2x2 Grow - Mars Hydro TSW2000 - Home Made DWC

redleb961 · Mar 19, 2020

Hello everyone,

I am getting ready to start my new 2x2 grow.

Ive had this tent on hold for years since ive been growing in an open room for the last couple years, but now's the time to start using the mini tent again !

I am writing this post to get to know different opinions on the setup and the subject in general.

Lighting :

LED from mars Hydro : TSW2000 - Actual Draw 310w

Ventilation :

187m3/h (110cfm) 4inch Exhaust Fan

105m3/h (60cfm) 4inch Intake Fan

4inch Carbon Filter rated at 250m3/h (147cfm)

Growing Medium :

1x DIY DWC 32L (Bucket 8,4gal) bucket (1 Plant only)

Regular Tap Water

1x Air pump : 4L per minute (240l/h)

1x 13cm (5,10inches) circular Air Stone

Nutrients :

GHE Flora Series - Veg , Bloom , Micro

Growing Technique :

Topping + Scrog to optimize the space

(Not sure how many times i should top for this kind of space though)

Light should be here by tomorrow.

Building the DWC bucket when i get the parts soon.

Let me know what you guys think.

Cheers

nickman · Mar 19, 2020

I know that the LED you’ve chosen is rated for a 4x4 for veg and 3x3 for flower...!!!... so I’d think i5 should do well in your 2x2 spot...!!!...

I’ve also just received my Mars Hydro TSW2000... ... ... I haven’t got to putting it up just yet though ... ... ... I’m very curious to see what it can do. . . . . . . . .

Mars Hydro Led · Mar 19, 2020

Hi Redleb961, Thanks for choosing our light. :huggg:

Like Nickman said, The tent that is suitable for TSW2000 would be 3x3ft. 2x2tent is a little tight for that light.
You can use the dimmable function to lower the temp some. And the drivers also can be mounted out of the tent to help lower the temp. Happy grow!! :plant grow:

redleb961 · Mar 19, 2020

nickman said:
I know that the LED you’ve chosen is rated for a 4x4 for veg and 3x3 for flower...!!!... so I’d think i5 should do well in your 2x2 spot...!!!...

I’ve also just received my Mars Hydro TSW2000... ... ... I haven’t got to putting it up just yet though ... ... ... I’m very curious to see what it can do. . . . . . . . .

Thanks for your reply buddy. Regarding the light i think you can never have enough power ! I've got the ventilation all set for heat extraction and IF heat would become an issue i could always find a solution for that. Ive already got a small fan blowing directly on the boards. I could always place the boards outside of the tent too! Will wait and see what happens when the grow starts.

redleb961 · Mar 19, 2020

Mars Hydro Led said:
Hi Redleb961, Thanks for choosing our light. Like Nickman said, The tent that is suitable for TSW2000 would be 3x3ft. 2x2tent is a little tight for that light.
You can use the dimmable function to lower the temp some. And the drivers also can be mounted out of the tent to help lower the temp. Happy grow!!

I always choose mars hydro when going LED! Ive grown with 3 lights in the past (2 of the old 300W model , and 1 Mars II 900W). Always satisfied.

Im excited to see what the TSW2000 will bring.

Regarding the light being tight , you are right ! Ill post some pictures soon. It fits perfectly though while still having 2-3cm (1-1.5inch) free on each side.

If heat will become an issue i will surely place the boards outside.

One question though, the factory settings of the light are already on max ? Or i should use the screwdriver to make it stronger ?

redleb961 · Mar 19, 2020

Here are the pictures of the tent. Sorry they're not straight, i couldnt figure out how to rotate them.

Douglas.Curtis · Mar 19, 2020

redleb961 said:
Thanks for your reply buddy. Regarding the light i think you can never have enough power !

Welcome to ICMag!!

Fortunately (for your wallet), cannabis does have light limitations. Without dimming the light in your small space, your flowers are going to be small and rock hard. A 2x2 space with the TS series spectrum only needs a smidge over 200w of light. The rough estimate for cannabis is 25-30w of LED lighting, for every square foot of flowering space. The more blurple or lower quality the light, the closer to 30wpsqft you want to reach. Facts suck, they don't care what growers think. Without dimming, you'll get a smaller harvest than if you dimmed the light or used a larger space.

Be sure you can keep your nutrient solution temps between 65F and 69F. If this is not easy or doable, I would advise switching to a drip or flood system. It's not much more for a pump, hoses and tray, and the ability to have a higher root zone temp is very handy.

redleb961 · Mar 19, 2020

Douglas.Curtis said:
Welcome to ICMag!!

Fortunately (for your wallet), cannabis does have light limitations. Without dimming the light in your small space, your flowers are going to be small and rock hard.

Hello my friend. Thanks for taking the time to answer and explain about light limitations. But based on what i read and the knowledge i have, the researches show that cannabis plants can be limited not by light but by carbs and temperature as well.

The TSW2000 has a PPFD of 910 in the center of a 3x3 tent at a height of 18 inches. Based on what i read, cannabis plants would be limited in growth due to 2 factors :
1) 1500+ PPFD
2) 30C+ temps

Of course we should take into consideration that seedlings need 200-400 PPFD , veg 400-800 , flower 800+.
So what i can do is either dim the lights for the seedling and veg phase or put them higher inside the tent. 18 inches wouldnt be a problem during the flowering phase i suppose.

Let me know what you think of all that.
Cheers

Paddi · Mar 19, 2020

Subbed

Best growluck redleb961 :tiphat:

P

redleb961 · Mar 19, 2020

Paddi said:
Subbed

Best growluck redleb961

P

Thanks alot buddy ! Most Welcome !! :rasta:

redleb961 · Mar 19, 2020

Guys , im actually having a hard time deciding wether i use a DWC bucket or not, heres why:

My DWC bucket is 38cm (15inches) high. Im installing a plastic faucet in the bottom for evac so im going to have to put something below the bucket to lift if up a little , lets say around 10cm (4inches).

18inches is the highest i can have between the light and the top of the bucket taking into consideration the 4inches lost below the dwc bucket.

If i use my smart pot (the one in the tent right now in the picture), i can have 85cm (33inches) between the soil and the light.

Should i sacrifice yield for height ? Or should i keep the DWC system and just dim the light at 50% and keep it at 18inches (maybe 14-16 for flowering) during the whole grow ?

Douglas.Curtis · Mar 19, 2020

redleb961 said:
Hello my friend. Thanks for taking the time to answer and explain about light limitations. But based on what i read and the knowledge i have, the researches show that cannabis plants can be limited not by light but by carbs and temperature as well.

Let me know what you think of all that.
Cheers

My pleasure, always happy to help steer new growers in the right direction. With prohibition messing with information, 'what's out there' often has little to do with practical application.

You're going to find cannabis can indeed handle very intense light, and it does this very well when all the other conditions are also very good. As a new grower, you really want a wider margin of error available. Like a new rider on a motorcycle, practicing on a narrow road with a cliff on one side is nowhere near as safe as a field.

The readings were taken with a 3x3 tent, while your reflective walls are only 2x2. I've already used a TSW-2000 in a 2.5x2.5 tent, and it's too much light. I'm used to a 1K HPS in a 4x4, and the TSW-2000 in the small tent was too much. With the right amount of CO2, heat, humidity, airflow and nutrition, you could take advantage of all that intensity and get a large yield for your 2x2 space. Without all that, you'll end up reducing your yield, potency and terpene content.

I personally believe quality is better with cool/dry flowering environments, so again my advice is to dim the light or get a larger space. Dim it or not, with some care you're still going to get cannabis out of the deal. : :tiphat:

(Edit: 5 Gallon buckets are too tall, you're already going to run into height issues. I'd look for a single tub which fits your 2x2 space. Make 2-4 stations and use clones from the same mum each run. You'll have only one bucket to tend, and you'll have them all growing, using nutes and being harvested the same way/time. )

redleb961 · Mar 19, 2020

Douglas.Curtis said:
The readings were taken with a 3x3 tent, while your reflective walls are only 2x2. I've already used a TSW-2000 in a 2.5x2.5 tent, and it's too much light. I'm used to a 1K HPS in a 4x4, and the TSW-2000 in the small tent was too much. With the right amount of CO2, heat, humidity, airflow and nutrition, you could take advantage of all that intensity and get a large yield for your 2x2 space. Without all that, you'll end up reducing your yield, potency and terpene content.

I personally believe quality is better with cool/dry flowering environments, so again my advice is to dim the light or get a larger space. Dim it or not, with some care you're still going to get cannabis out of the deal. :

Thanks again for taking the time to write a well detailed answer my friend. Just for clarification, im not a "new grower" , ive been growing for years , either outdoors , indoors , grow rooms , grow tents , soil , hydro , etc ... but of course there's always room for knowledge.

Im used to growing with old LED models , and my good old 600w HPS light. The new TS series is new technology for me and i might be under estimating the TSW2000 light. Ill take your advice into consideration when starting the grow, and ill lower it down to 50% which i think is the lowest i can get it to.

Ill increase the power further down the road during veg and ill put it back on max during the flowering phase while keeping it at a height of 18 inches.

Let me know if this seems okay with you regarding the intensity.
Cheers

Mars Hydro Led · Mar 20, 2020

redleb961 said:
I always choose mars hydro when going LED! Ive grown with 3 lights in the past (2 of the old 300W model , and 1 Mars II 900W). Always satisfied.

Im excited to see what the TSW2000 will bring.

Regarding the light being tight , you are right ! Ill post some pictures soon. It fits perfectly though while still having 2-3cm (1-1.5inch) free on each side.

If heat will become an issue i will surely place the boards outside.

One question though, the factory settings of the light are already on max ? Or i should use the screwdriver to make it stronger ?

The factory setting is almost 85% to 90% of the max power. The light can be 110% power but we didn't recommend our customers to do like that. It might shorten the lifespan. In 2x2 tent, i would like to suggest you to lower the power a little to keep the temps lower. :biggrin:

Douglas.Curtis · Mar 20, 2020

Sounds like a plan, and looking forward to your experience.
:dance013:

redleb961 · Mar 20, 2020

Mars Hydro Led said:
The factory setting is almost 85% to 90% of the max power. The light can be 110% power but we didn't recommend our customers to do like that. It might shorten the lifespan. In 2x2 tent, i would like to suggest you to lower the power a little to keep the temps lower.

I sent an email to one of the Mars hydro sellers in the customer service and they told me the factory settings are at 100%, its not a problem ill just lower it with the screwdriver anyways!

Still waiting for the equipment i ordered to arrive to be able to start the DWC bucket ... already germinated the seed!

Will keep everyone posted :canabis:

redleb961 · Mar 22, 2020

Hello everyone,

Here are a couple pictures of the grow getting set up right now.
Im still waiting for the small pieces to complete my hydro bucket (Plastic faucet, tube, air pump, air stones, etc ...)

All i have right now is 15cm (6inches) between the bucket and the scrog net + 55cm (21.6inches) from scrog to light.
Ive dimmed the light to the minimum where it says "25" (there are 4 marks : 25 - 50 - 75 - 100).

Will see how things go.

Mars Hydro Led · Mar 24, 2020

redleb961 said:
Hello everyone,

Here are a couple pictures of the grow getting set up right now.
Im still waiting for the small pieces to complete my hydro bucket (Plastic faucet, tube, air pump, air stones, etc ...)

All i have right now is 15cm (6inches) between the bucket and the scrog net + 55cm (21.6inches) from scrog to light.
Ive dimmed the light to the minimum where it says "25" (there are 4 marks : 25 - 50 - 75 - 100).

Will see how things go.

[URL=https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=82683&pictureid=2019729&thumb=1]View Image[/url] [URL=https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=82683&pictureid=2019730&thumb=1]View Image[/url]

The grow kit looks good. we will keep an eyes on it. :biggrin:

redleb961 · Mar 24, 2020

Mars Hydro Led said:
we will keep an eyes on it.

Always Welcome !! :tiphat:

redleb961 · Mar 24, 2020

Update :
Seed has been germinated succesfully.

Keeping RH between 85 and 95% in the dome.

Temperature between 21C and 24C (69F-75F)

2x2 Grow - Mars Hydro TSW2000 - Home Made DWC

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