300w LED-Grow

[VenomGrower6990]

0.29GPW.I thought LEDS were suppose to give you 1.5 GPW. CFL growers are doing 0,56-0.8 GPW. I am far from being an expert grower. more like barely average but i'm pulling 0.7 GPW with T5s.,seems like you have serious problems that no amount of lighting will fix

Lets say i grew 4 plants under my setup (which i could easily do btw with the given space) anyways my two plants on my last grow each averaged 3ozs and if you take that by 4 plants they would produce somewhere in the 12oz range total so that would equal 0.6gpw right? I only grow for personal use and not for profit so it suits me just fine as i get to grow other strains so i can try different flavors and experiences. Lots of elements to factor into the whole picture.

 

[coreywebster]

@VenomGrower6990 and @Woyaboy

When you guys say 600w units, I imagine you are talking advertised watts as apposed to draw at the socket? If so what is the draw at the socket. I ask because I have seen lots of light burn in some LED single diode style grows and 600w actual draw is a crazy amount of light in a 2x2. If its more like a 250w then I can understand how having two units would be beneficial. not Knocking anyone! Just curious. Also I ask because of maurices GPW calculations which will not be accurate if those units are not drawing that wattage.

Anyhow, Mars gets a right bashing all over the net, never used them but I have seen a few people sharing results which seem pretty impressive. I also see lots of newbs coming on here asking about them and getting shot down pretty quick. It would be nice to have a thread for guys who run the mars and other "cheap Chinese" lights and show results. So these guys have something to reference instead of the usual "they're cheap Chinese shit" lines folks come straight out with. Obviously lots of folks have had problems with diodes burning out, that's the problem with "cheap" it means build quality is cut down, but it doesn't mean every unit is going to fail, just a higher percentage of returns. I also don't like to see folks assuming because one unit is cheap Chinese all Chinese manufactured stuff is shit, because they are the same as anyone, they build cheap, they build quality and everywhere between.

Anyway keep up the good work, I like to see what folks are doing with equipment different from mine.

 

[Woyaboy]

@VenomGrower6990 and @Woyaboy

When you guys say 600w units, I imagine you are talking advertised watts as apposed to draw at the socket? If so what is the draw at the socket. I ask because I have seen lots of light burn in some LED single diode style grows and 600w actual draw is a crazy amount of light in a 2x2. If its more like a 250w then I can understand how having two units would be beneficial. not Knocking anyone! Just curious. Also I ask because of maurices GPW calculations which will not be accurate if those units are not drawing that wattage.

Anyhow, Mars gets a right bashing all over the net, never used them but I have seen a few people sharing results which seem pretty impressive. I also see lots of newbs coming on here asking about them and getting shot down pretty quick. It would be nice to have a thread for guys who run the mars and other "cheap Chinese" lights and show results. So these guys have something to reference instead of the usual "they're cheap Chinese shit" lines folks come straight out with. Obviously lots of folks have had problems with diodes burning out, that's the problem with "cheap" it means build quality is cut down, but it doesn't mean every unit is going to fail, just a higher percentage of returns. I also don't like to see folks assuming because one unit is cheap Chinese all Chinese manufactured stuff is shit, because they are the same as anyone, they build cheap, they build quality and everywhere between.

Anyway keep up the good work, I like to see what folks are doing with equipment different from mine.

No problem at all! Def NOT 600 actual watts, it's more like 240.

ON a side note, if I have a 2x2x5 does that mean I have 4 square feet? Or 2 square feet? Sorry for dumb question.

Yea, as I said before, I can't hate on Mars...the people who run the company are QUICK to answer questions and give discounts if you ask, they check back often to see if your problem is resolved, and as I stated before, for people trying to get their footsies wet, it's a daunting feeling knowing you are about to sink 700 plus dollars on ONE light, on your FIRST fucking grow...it's just so much easier to see if you even like growing and want to take it seriously by dropping 140 bucks on a couple of units. While I def know there are better options out there, and in the future I will be looking at those options, I am still so fucking amazed at how far I've gotten on 3 units for a total of 350.

Sorry if I am blabbing, one last question though. If the 600 is pulling about 240 actual watts, could my veg tent go for another light? I'll post pics if you want, but the one 600 i have in there really seems to be kicking ass and I wouldn't mind dropping another 100 on another one if it'll kick twice the ass...

 

[coreywebster]

No problem at all! Def NOT 600 actual watts, it's more like 240.

ON a side note, if I have a 2x2x5 does that mean I have 4 square feet? Or 2 square feet? Sorry for dumb question.

Yea, as I said before, I can't hate on Mars...the people who run the company are QUICK to answer questions and give discounts if you ask, they check back often to see if your problem is resolved, and as I stated before, for people trying to get their footsies wet, it's a daunting feeling knowing you are about to sink 700 plus dollars on ONE light, on your FIRST fucking grow...it's just so much easier to see if you even like growing and want to take it seriously by dropping 140 bucks on a couple of units. While I def know there are better options out there, and in the future I will be looking at those options, I am still so fucking amazed at how far I've gotten on 3 units for a total of 350.

Sorry if I am blabbing, one last question though. If the 600 is pulling about 240 actual watts, could my veg tent go for another light? I'll post pics if you want, but the one 600 i have in there really seems to be kicking ass and I wouldn't mind dropping another 100 on another one if it'll kick twice the ass...

Yes 2ft x 2ft = 4square foot.

I run HPS, use a 400w in my 4x4 tent for veg. I could go 600w if I wanted too. If your lights are 240w draw then yeah you could add another I suppose, if you can keep your temps under control. It may be overkill for veg though.
Sometimes if theres have a heat wave I drop my veg down to 250hps and I find the growth to be slower but still fine. Possible that with your space the extra unit may not actually benefit you. But you would be better getting advice from other mars users rather than a hps guy.

More light in flower would be a better thing to spend your cash on I would imagine

 

[VenomGrower6990]

@VenomGrower6990 and @Woyaboy

When you guys say 600w units, I imagine you are talking advertised watts as apposed to draw at the socket? If so what is the draw at the socket. I ask because I have seen lots of light burn in some LED single diode style grows and 600w actual draw is a crazy amount of light in a 2x2. If its more like a 250w then I can understand how having two units would be beneficial. not Knocking anyone! Just curious. Also I ask because of maurices GPW calculations which will not be accurate if those units are not drawing that wattage.

Anyhow, Mars gets a right bashing all over the net, never used them but I have seen a few people sharing results which seem pretty impressive. I also see lots of newbs coming on here asking about them and getting shot down pretty quick. It would be nice to have a thread for guys who run the mars and other "cheap Chinese" lights and show results. So these guys have something to reference instead of the usual "they're cheap Chinese shit" lines folks come straight out with. Obviously lots of folks have had problems with diodes burning out, that's the problem with "cheap" it means build quality is cut down, but it doesn't mean every unit is going to fail, just a higher percentage of returns. I also don't like to see folks assuming because one unit is cheap Chinese all Chinese manufactured stuff is shit, because they are the same as anyone, they build cheap, they build quality and everywhere between.

Anyway keep up the good work, I like to see what folks are doing with equipment different from mine.

You sir are civil Thank you . As for yor question my lights each pull 278+/- true watts from the wall so i have about 550+/- true watts with the two running in my tent. And your right they may not be the best led out there but they do grow and imo for small personal growers the lights do a great job. I believe like you that each type of lighting can produce different results for growers and theres no need for other fellow growers to make people feel under par because they dont have big funds to do a hobby they really enjoy. Pretty bad on a great grow site like RIU that people are worried about asking questions because they might get bashed for using "cheap Chinese" led. Feels like an inferior complex around here.

 

[VenomGrower6990]

You sir are civil Thank you . As for yor question my lights each pull 278+/- true watts from the wall so i have about 550+/- true watts with the two running in my tent. And your right they may not be the best led out there but they do grow and imo for small personal growers the lights do a great job. I believe like you that each type of lighting can produce different results for growers and theres no need for other fellow growers to make people feel under par because they dont have big funds to do a hobby they really enjoy. Pretty bad on a great grow site like RIU that people are worried about asking questions because they might get bashed for using "cheap Chinese" led. Feels like an inferior complex around here.

Another great thing is with the Mars units if the diodes do fail at a later date you have already invested in your fans/drivers and your heatsink for a diy cob build and even have a nice panel to put the cobs into. So its really a win-win i think.

Check out this Mars conversion by SamsonsRiddle (Hope he doesn't mind).

 

[mauricem00]

Lets say i grew 4 plants under my setup (which i could easily do btw with the given space) anyways my two plants on my last grow each averaged 3ozs and if you take that by 4 plants they would produce somewhere in the 12oz range total so that would equal 0.6gpw right? I only grow for personal use and not for profit so it suits me just fine as i get to grow other strains so i can try different flavors and experiences. Lots of elements to factor into the whole picture.

I to am a PU MMJ grower. I grow 4 plants currently under a 4 bulb 4 foot T5 fixture. I top once to achieve a 14 inch by 48 inch canopy under this light and veg for 6 weeks from seed.my lights draw 203watts after a 10 minute warm up from a cold start.my last grow yielded 5 1/2 ounces but I keep my plants small and bushy. I to modified my mars 300 after the first grow replacing the diodes with 5 4000k vero 18s driven at 0.8333333 amps using a simple home built constant current drive. the performance was better but still did not match the 2G11 cfls I was using in that closet.leds are sexy and I wish they worked a little better but for now i'm getting better performance out of my T5s.at 98.5 lumens per watt they are not as effiecient as my COBs at 112 lumens per watt (including driver loss and cooling fans) but the do provide a much better spectrum. I use 4 6500k for veg and then switch to 2 6500k and 2 flora suns for flowering. moved my grow room from a 2 by 2 closet to a 2 by 6 closet and switched from 2 G11 CFLs to F54T5HOs but SOG and topping and training will definitely improve your yield. people have had mixed results with mars hydro and similar lights witch is why so many people here do not like them.you may have got a good one but I got a bad one.if your light fails and you decide to convert to cob then shop around. the cree 3590 is already being surpassed by the citizens cob and by some of the Samsung SMDs.

 

[VenomGrower6990]

I to am a PU MMJ grower. I grow 4 plants currently under a 4 bulb 4 foot T5 fixture. I top once to achieve a 14 inch by 48 inch canopy under this light and veg for 6 weeks from seed.my lights draw 203watts after a 10 minute warm up from a cold start.my last grow yielded 5 1/2 ounces but I keep my plants small and bushy. I to modified my mars 300 after the first grow replacing the diodes with 5 4000k vero 18s driven at 0.8333333 amps using a simple home built constant current drive. the performance was better but still did not match the 2G11 cfls I was using in that closet.leds are sexy and I wish they worked a little better but for now i'm getting better performance out of my T5s.at 98.5 lumens per watt they are not as effiecient as my COBs at 112 lumens per watt (including driver loss and cooling fans) but the do provide a much better spectrum. I use 4 6500k for veg and then switch to 2 6500k and 2 flora suns for flowering. moved my grow room from a 2 by 2 closet to a 2 by 6 closet and switched from 2 G11 CFLs to F54T5HOs but SOG and topping and training will definitely improve your yield. people have had mixed results with mars hydro and similar lights witch is why so many people here do not like them.you may have got a good one but I got a bad one.if your light fails and you decide to convert to cob then shop around. the cree 3590 is already being surpassed by the citizens cob and by some of the Samsung SMDs.

Nice man!! Thanks for the info its good to know and i definitely will take your advice.

 

[mauricem00]

Nice man!! Thanks for the info its good to know and i definitely will take your advice.

I am no expert. just a 59 year old MMJ patient who is trying to learn like everyone else.we all use what works best for us and we are all looking for ways to improve our grow. some of us make no profit from our girls and need to work on a tight budget. there is a lot of bad information floating around and a lot of companies trying to sell things that do not work.be careful. I have been looking at these for side lighting http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/samsung-semiconductor-inc/SI-B8T342560WW/1510-1324-ND/5875178 cheap and very effiecient and can be used with a cheap ebay driver. if your into DIY you may want to take a look at them. white leds do provide the deep red thats lacking in most fluorescent. the flora sun is another way to enhance your spectrum inexpensively http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=23649. I use these myself and they are the best plant and aquarium bulb on the market. im attaching the SPD for these bulbs. mixed with 6500k bulbs they have given me a slight improvement in flowering. good luck!!!!!!

 

[VenomGrower6990]

I am no expert. just a 59 year old MMJ patient who is trying to learn like everyone else.we all use what works best for us and we are all looking for ways to improve our grow. some of us make no profit from our girls and need to work on a tight budget. there is a lot of bad information floating around and a lot of companies trying to sell things that do not work.be careful. I have been looking at these for side lighting http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/samsung-semiconductor-inc/SI-B8T342560WW/1510-1324-ND/5875178 cheap and very effiecient and can be used with a cheap ebay driver. if your into DIY you may want to take a look at them. white leds do provide the deep red thats lacking in most fluorescent. the flora sun is another way to enhance your spectrum inexpensively http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=23649. I use these myself and they are the best plant and aquarium bulb on the market. im attaching the SPD for these bulbs. mixed with 6500k bulbs they have given me a slight improvement in flowering. good luck!!!!!!

Exellent Thanks for the link. I will definitely go check them out. I do like how you are trying to be efficient as possible to save on energy and get better yeilds with lower wattages with higher par.

 

[mauricem00]

Exellent Thanks for the link. I will definitely go check them out. I do like how you are trying to be efficient as possible to save on energy and get better yeilds with lower wattages with higher par.

nothing wrong with a hybrid light. taking advantage of the benefits of leds and florescent if you can do it in a cost effective manner. indagro has been using 660/720nm led pontoons on their induction lights for a few years to supplement the spectrum. with good success. I am trying to limit my heat signature and my electrical cost to $10/month. I have an MMJ card and the health department says I can grow up to 12 plants but the local sheriff thinks anyone who grows pot is a drug dealer (red neck idiot) so I try to keep a low profile. more accurately i'm trying to match the mccree curve as close as possible

 

[VenomGrower6990]

nothing wrong with a hybrid light. taking advantage of the benefits of leds and florescent if you can do it in a cost effective manner. indagro has been using 660/720nm led pontoons on their induction lights for a few years to supplement the spectrum. with good success.

Sounds like you do your research on the different types of lights and have a good idea of what your getting 4 sure.

 

[mauricem00]

Sounds like you do your research on the different types of lights and have a good idea of what your getting 4 sure.

just one of those german perfectionist

 

[Woyaboy]

Yes 2ft x 2ft = 4square foot.

I run HPS, use a 400w in my 4x4 tent for veg. I could go 600w if I wanted too. If your lights are 240w draw then yeah you could add another I suppose, if you can keep your temps under control. It may be overkill for veg though.
Sometimes if theres have a heat wave I drop my veg down to 250hps and I find the growth to be slower but still fine. Possible that with your space the extra unit may not actually benefit you. But you would be better getting advice from other mars users rather than a hps guy.

More light in flower would be a better thing to spend your cash on I would imagine

I just checked the unit and it's actually 280watts, so I think I'll be alright not gonna bother putting another in.

 

[Woyaboy]

Another great thing is with the Mars units if the diodes do fail at a later date you have already invested in your fans/drivers and your heatsink for a diy cob build and even have a nice panel to put the cobs into. So its really a win-win i think.
View attachment 3724151
Check out this Mars conversion by SamsonsRiddle (Hope he doesn't mind).
View attachment 3724154

This is neat! So all i would need is to buy the LED? Or...? Where is a good place to learn about this stuff? I hear words I don't know, Heat sinks, drivers, etc.

 

[VenomGrower6990]

Just a cob kit like this onehttp://www.cutter.com.au/proddetail.php?prod=cut2914 and as for youtube this guy rocks it and has tons of info in his videos.https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCPSwmwj8ZLXObtBJmz-76rw BTW the cutter kit link is one of the options to do the diy on the Mars. Seems a little spendy but to get the other diy kit for the heatsinks and the cobs and the ideal holders ect.. it is $399.00 and you half to still build a frame for the cobs.

 

[VenomGrower6990]

Growmau5 is here on RIU too. I have learned a lot with his videos and his thread and other peoples cob builds too. Im always researching this stuff.