Mars Hydro Mars Hydro SP3000 Grow/Review by The Mugwamp

[The Dalai Farmer]

Hi everyone and to my first Mars Hydro SP3000 grow.
Firstly I would like to give a massive thank you to @Marshydro
I was lucky enough to win this light on one of the many great Competitions/Giveaways Mars Hydro does here on AFN
I've been using the Mars TSW 2000 for the last year and a half or so, and I absolutely loved that, so we shall see how the SP3000 compares

As usual, it came well packaged and the light looks to be well made, with quality materials

A couple of the fins were a little bent, possibly from the cable or plug. No harm done, and some long nose pliers soon sorted that out

So here we go then.

Kit List
Lighting
Mars Hydro SP3000
20/4 Cycle
Tent
120cm x 80cm x 180cm
Extractor & Filter
4in Swiftair Filter & 5in RVK Extractor
Fans
1 x 6in Oscillating Monkey Fan & 1 x 6in Static Fan
Pots & Grow Medium
2 x 11ltr Square Root Nurse Fabric Pot
1 x 12ltr Round Root Nurse Fabric Pot
4 x Solo Cups
Canna Coco/Pebble Mix 60/40
Nutes
Megacrop, Vitalink Cal/Mag & PH Down and Multi Mite Liquid Seaweed (foliar fed)
Strains

Super Sativa Seed Club
1 x Black Lebanon - Fem - 11ltr Pot
1 x Strawberry Cookies - Fem - 11ltr Pot
2 x Sweet Bourbon Kush - Auto (Solo Cups)
Discreet Seeds
1 x Mac #1 - Fem - 12ltr Pot
Seedstockers
2 x Wedding Glue - Auto (Solo Cups)

All going well so far it's Day 40 for the two Seedstockers Wedding Glue Auto's, Day 6 for two SSSC Sweet Bourbon Kush Auto's and the three photo girls are between 1 and 5 days

 

[The Dalai Farmer]

Update 2

One week later and I'm pleased to say, everyone is looking happy, healthy and growing nicely
I have to say, I do like the dimmer control on the SP3000 my TSW 2000 was the older dimmable version, which you had to use a screwdriver and insert it into each of the two drivers to dim. Which was a right pain in the arse, especially as I had the drivers on top of tent, so I never had it dimmed once. This dimmer is so much easier :smoking:

This grow is mainly Photoperiod, so I need the two Seedstockers Wedding Glue Auto Solocup girls to get a bit of a wriggle on. I was hoping they'd be close to finished by the time I have to switch light cycle, we shall see.
The other two Solocup girls (SSSC Sweet Bourbon Auto Kush) I'm not too worried about how they'll turn out, I am interested to see how they finish when I do switch to 12/12 though

Seedstockers
Wedding Glue Auto - Solo Cups
Day 48

Super Sativa Seed Club
Sweet Bourbon Auto Kush - Solo Cups
Day 13

Discreet Seeds
Mac #1
Day 12

Super Sativa Seed Club
Strawberry Cookies and Black Lebanon
Day 9

That's the boring first week and a bit done we should see the photo girls start to take off over the next week or so, fingers crossed
So till the next time

 

[The Dalai Farmer]

Update 3
Week 3
All looking healthy and still growing nicely and so far, I'm very impressed with the SP3000
They seem to be growing stronger and quicker than the TSW 2000 managed for the same amount of time, so that bodes well. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens when the photo girls start flowering, I'm expecting good things there

Auto's (all in Solo Cups)

Super Sativa Seed Club
Sweet Bourbon Auto Kush
Day 21

Seedstockers
Wedding Glue Auto
Day 55

Photo's

Discreet Seeds
Mac #1
Day 19
All the photo girls will be main lined, of sorts. Topped once and all lower growth removed, leaving just the top node. Then once they have grown 4 nodes, top again and remove the 2nd nodes growth. So left with 4 shoots on each side, which will turn into 8 symmetrical colas when tied down.
This one I did a few days before the two Super Sativa girls, forgot to get a before pic.

Super Sativa Seed Club
Strawberry Cookies and Black Lebanon
Day 15

Before Topping

After

So for now, all is going to plan till the next time, have fun and grow big

 

[The Dalai Farmer]

SP3000
Update 4
Week 4
All going well so far one of my Solo Cup girls is looking a little worse for wear, but it's a Solo Cup, they can be finicky f****** at times
The three photoperiods are the main goal here and so far they seem to be enjoying life under the SP3000 they have all been topped for the last time, and I'm debating tieing all the new shoots down. I have tied them down the only two times I've tried (mainlining, of sorts) but I end up snapping more than I'd like to admit so I may just let them find there way by themselves, it'll be safer.

Photoperiods

Super Sativa Seed Club
Black Lebanon
Day25

Super Sativa Seed Club
Strawberry Cookies
Day 25

Discreet Seeds
Mac #1
Day 29

Autoflowers

Super Sativa Seed Club
Sweet Bourbon Auto Kush
Day 28

Seedstockers
Wedding Glue Auto's
Day 65
Not as happy as she should be I stuck the rougher one in a slightly bigger pot yesterday and gave her a good flush with plain Ph'd water. It's probably a day late and a dollar short with that, but you never know, every little helps we'll see.

That's about it for now, so till the next time, have fun and grow em big

 

[The Dalai Farmer]

SP3000
Update 5
Week 5
So far everything is going to plan the 3 photo girls had their final topping last week and I tied down all the new shoots 2 days ago. I'm going to give them another couple of days, then switch to 12/12 not sure how bad it's going to affect the 4 Auto's, but 2 of them are nearly done now anyway, and the other 2 seem to be in a hurry and flowering already, thankfully.

Photoperiods

Super Sativa Seed Club
Black Lebanon (left) and Strawberry Cookies (right)
Day 30

Discreet Seeds
Mac #1
Day 34

Autoflowers

Super Sativa Seed Club
Sweet Bourbon Auto Kush (Solo Cup Grow)
Day 35

Seedstockers
Wedding Glue Auto's
Day 70
I decided to stick the taller of the two Wedding Glue's into a small plastic pot, as she was looking rougher than a badger's nadger the 2nd one is in the Seedstockers Solo Cup Comp,, so I had to leave her where she is.
Solo Cup Girl

The other abomination

So till the next episode, Stay Safe and Grow Big

 

[The Dalai Farmer]

Sp 3000
Update 6
Week 6
Only change this week was I switched light from 20/4, to 12/12 that was five days ago now and so far, they are all looking pretty healthy still
The two Seedstockers Wedding Glue Auto's are pretty much done. They've been on plain tap water for a few days now, so they'll be coming down any day now
Autoflowers

Seedstockers
Wedding Glue Auto
Day 78

The Wedding Glue I put in the little pot a couple of weeks ago is looking a little, let's say, different
I'll probably just make some bubble hash out of this one.

The other two Solo Cup girls, SSSC Sweet Bourbon Auto Kush, are getting there. Probably the best looking Solo Cups I've do done hopefully they finish as well as they started, but being on 12/12 from now on, we shall see on that

SSSC
Sweet Bourbon Auto Kush
Day 40 ish

Photoperiod

Discreet Seeds
Mac #1
Day 41

Super Sativa Seed Club
Black Lebanon
Day 38

Super Sativa Seed Club
Strawberry Cookies
Day 38

 

[The Dalai Farmer]

SP 3000
Update 7
Week 7
First two are done, literally the two Seedstockers Wedding Glue Auto's came down a few days ago at day 82. Not the best looking plants, but for a Solo Cup, not too bad. The 2nd one lost the plot after I put her in that small plastic pot, but hey, you can't win em all.

Seedstockers
Wedding Glue Auto
Day 82

The other two Solo Cups, the Super Sativa Seed Club -Sweet Bourbon Auto Kush, are still going strong. Could be a couple of crackers, fingers crossed

Super Sativa Seed Club
Sweet Bourbon Auto Kush
Day 51

The three photoperiods are looking pretty good, they have been under 12/12 for two weeks now and the first pre flowers have just made an appearance
The Super Sativa Seed Club - Black Lebanon has really stretched she's around 4in off 4ft now and I'm really hoping she's stopped stretching now.

Super Sativa Seed Club
Strawberry Cookies and Black Lebanon
Day 46

Discreet Seeds
Mac #1
Day 50

 

[The Dalai Farmer]

Update 7
Week 7
Week 3 of Flower
Well, as usual not all going completely to plan The Black Lebanon has stretched far too much for my liking, as of yesterday she was standing a little over 4½ ft so many bud sites though
SSSC
Black Lebanon Fem
Day 53

The other SSSC girl, Strawberry Cookies is at the other end of the spectrum. She is standing a little over 2ft, so a slight difference between them
SSSC
Strawberry Cookies
Day 53

The third photo girl, Discreet Seeds Mac #1, is at a more normal height, thankfully. Not as symmetrical as I'd hoped, but she's looking healthy which is the main thing

Discreet Seeds
Mac #1
Day 57

The two SSSC autoflower Solo Cups are coming on nicely. Probably another week or so for them
SSSC
Sweet Bourbon Auto Kush
Day 58

 

[St. Tom]

Update 7
Week 7
Week 3 of Flower
Well, as usual not all going completely to plan The Black Lebanon has stretched far too much for my liking, as of yesterday she was standing a little over 4½ ft so many bud sites though
SSSC
Black Lebanon Fem
Day 53
View attachment 1418209View attachment 1418211View attachment 1418212View attachment 1418210
The other SSSC girl, Strawberry Cookies is at the other end of the spectrum. She is standing a little over 2ft, so a slight difference between them
SSSC
Strawberry Cookies
Day 53
View attachment 1418213View attachment 1418214
The third photo girl, Discreet Seeds Mac #1, is at a more normal height, thankfully. Not as symmetrical as I'd hoped, but she's looking healthy which is the main thing

Discreet Seeds
Mac #1
Day 57
View attachment 1418216
The two SSSC autoflower Solo Cups are coming on nicely. Probably another week or so for them
SSSC
Sweet Bourbon Auto Kush
Day 58
View attachment 1418217View attachment 1418218View attachment 1418219View attachment 1418220View attachment 1418221View attachment 1418222View attachment 1418223

your one of the most consistent growers I know and a good friend big hugs my bro

 

[The Dalai Farmer]

your one of the most consistent growers I know and a good friend big hugs my bro

Thank you for the kind words mate but I don't know about that, I consistently don't have a clue how they will turn out and I have to say, photoperiods are a lot harder to grow than Auto's are Auto's you can just top and pretty much leave them to it and most of the time you get a nice even canopy, but with photos it doesn't seem to work that way, plus they can stretch a hell of a lot more, like my Black Lebanon, the light is as high as it will go at 5ft and at the moment she's 2in away from it the weed is much better though, none of the airy buds and it always seems stronger. Are you still going to try a Photoperiod grow soon? Looking forward to seeing it when you do have a good weekend anyway mate