by Nebula Haze
See Other Examples of Cannabis Growing Setups
Mars Hydro SP3000 Quantum Board LED Grow Setup for Growing Cannabis
- Average Yields: 8-14 oz ounces
- Plants: Recommended 2-6 plants
- Optimal grow space is a 2’x4’x6′ grow tent
- Actual Power Consumption: About 300W at full power, and can be dimmed down for younger plants or if the temperature is getting too high
- How Far to Keep from Plants: 24″ from the top of plants in the vegetative stage, and 18-24″ away in the flowering stage (watch plants for signs of light stress)
Mars Hydro SP3000 LED grow light – great seed-to-harvest cannabis grow light.
About the Mars Hydro SP3000 LED Setup for Growing Weed Indoors
This is currently the LED I’m using for growing weed. Mars Hydro does testing on live cannabis plants and in shows. Cannabis plants grow fast and healthy under every Mars Hydro LED grow light I’ve tried, and it gets some of the best LED yields.
Pros: The Mars Hydro SP3000 is a bar style quantum board with a great spectrum and ultra-high efficiency chips that seems to get better yields than some other LEDs for the amount of electricity. They’re gentle on plants and easy to use.
Cons: More expensive than some of the similar wattage generic LED grow lights available.
Setup Cost Estimates
Estimated Cost: $575+
- Ultra budget (no smell filtering): $575
- Ultra budget + smell filtering: $675
- Premium – higher quality fan plus optional extras: $850
Summary of what’s needed for this Mars Hydro SP3000 LED cannabis grow light setup.
Complete Grow Supply List
This cannabis grow room setup guide with shopping list includes all the supplies you need to get to harvest.
Mars Hydro SP3000 Quantum Board LED Grow Light (up to 350 watts)
Mars Hydro SP3000 LED grow light (designed to be used from seed to harvest)
- Yields: 8-14 oz per harvest
- Simple to use and hang. Works exactly as you’d expect.
- Gets great growth on young plants as well as excellent bud formation.
- Only uses 300 watts of electricity (can be turned down if necessary)
Cost: $360
The Mars Hydro SP3000 can produce up to 14 oz of weed when used as directed
Grow Tent (recommended sizes)
Just about any grow tent brand works great, but I’ve had good luck with the CoolGrows tents and they’re pretty reasonably priced. A grow tent is an easy and cheap way to instantly create a perfect cannabis grow space that can deal with water, light, heat, and smells.
- 2’x4’x6′ tent – an example is Cool Grows 48”x24”x72” grow tent.
Cost: $80
This Cool Grows tent is a good fit for the Mars Hydro SP3000 LED grow light.
6″ Exhaust Fan
An exhaust fan vents hot air and can be combined with a carbon filter to stop all smells from leaving the grow space. The 6″ size is more than enough for a 2’x4’x6′ grow tent.
- Recommended: 6″ AC Infinity CLOUDLINE series of inline exhaust fans. These are quiet at top speed and completely silent at lower speeds.
- S6 is the cheaper, simpler version which works well and gives you basic fan speed controls
- The programmable T6 version has handy extras like a Temperature/Humidity Probe and Display Screen
- I picked the 6″ fans because their 4″ fan struggles to keep this size tent cool if the grow room gets warm, though it could get the job done in a pinch.
- Budget choice (Cheap but loud): 6″ Vivosun fan
- The Vivosun 6″ Fan – 440 CFM is significantly smaller and cheaper. However, it is also significantly louder and uses more electricity.
Cost: $80+ ($80-160)
The AC Infinity CLOUDLINE S6 6″ exhaust fan uses less electricity and runs quieter than most other exhaust fans of similar power. It is silent on the lower settings. The programmable T6 version is the exact same fan but has a digital screen that gives you more control over the fan settings.
(Optional) Carbon Filter – For smell filtering
When set up properly, a carbon filter removes 100% of odors but it must be attached to a good exhaust fan (like the AC Infinity above) to work.
- Recommended: Terrabloom 6-inch Carbon Filter, 6″ x 16″ version plus ducting/clamps
Cost: $100
I’ve had great smell filtering with the above 6″ Cloudline fan attached to this Terrabloom 6″ carbon filter with 6″ ducting.
Plant Pots
I prefer fabric pots or air pots because cannabis plants grow faster but need to be watered more often than standard hard-sided plant pots. Both types work great for growing cannabis indoors. Often the best plant pot is whatever is cheap and easy for you to get.
- Recommended: Fabric pots between 2-7 gallons (any fabric pots work great so I pick whatever is cheap or looks the best to me)
Cost: $20
These 5-gallon fabric pots work great in this setup
Grow Medium (Soil, Coco, Hydro)
Grow mediums can include coco coir or soil (hydroponics for more advanced growers) but if you’re not sure, a coco-based soil like Coco Loco is perfect for beginners.
- Recommended Soil: One 2 cu ft bag bag of coco-based soil with perlite should be able to fill 15 gallons worth of pots. For example, it will fill 5 x 3-gallon fabric pots.
Cost: $40
Coco Loco is a coco-based rich airy soil that cannabis plants thrive in
Nutrients
Many nutrient systems have a nutrient schedule so you give your plants the right ratios for each stage of life. Basically, you use a “vegetative” or all-purpose plant nutrient for the first part of your plant’s life and a “bloom” or low-nitrogen nutrients when buds are forming. Tip: Always start at half-strength with a new base nutrient system since the recommended amount can be too high for cannabis plants.
Recommended Beginner Nutrients: Dyna-Gro Grow + Bloom nutrient combo is excellent, cheap, and easy to use for growing cannabis indoors.
- Dyna-Gro “Grow”: Give 1 tsp per gallon of water during the vegetative stage.
- Dyna-Gro “Bloom”: Give 1 tsp/gallon of water after buds start forming.
Cost: $20
Dyna-Gro Grow + Bloom is a cheap and simple nutrient system for newbies. One bottle for veg, one bottle for after buds start forming. 1 tsp/gallon. Super simple!
Other Nice-to-Have Stuff
- 24-Hour Timer (to put your grow lights on a timer so the plants get a day and night period on a schedule) – $10
- Water containers (I personally use a 3-gallon or 5-gallon water jug to mix up nutrients, but anything can work) – Much cheaper at Wal-Mart ($5-15) than online!
- Extra 1/8″ Rope Ratchets (sooooo handy) – These can be used to hang your grow light or carbon filter from inside the tent, and still be able to easily move it up and down without needing any strength. Your grow light usually comes with a set of rope ratchets, but it’s a great idea to get an extra set to hang the carbon filter – $10
- Thermometer/Humidity Monitor with a probe so you can keep track of the temperature inside the tent – $15
- PH Test Kit – Prevent potential nutrient deficiencies by testing the water pH – $20
- Measuring spoons for measuring out your nutrients (many people already have these) – $12
Estimated Cost: $575-$850 plus the cost of seeds
- Ultra budget (no smell filtering): $575
- Ultra budget + smell filtering: $675
- Premium – higher quality fan plus optional extras: $850
