which light should I use from to finish?

[Tim Fox]

The 300 MarsHydro light is only 132+/- True watts. Like Tim Fox said both the 150w HPS and the Mars would only draw 282 watts together if you could manage the heat in your space. Using them both would give you better yields i'm sure. I have a 2.5'x4'x5' tent that i run 550 watts of MarsHydro in and they produce A LOT of heat and i still can control the heat with my 4" inline fan.

very well said,,
typically heat is the limiting factor for how much light we can use in a given space,, I would think he could fit all 3 lights in the space,, especially if he hung the 150 hps vertically, where there is a will there is a way

I changed out the fans on my mars 300 for some that were much more quiet,,

 

[mauricem00]

Go with 3 Gallons. I don't think four 5gal will fit in a 2x2 unless they are narrow. Autos are perfect for ScOG. Not sure what your overall plan is but autos can go 24/0 from sprout to harvest in around 90 days. They won't have a lot of time to get big and won't need a 5gal. Go with fabric smartpots by the way.


2x2 is plenty of room for a ScOG. What is your reasoning that is 150w HPS is better than his Mars 300? CFL's are definitely not more efficient than the Mars 300 other than maybe total power draw, but he would get a far smaller harvest.


Depending on the model the mars300 will be a squeeze in a 2x2 tent. How are you planing to fit all three in there? You can't stack them. Also you would definitely light burn your plants.

the manufacturer claims the mars hydro 300 watt draws 140 watts of power and produces 4600 lumens of light ( 14.5 watts radiant power). an 150watt hps draws 165 watts of power and produces 16000 lumens of light. the bridgelux diodes used in those cheap chinese LEDS have a radiant efficiency of 16%. factor in drivers loss and cooling fans and it's down to 13-14 %. a 23 watt cfl produces 5.12 watts of radiant power (22% efficiency ). using a G.E SPXX CMH bulb in that 150 watt fixture would give the best spectrum and better yield and quality.how are you going to scrog with one square foot per plant?

 

[VenomGrower6990]

very well said,,
typically heat is the limiting factor for how much light we can use in a given space,, I would think he could fit all 3 lights in the space,, especially if he hung the 150 hps vertically, where there is a will there is a way

I changed out the fans on my mars 300 for some that were much more quiet,,

Thats the truth. There are many ways to skin a cat as they say. There's so many things people can experiment with and accomplish if they just use their imagination. As for my Mars panels i'm not sure what i am going to do with them after this run. They do grow ok but for the power they draw i expect more yield from them. I have done 3 grow cycles with them and its time to try new things. I bought 4 Citizen Clu048 1812 cobs and 120mm heatsinks and plan to power them with the Meanwell Hlg-240h-1050B driver. I will add 4 more when the budget allows for a total of 8 over a 3x4 area. The Mars could be converted to cobs but i don't know if its worth it.

 

[red42]

the manufacturer claims the mars hydro 300 watt draws 140 watts of power and produces 4600 lumens of light ( 14.5 watts radiant power). an 150watt hps draws 165 watts of power and produces 16000 lumens of light. the bridgelux diodes used in those cheap chinese LEDS have a radiant efficiency of 16%. factor in drivers loss and cooling fans and it's down to 13-14 %. a 23 watt cfl produces 5.12 watts of radiant power (22% efficiency ). using a G.E SPXX CMH bulb in that 150 watt fixture would give the best spectrum and better yield and quality.how are you going to scrog with one square foot per plant?

https://forum.grasscity.com/threads/how-many-autos-can-i-fit-in-a-2x2-tent-with-scrog.1203844/page-2
Here is a good thread talking about the same thing. Everyone has a valid point, what is comes down to is the variables of container size and lights. He has is choice in lights. I recommended the mars 300 because I didn't know if he had the exhaust for a HPS, 2x2s heat up fast, and CFL's are a pain in the ass unless you DIY a cooled adjustable ballast so you can always keep them in range.
Autos have a short veg so 2 plants in a 2x2 won't fill up the screen. 4 plants in 3gal pots is perfectly viable.
Currently he is in a 1 gal pot. He could fit a 1 gal 16 plant SOG or ScOG but it would be a waste of seeds when he could harvest around the same amount with only 4 3gal pots. Autos don't really have the time to fill out a 5 gal and a full 2x2 screen, especially if he puts it under 24/0.

 

[mauricem00]

https://forum.grasscity.com/threads/how-many-autos-can-i-fit-in-a-2x2-tent-with-scrog.1203844/page-2
Here is a good thread talking about the same thing. Everyone has a valid point, what is comes down to is the variables of container size and lights. He has is choice in lights. I recommended the mars 300 because I didn't know if he had the exhaust for a HPS, 2x2s heat up fast, and CFL's are a pain in the ass unless you DIY a cooled adjustable ballast so you can always keep them in range.
Autos have a short veg so 2 plants in a 2x2 won't fill up the screen. 4 plants in 3gal pots is perfectly viable.
Currently he is in a 1 gal pot. He could fit a 1 gal 16 plant SOG or ScOG but it would be a waste of seeds when he could harvest around the same amount with only 4 3gal pots. Autos don't really have the time to fill out a 5 gal and a full 2x2 screen, especially if he puts it under 24/0.

my veg room is a 2ft by 2ft closet. my flowering room is a 2ft by 4 ft closet. I use two 55 watt 2g11 cfls in my veg room and they run cooler than a mars hydro and produce more light. I build my own lights but this is a plug and play version http://www.htgsupply.com/products/growbright-2-foot-tek-light-2-lamp. over twice as much light with only 110 watts of power and a lot less heat that the mars hydro.

 

[VACAVILLE,CA.GROWER]

So how would you scrog autoflowers when they have a short veg time and you cant top autos? Do you just plant them and place the screen and let them up to the screen and start bending them under? I understand scrog grows with photo plants but not autos.

 

[250w HPS grower]

I wouldn't know as ive only used 250w hps, I'm also working in a space similar to yours and a 250w hps works wonders for me. I'm even thinking about getting a 400w hps cooltube

 

[red42]

So how would you scrog autoflowers when they have a short veg time and you cant top autos? Do you just plant them and place the screen and let them up to the screen and start bending them under? I understand scrog grows with photo plants but not autos.

Yeah, same thing, they just don't get as big. You just have to get the screen to plant ratio right.