Which Mars 2 LED Lighting Is Better For Flowering?

[Big Sparks]

Hello everyone- I'm new to the 420 mag forums and am switching from hps lighting 600watts to led grow lighting and wanted to know what you all thought about the Mars 2 LED grow lights for flowering.... I have a 3'x2.5' grow area and am currently using a 96x3watt reflector series to veg my plants. Plants seem to "love" this light BTW. I recently switched from 6 cfl 23 watt bulbs (6500k)) plus 2 (2700k) 23watt bulbs for a total of 8 bulbs.
I was origionally going to use the Mars 2 96x3watt LED to flower with and after some reading through many different grow journals I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and use this light to veg and then maybe turn on the extra "bloom" switch at a later date to flower. (Am only using the "grow" switch on right now.) But now that I have seen the light, so to speak, and have added a few clones into the mix (different strains) I now feel the need to aquire another light for the flower portion of my grow as to not rob my still veging plants of their awsome new friend. The new flower area will be a 4'x4' grow tent and am wondering wich light would be better for strictly flowering? The Mars reflector series (probably the 192x3watt) or the Mars 2 900 watt (180pcs. @5watts)?
Please help! Any and all comments and/or suggestions are welcome. Even if the suggestion is not the Mars brand of lighting but within a low price range because I am unfortunatly somewhat financially restricted. Aren't we all! Lol! I will also be uploading some pics soon and sharing my grow log info with anyone who cares to check that out. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Big Sparks aka the noob!

 

[Antics]

For that grow space I'd suggest a total wattage DRAW (not wattage rating) of 225-375 watts. (30-50 watts per square foot)

 

[4fingerlidday]

Mars 2 900 watt is what I use in my 4x4x7 tent and it does a great job,very powerful had to keep it 28 " above plant every time I lowered it the plant didn't like it ,so now I just let the plant flower into the light now it's about 20" from plant, hope this helps

 

[Big Sparks]

Thanks for replying Antics....I believe you're right. I've looking at the Mars 2- 700 (draws 300-380 watts) wich sounds like it would be sufficient, or maybe even the mars2-900 (draws 400-450watts) wich would probably really put out some big light and hopefully some big buds! Yup! I beleive you're right...more watts=more light wich= more buds!
Thanks again!

 

[Big Sparks]

Sounds great 4fingerliday! Love the handle BTW! Must be 40 yrs plus like myself to remember them good old days! Am probably going to go with the 900 but what you were saying about the distance from the plants makes me believe that maybe there is going to be a heat issue with the 900. Maybe I should just go with the 700 hundred and try to keeps plants a lil more centered under the light with light a little bit closer? Or was it that the light (900) was just too bright? Ugh....decisions decisions... Do you use any type of exhaust fan/can fan ect? Or just regular oscillating fans? If so, how many? Blowing above canopy? Or directly at the plants?
More questions, more problems...sorry. But thank you for replying...much appreciated.

 

[Antics]

Sure no problemo, I also noticed a little confusion in the post above.

Mars-Hydro is the company, Mars 2 (Mars II) is a model of lights. The 96x3 is the Reflector (which you stated above, but later called Mars 2) Just for anyone else who might pop in to read the question.

The light distance deals more with intensity, than heat. The larger Mars II model with w diodes will produce a little more heat, but basic ventilation in most grow spaces can handle it without any issues. With LED lights, the plants are usually burned, or bleached from light intensity before heat ever becomes a factor.

The Mars II 900 model, will be giving you 53-60 watts per square foot, usually the number is 30-50, so double check with Sara from Mars Hydro, or check with someone who knows a little more about LED than myself to make sure the 53-60 watt range will be ok.

If you go with the 700, that's the sweet spot for LEDs as far as I have read here on the forum.

If you're using separate Veg and Bloom spaces, adding a light is great. But if you're using the same area to Veg, and then Flower your plants, you also have the option to just buy another 96x3 Reflector to add to the grow space, which will be cheaper than your other options, and will give you a total of 45-53 watts per square foot.

That's pretty much what I did myself. I started with a single 100x3 from Mars Hydro, and after doing some reading, and seeing my buds weren't growing as well as I hoped, I found out I was only using something like 21 watts per square foot, so I simply added a second 100x3 to boost me up into the 41-47 watt per square foot range.

In your shoes, I'd use the Veg setting for seedlings, after that I'd go full spectrum and use both settings together for a huge boost in light, and I'd run that all the way through flower. The lights I use now are full spectrum and I have no issues using them from Veg to Flower.

So you have a few options that you can consider.

 

[4fingerlidday]

Big Sparks,I would go with the Mars 900 watt led ,on ebay between 230.00 and 300.00 you will pay,If you want to see how it performs in a 4x4 tent check out my gallery photo's under profile and you can see if the light would work for you, yes I run a 320 cfm Hyper fan and a IPOWER 16"carbon filter with a 16" wally mart osculating fan, and protective glasses are an absolute necessity for sure, {my handle}Grew up in SoCal smoked my first joint in 1977, it was a blast

 

[Big Sparks]

Big Sparks,I would go with the Mars 900 watt led ,on ebay between 230.00 and 300.00 you will pay,If you want to see how it performs in a 4x4 tent check out my gallery photo's under profile and you can see if the light would work for you, yes I run a 320 cfm Hyper fan and a IPOWER 16"carbon filter with a 16" wally mart osculating fan, and protective glasses are an absolute necessity for sure, {my handle}Grew up in SoCal smoked my first joint in 1977, it was a blast

Thanks again 4fingerlidday! Just wanted to add that I also grew up in So. Cal...born, raised, and still here to this day! Love being close to the beach, mountains, and all the beautiful weather that we enjoy here all year round! Was always an outdoor grower because of this but recently noticed that some stupid kids had found out about my plants and were jumping the fence to break off branches during veg...to smoke the leaves, i guess. Damn amateurs! Lol! Cant blame them for trying I suppose. But for this reason I have brought my grow indoors for the first time. I know that I wont be getting the same yields that I used to get but I can try to get close and can still work on growing some quality nugs. Its just personal medicine anyways so to be able to grow all year long with more harvests done per year....well...maybe this will turn out to be a good thing after all, ya know!

 

[Antics]

Ebay only gives you a 1 year warranty.

Buy it direct from Mars Hydro LED - the Best Solutions for Horticulture and Indoor Plants and you have 3 years warranty coverage.

 

[JBUptown]

Hi All,
Noob concerning LEDs with a quick question please?
I'm considering switching to LED for heat reduction in a 2.5' x 4' closet. Would anyone that has used the Mars Hydro line suggest the Mars II LED Grow Light 400W as enough light to produce a full bountiful yield? Any other MARS Hydro LED light suggestions? @ 10 sq ft in the closet the 400 watt should deliver ~ 40 watts per square foot. I'm running a 400 watt HPS bulb in the area right now with good results but I'm fighting heat even with good ventilation. Can I expect the same grow results utilizing LED vice HPS watt for watt?
Much appreciated!
JB

 

[DukeO]

You just have to remember that it is watts that are pulled from the wall that matter. For that size of closet you have I would recommend their 3w reflectors series if heat is a big issue. Because they run a little cooler then Mars2's. But you could run a 700or900mars2

A 900mars2 pulls about 450w from the wall and that would mean you would be at 45psf and much cooler then HPS. It would light it up like the sun in there!LoL

I love my 900w...

Thinking more about it. I would put two 400w in there instead. They would give you better coverage and it is safer to have more then one light.
Even tho I have never had an issue with any of my Mar's lights.

Hi All,
Noob concerning LEDs with a quick question please?
I'm considering switching to LED for heat reduction in a 2.5' x 4' closet. Would anyone that has used the Mars Hydro line suggest the Mars II LED Grow Light 400W as enough light to produce a full bountiful yield? Any other MARS Hydro LED light suggestions? @ 10 sq ft in the closet the 400 watt should deliver ~ 40 watts per square foot. I'm running a 400 watt HPS bulb in the area right now with good results but I'm fighting heat even with good ventilation. Can I expect the same grow results utilizing LED vice HPS watt for watt?
Much appreciated!
JB

 

[JBUptown]

DukeO,

Watts from wall outlet does make more sense. I have a meter that displays the 120v AC current pull and with my 400w HPS and fans I draw about 540 watts for the grow. Hotter than Hades though! Two smaller units does make more sense than one larger for outages purposes. I had my ballast go out and had to scramble with a dozen or so 23w CFLs to keep everything happy while I ordered a new ballast. Height is also a problem as I only have 5 feet from Light bottom to container top. Thanks for your advice, truly appreciated.

 

[Dave Groomer]

I have a 900 in one tent and 2 400s in the other. The 900 is more w/spft. You also may want to consider the reflectors with the 5w leds.

 

[Mars Hydro]

Hello everyone- I'm new to the 420 mag forums and am switching from hps lighting 600watts to led grow lighting and wanted to know what you all thought about the Mars 2 LED grow lights for flowering.... I have a 3'x2.5' grow area and am currently using a 96x3watt reflector series to veg my plants. Plants seem to "love" this light BTW. I recently switched from 6 cfl 23 watt bulbs (6500k)) plus 2 (2700k) 23watt bulbs for a total of 8 bulbs.
I was origionally going to use the Mars 2 96x3watt LED to flower with and after some reading through many different grow journals I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and use this light to veg and then maybe turn on the extra "bloom" switch at a later date to flower. (Am only using the "grow" switch on right now.) But now that I have seen the light, so to speak, and have added a few clones into the mix (different strains) I now feel the need to aquire another light for the flower portion of my grow as to not rob my still veging plants of their awsome new friend. The new flower area will be a 4'x4' grow tent and am wondering wich light would be better for strictly flowering? The Mars reflector series (probably the 192x3watt) or the Mars 2 900 watt (180pcs. @5watts)?
Please help! Any and all comments and/or suggestions are welcome. Even if the suggestion is not the Mars brand of lighting but within a low price range because I am unfortunatly somewhat financially restricted. Aren't we all! Lol! I will also be uploading some pics soon and sharing my grow log info with anyone who cares to check that out. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Big Sparks aka the noob!

hello,big spark, the Mars II 1200w is better for your 4'x4' grow tent,it also can use for flowering. All of our lights are good in quality and reasonable in price, just email me if you need the light.

 

[4fingerlidday]

hello,big spark, the Mars II 1200w is better for your 4'x4' grow tent,it also can use for flowering. All of our lights are good in quality and reasonable in price, just email me if you need the light.

YOU CAN ALMOST NEVER HAVE TO MUCH LIGHT

 

[Big Sparks]

Update- so i decided to go with the promotional tent/light package from marshydro. The 3'x3'x6' tent with the mars 2 700 standard spectrum. Cant wait til it arrives! Will update again soon once the new light and grow area get here! Until then, wishing everyone big healthy plants with nice colas!

 

[Mars Hydro]

Update- so i decided to go with the promotional tent/light package from marshydro. The 3'x3'x6' tent with the mars 2 700 standard spectrum. Cant wait til it arrives! Will update again soon once the new light and grow area get here! Until then, wishing everyone big healthy plants with nice colas!

High Big Sparks,hope your light and tent will arrive soon, also wish you grow well.

wait for your new updates

 

[Oz3]

Hello everyone- I'm new to the 420 mag forums and am switching from hps lighting 600watts to led grow lighting and wanted to know what you all thought about the Mars 2 LED grow lights for flowering.... I have a 3'x2.5' grow area and am currently using a 96x3watt reflector series to veg my plants. Plants seem to "love" this light BTW. I recently switched from 6 cfl 23 watt bulbs (6500k)) plus 2 (2700k) 23watt bulbs for a total of 8 bulbs.
I was origionally going to use the Mars 2 96x3watt LED to flower with and after some reading through many different grow journals I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and use this light to veg and then maybe turn on the extra "bloom" switch at a later date to flower. (Am only using the "grow" switch on right now.) But now that I have seen the light, so to speak, and have added a few clones into the mix (different strains) I now feel the need to aquire another light for the flower portion of my grow as to not rob my still veging plants of their awsome new friend. The new flower area will be a 4'x4' grow tent and am wondering wich light would be better for strictly flowering? The Mars reflector series (probably the 192x3watt) or the Mars 2 900 watt (180pcs. @5watts)?
Please help! Any and all comments and/or suggestions are welcome. Even if the suggestion is not the Mars brand of lighting but within a low price range because I am unfortunatly somewhat financially restricted. Aren't we all! Lol! I will also be uploading some pics soon and sharing my grow log info with anyone who cares to check that out. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Big Sparks aka the noob!

All the mars lights will bud just fine. Look at some of mine if you want to see how they work.