gives you a solid 24"-36" of, what I call, the 'growth band'.

I have 2 of the reflector series. I forget the LED count on them, but they are the long ones (192x3?)
They grow excellent nuggs. I keep them closer to the plants and the quality tapers off faster. The penetration is not as good as the Mars 2.





I was gonna reply, but this is pretty much what I would say. I think 18" is far too close until it has at least 5 sets of leaves. I move my lights down gradually. It let's the plant 'harden' to the more intense light.

You should wait to feed until at least 3 nodes, but KJC's 5 is a good guideline as well. I also feed at a very low strength. Here is a tip when trying to dilute, just calculate using their numbers but pretend you're using 1/4 the amount of water. I dunno, I find it easier to think that way then trying to diving 12 different volumes by 4



All things that are mostly learned through experience. You can/will learn a lot her, but nothing beats first hand knowledge.



Thank you!

I use these scissors and we just broke TWO pair last weekend!
My wife was trimming and the spring broke. That meant she was done for the night. I finished up. An hour later, the spring on mine broke.

I had one pair left to finish up, and then I found Sprawl-Mart doesn't carry these anymore.

I have a question for you about the titanium ones...
I order a pair of each. This is the first time I've had the yellow ones. I'm worried that since it's a coating, and will eventually wear off, it's gonna end up on the buds. Have you noticed the coating wearing off?

I was planning to order a couple more pairs of the non-coated, but now that you pointed out their lifetime warranty, I'll just send in the 2 I have. I hope they don't need the springs or the little orange lock switches. They are in the trash. I was gonna try to source some barrel springs on my own, but new scissors sounds better.

thanks again KJC!



I have that model scissor as well. It can be useful if you want to make a 'show nugg', but the problem I have with them is the blades can separate. You have to use your fingers/hand to make sure they stay pushed together. Hinged scissors with a spring are ideal, and the micro tip fiskars are the bomb.

The microscope is a useful tool in your growing arsenal.

I also use a net rack, but I de-stem during trim. Mine hangs near my veg trays. I like light on the buds during the first couple days after harvest.

I HATE trimming dry nuggs. When you hand them untrimmed, the leaf tips all droop down and attach to the buds. When I trim, I try to snip the pointy tips off nearly every leaf. I think it makes the nugg look well manicured. I don't loose the crystals as I extract the oil from all my sugar leaf/popcorn. If I let them dry first I can't get those little tips off very easily. It takes me much longer to trim dried plants. Last weekend I got interrupted during my pre-trim phase. The branches only hung for about 8-10 hours (overnight) until I got back to them, and already the leaves were sticking to the nuggs. Luckily, the wash process made them mostly turgid again, so trimming wasn't too bad, but finishing the pre-trim was tedious as I had to use my fingers to 'pull' many of the fan leaves off the nuggs. Sorry, bit of a rant. Did I mention I hate trimming plants that aren't fresh?

Shear style scissors tend to separate when you are using them and are more suited to delicate work rather than efficient trimming speed. Your first harvest will have a grin on your face and a sore back after the hours you will spend trimming by hand. The Fiskars Soft Grip 5" Easy Spring Action Scissors Micro-Tip scissors are the ones recommended by the arthritis society and have a well balanced spring tension to be less fatiguing and the ones I prefer to use.

You want a dark area with 70° Fahrenheit or 20° Celsius with air circulation to hang the drying rack. Light degrades trichomes as the buds dry and cure. The 60x Zoom LED Microscope will allow you to see the trichomes clearly and judge when to harvest your buds.

I own a Hydrofarm Active Eye 30X jewelers Loupe, Carson Optical MicroMax LED Microscope 60x-100x and a 25X-200X Magnifier USB Digital Microscope Video Camera that I use to take trichome photographs.

Active Eye Loupe, 30X

Here is a Gro1 1.3MP USB LED Digital Microscope 10x & 300x

Gro1 1.3MP USB LED Digital Microscope 10x & 300x - Perfect Gardens

 

[Mars Hydro]

Thanks King

Hey Jedthedog & KingJohnC!!
I was just looking through KingJohnC's journal. My space is limited.. 20" x 36" x 62". I'm afraid LST will want the entire space for one girl. I have two.. This is why I plan on using mainlining.. I can fit two girls, with 8 fat colas each (18" x 20") vs only one bushy lady (36" x20") Does this sound like a good idea to you guys!? Also, is the 144x3 capable of supporting 3 ft thick colas in your opinions!? If it can't support big colas (without any canapy I'm the way), then LST probably will be a better bet!? Thanks so much for your help guys!!! Sorry to bother!!

My Seed Cabinet measures 54 1/2" L x 28 1/4" W x 72" H. With Low Stress Training, Topping and Defoliation you can grow a plant almost any size to suit your space needs and produce large harvests. I also commonly grow several 36"-44" tall plants in my Seed Cabinet.

Fiskars actually backs up its warranty if you can take photographs of the defective or broken products and submit a warranty claim to their warranty claim submission Form online!

Warranty Claim / Customer Service | Fiskars

I believe that Home Depot currently has the contract with Fiskars.

https://www.homedepot.com Fiskars 1-7/8 in. Micro-tip Pruning Snip

The Pair of Fiskars Micro Tip Titanium coating did not wear before my first pair broke and were replaced with regular Micro Tip scissors instead.

 

[Dave Groomer]

Sounds good, you have ordered the tents and light on our website right? I am sure they will come to you very soon.

I am sure it will!!!

 

[Mars Hydro]

I learned that by mistake early on. I defolled a plant about 2 weeks into flower and lost the stretch. Plant ended smaller then I wanted. Now if I need to slow it down I will defoll a little early, but Usually I will wait till at least 4 weeks into flower.

I know many growner use our old model 100x3w, you can find some grow journals out there.

has anybody used the 100x3w led light? whats the average yield ? I'm gonna be running white widow auto 4 plants 5 gal smart pot just looking for 6 ounces or less that's the legal limit for me.

Yes, they are both very nice in helping others, I want to thank them, helping me a lot when I am not here. Dear Boomer, if I did not reply your email, plese send it to me again, I will get back to you ASAP.

Wow Hiker and KJC you both have been so helpful!! I dont think i have learnt this much useful info in one day for ages.

Hopefully Sara will get back to me soon with a good price for the lamps i need as then i can get on buying the rest of the kit i want and start setuping up as am eager to get some new plants going.

 

[coloradas]

I purchased a mars 48x3w reflector for a 2x2x5 tent and am thinking about grabbing another 48x3 for the same tent. I took some measurements and they fit, but I'm wondering how much space is needed inbetween the units and the walls for the fans to ventilate properly. Also, will two 48x3 reflectors have an increased impact on the grow? I probably should have gone with a 96x3 to begin with, but am now curious if the two 48x3s will work.

Thank in advance for any input anyone has.

 

[Mars Hydro]

I am sure it will!!!

Hello coloradas, one 48x3w is good for your space 2x2, and two will do great. For the distance between the light and the wall, please don't worry, as long as there is still space between them, the fans will not be influenced.

I purchased a mars 48x3w reflector for a 2x2x5 tent and am thinking about grabbing another 48x3 for the same tent. I took some measurements and they fit, but I'm wondering how much space is needed inbetween the units and the walls for the fans to ventilate properly. Also, will two 48x3 reflectors have an increased impact on the grow? I probably should have gone with a 96x3 to begin with, but am now curious if the two 48x3s will work.

Thank in advance for any input anyone has.

 

[coloradas]

Hello coloradas, one 48x3w is good for your space 2x2, and two will do great. For the distance between the light and the wall, please don't worry, as long as there is still space between them, the fans will not be influenced.

Hi Sara,

Thanks for the response! : ) The walls have half an inch of clearance so that's good. The one thing I'm worried about though is the side exhaust of the two units blowing into each other when they are lined up (an inch apart)

 

[Mars Hydro]

Please don't worry, the lights will work fine.

Hi Sara,

Thanks for the response! : ) The walls have half an inch of clearance so that's good. The one thing I'm worried about though is the side exhaust of the two units blowing into each other when they are lined up (an inch apart)

 

[Gfcollective]

enjoying the 3rd run with mars hydro 1600. Next run will have multiple lights including the 160x3 flower spectrum with the Mars 1600

Day 44 of 70

I&I

 

[Mars Hydro]

Thanks Gfcollectove. Love the big dense bug.

enjoying the 3rd run with mars hydro 1600. Next run will have multiple lights including the 160x3 flower spectrum with the Mars 1600

Day 44 of 70

I&I

 

[gdrocks]

Hello Sara, I have sent you a few E-mails over the last couple of weeks. Have not gotten any replies. Not sure if my emails not reaching you or if your replies not reaching me. I have checked my junk folder also. But anyway, I am trying to find out if you have any other alternate payment options as I must be as discreet as possible. If you could let me know how I could get in touch with you or PM me this info it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks very much. GDrocks

 

[Boomer76]

Sorry Bammer, the 100x3w is still not avaible right now, so we do not have any price or info for it.

On your website it says that they are "in Stock" is this not true then? LED Grow Light 100x3w - Mars Hydro

 

[Boomer76]

Please send email to me.

I sent you an email and you replied saying no more discount

So i have re-emailed you as i sent it from my email address that doesnt say boomer76 so maybe you didnt relaise i was a 420.com member as maybe thats what qualifies for a discount code.

fingers crossed

 

[Moto]

Hi guys/gals good morning!!!!

I set up the 144x3 18" above the ladies yesterday. They spent 8 hours yesterday and 4 this morning. I didn't notice any bleaching... but I have one that has been following the 23cfl as it was tough to get it perfectly centered over her with my constant need to check on them. Anyway, I figured she would straighten up and she hasn't.. Almost like she's shying away from the light. So, as suggested ive moved it to 24" above them to see if she straightens up!? I figure if she does, its at a good distance!!!.. If not I'll raise it up 6" increments until she does. Do you all think this is a good way to figure it out!?!? Or should I just set it at one distance and leave it until they adjust!?!? As you can see patience isnt my best trait!!!?! I know from experience to just KISS. I just can't help but ask those who have already "been there and done that"!!! Thanks so much for your help!!!!