Mars Hydro SP 3000 Field Test & Review
The Mars Hydro SP-3000 is the new and improved grow light in the Mars Hydro SP Series. It's ideal for growing cannabis or other plants in a 3x5 or 4x5 foot grow space.
Mars Hydro is a brand I've owned in the past (purchased with my own money), and I've also heard from several other Mars Hydro owners who are happy with their Mars Hydro LED grow lights.
SP-3000 Features
The SP-3000 is 42.5 inches long and weighs 14 pounds. Unlike the similar Mars Hydro TSL-2000, this SP-3000 has a heat sink, and it's also IP65 waterproof. The LEDs are Samsung LM301B plus Osram 660nm red diodes.
The SP-3000 consumes 300 watts of power, which is strong for a 2x4 foot area, and sufficient for a 3x5 foot grow tent.
Removable Driver
One great feature that's been carried over from previous Mars Hydro grow lights is the removable drivers. I haven't seen this on other brands and I think it really helps set Mars Hydro apart.
Lot of people reach out to me about getting grow tent temperatures under control, and being that the drivers produce a lot of the total heat, being able to keep the driver 5 or 6 feet away from the grow light (and outside your tent) really helps. You can do that with the SP-3000 as well.
Light Strength, Hang Height, and Coverage Area
Above is a light intensity PPFD map for the SP-3000, as well as my recommended hang height chart. To learn more about the mechanics of grow light hang height, read my full article here. You can also learn about the full mechanics of light intensity here.
In short, the Mars Hydro SP 3000 LED Grow Light is strong enough to grow any plant in any situation. If you're using CO2 your plants can withstand extra heat and light intensity, up to 1500 ppfd. The SP-3000 is strong enough for that too.
What size space is the Mars Hydro SP-3000 good for? Mars Hydro says this grow light will cover a 4x5 foot space for plants in the seedling and vegetative phase of growth.
You can also grow autoflowers in that 4x5 foot veg space because they receive 18 hours of light at the veg light intensity for the whole lifecycle. For flowering Mars Hydro says it flowers 2x4 feet, but I think it's strong enough to flower 3x5 feet.
Looking for a grow light that flowers 4x4 feet? Check out the Mars Hydro TS-3000, or consider two SP-3000s.
Full Spectrum White Light
The rest of the spectrum is made up with 3000 Kelvin white, which contains a lot of red wavelengths for flowering, 5000 Kelvin white, which contains a lot of blue wavelengths for the seedling and vegetative phase, and 660nm red wavelengths for flowering.
Full spectrum LED grow light provides plants in all stages from veg to flower with everything they need in the natural sunlight. In total, the light spectrum on the SP-3000 will grow your cannabis (or other plants) from the seedling phase all the way to harvest, and you'll end up with top shelf product so long as all your other growing factors are kept in check.
Personal Thoughts of Mars Hydro SP-3000
The Mars Hydro SP-3000 is an impressive fixture. It is brand new model being released in July 2020. It is a significant upgrade over the previous generation of SP fixtures. It shares a similar chassis with the older SP models but features top of the line Samsung LM301b diodes and a 300-watt Mean Well driver. It is 108cm (42.5") long in a bar shape. Since it is a single bar, I was concerned about its edge and corner coverage, but I was very impressed with the performance in my PAR test.
I tested the the SP-3000 in a 4×2 space. It produced one of the best PAR maps I have seen. At a height of 50cm (19.5") the center reading was 999 µmol. The lowest reading that I recorded was in a corner with 734 µmol. Most fixtures cannot keep their corner readings above 500 µmol. The SP-3000 kept all the corners above 700 µmol and the corner squares were the only regions that were below 800 µmol. That is really an exceptional distribution of light.
In addition to an amazing PAR map, the SP-3000 has a superior Photon Efficiency. I measured a Usable PPF of 630.3 µmol with a power draw of 297 watts. That is a Photon Efficiency of 2.12, which competes with some of the best fixtures on the market. However, none of them can compete with the SP-3000 on cost. The SP-3000 comes in at only $0.63/µmol. These numbers are almost too good to be true - but they are true, I tested it myself.
In addition to having superior efficiency and an outstanding distribution of light, the SP-3000 has a few other cool features. It has a very easy to use dimming knob on a control box that is mounted on the top of the fixture. You can connect several fixtures using an ethernet cable (included) and then control them all with one master fixture. I tested the dimming function and at 50% on the dimming knob, both the PPFD reading and the power draw were almost exactly half of their full power.
Most of the LED diodes are Samsung LM301b. However, the SP-3000 also features Osram 660nm diodes which help fill in the red spectrum. All of the diodes are coated in a waterproof seal which protects the lamp in humid grow tent conditions.
The fixture did not run too hot in my test. I measured the temperature of the heat sink at 122f and the driver got up to 148f. It is a large single driver powering the 300-watt fixture, so I was not surprised that it got warm. Fortunately, the driver is removable and comes with a 2-meter (6') cord. If temperatures run too hot in your tent, you can easily remove the driver and locate it outside the tent. Conversely, if the tent is too cold you can leave the driver mounted on the fixture.
As soon as I took my first PPFD reading in the corner of the test area I was sold on this light. I actually thought there must be some mistake and I reverified that the center was under 1000 µmol. The PAR map is impressive, the efficiency is superior, and the price is a bargain. I have not seen a better 300-watt fixture for a 4'x2' grow space. Not just at this price, but at any price! Two of these in a 4'x4' tent would be amazing. The SP-3000 can probably easily cover a slightly larger space than the 4'x2'. I have two of them and will run some additional tests in alternative areas both individually and together. Look forward to seeing how the 2 of them do together in 4'x4' and 5'x5' grow spaces.
I give the SP-3000 my highest recommendation. It is an awesome fixture and I am sure that any grower will love it.