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This article is a review of the full-spectrum grow light Mars Hydro TS1000.
I am using it to grow hot chili peppers, as well as ornamental plants. For this purpose, I am using a 3×2 feet grow tent where the TS 1000 Full Spectrum Grow Light fits perfectly.
Without a potent grow light, it would be almost impossible to grow demanding plants such as chili peppers that require full sunlight.
Full sunlight is equal to about 1000-foot candles. Regular lights will never be as bright as full sunlight and only the best grow light can come even close to these measurements.
For me, there are only a handful of reputable grow light brands that I consider, one of them is Mars Hydro.
Mars Hydro is well known for their best in class grow lights and is a staple in a lot of growers’ toolboxes.
After testing and using the Mars Hydro FC3000 that covers most of my plants, I needed a new grow light to cover a smaller area in my grow tent that I dedicated to growing hot peppers such as the Carolina Reaper.
This is why I decided to use the Mars Hydro TS 1000 Full Spectrum Grow Light.
In this review, I am going to talk about my experience with the Mars Hydro TS 1000.
Table of Contents
Mars Hydro TS 1000 Review
The Mars Hydro TS 1000 is a 150w full-spectrum grow light with 354 LEDs that cover an area of up to 2.5×2.5 feet (76x76cm). It is dimmable between 0-100% and has a daisy chain feature. It produces 343 umol/m2s PPFD at 12 inches and has a PPE value of 2.3 umol/J. The new 2022 version comes with an advanced cooling system that improves heat dissipation even more and has an optimal PAR distribution.
Mars Hydro
Mars Hydro is a company that is in the Grow light LED market for over 10 years already. They supply growers with products such as grow tents, LEDs, ventilation devices, hydroponic growing setups, and grow accessories.
They are a household brand when it comes to plant lights.
Their website can be found here Mars Hydro website.
Mars Hydro TS 1000 Full Spectrum Grow Light Review
Specs
- Spectrum: Full-Spectrum
- Coverage Area: 2.5×2.5ft (76x76cm)
- LEDs Quantity: 354
- Chip Brand: BridgeLux
- Spectrum: 660-665nm 730-740nm 3000-3200K 6000-6500K
- Voltage: AC100-277V
- Efficacy: 2.3 μmol/J
- Amps: 1.235A@AC120V 0.6223A@AC240V 0.5498A@AC277V
- Lifespan: 50’000 hours
- Dimensions: 382 x 336.63 x 53.5 mm
- Hangers: 2 height adjustable ratchet straps included
- Certificates: UKCA, CE, RoHS, ETL
Positives About the Mars Hydro TS 1000
Easy to setup: The grow light is very compact and handy. It can be mounted and setup in minutes.
High Light Output: The TS 1000 produces a light output of PPF 343umol/S.
Efficient: It is also very efficient with 2.3 μmol/J. Compared to an HPS/MH, this is 30% more photon efficient.
Even Distribution: An even PAR distribution due to its sophisticated hood shape and reflective design so light is dispersed evenly in all directions.
Full Spectrum: THE TS 1000 is a full-spectrum light that uses warm 3000K white light as well as 5000K white light. It also makes use of red light at 680nm to promote flowering and IR light at 730nm to promote flowering and yield.
Price: Available at a fantastic entry-level price
Optimized Waveband Lenght: The waveband spectrum is mostly between 400-700nm to improve photosynthesis.
Silent: No fans are needed to cool this grow light due to the design.
Dimming Feature: Dimming between 10-100% is possible.
Driver: Uses a high-quality driver that is mounted onto the grow light.
Design: Improved patented design with an improved reflector angle that was increased from 90 to 120 degrees.
Daisy Chain Possibility: Use and link up to 60 lights with a daisy chain setup.
Heat Dissipation: Strong heat dissipation to to a unique patented design.
High Quality: Mars Hydro is a household brand in the grow light scene. The TS 1000 is certified by UKCA,CE,RoHS and ETL.
Warranty: 5 years warranty
Special Features: Comes with 2 ratchet straps and a metal hanger/wire.
Negatives About The Mars Hydro TS 1000
No App Wireless/Bluetooth: Not possible to control the light via app.
Verdict About the Mars Hydro TS 1000
The TS 1000 is a fantastic grow light if you are looking for a handy light that doesn’t need a lot of space and is easy to set up. With 2.3 μmol/J it is highly efficient and produces an abundance of light up to PPF 343umol/S. You can dim it depending on the growth stage of plants you are cultivating between 0%-100%.
Positives about the Mars Hydro TS 1000 Full Spectrum Grow Light in Detail
Easy To Setup
I took the Mars Hydro TS 1000 out of the box and within 5 minutes I had it operational. This light is very handy and can be mounted without any problems by one person.
The driver was already mounted onto the light and the only thing I had to do was to plug the power cord into the driver and the grow light and mount it using the two ratchet straps as well as the two metal trapezes can be attached to the light directly.
Using the ratchet straps it is very simple to adjust the height of the grow light.
I personally like to get the light as close to the plants as possible but not too close to burn any of the foliage.
This way I save the most energy and can dim the light to the amount of light necessary for optimal plant growth.
As I use the Mars Hydro TS 1000 to grow chilies I get about 5 inches about my seedlings and will be able to move further away as they grow.
The grow light itself is attached to the metal bars in my grow tent using two cable ties.
High Light Output
As you would expect from Mars Hydro, you get a solid piece of lighting kit. The TS 1000 has 150w, this is more than enough to provide sufficient light for a couple of plants.
I did several measurements with different dimming levels. I used the Photone app with a diffuser to get maximum accuracy. You can see the measured PPFD values here (Distance 20 inches approx. (50 cm)):
Dimming 100% = 580 PPFD (μmol/s/m²)
Dimming 75% = 450 PPFD (μmol/s/m²)
Dimming 50% = 240 PPFD (μmol/s/m²)
Dimming 25% = 120 PPFD (μmol/s/m²)
Pepper plants will need a minimum of 400 PPFD (μmol/m²/s) to grow well. As you can see this will be no problem for the TS 1000. I can either set it to 75% at the current height of 20 inches or I lower it can dim it even more and will still reach 400 PPFD.
Efficient
I can’t stress enough how important this topic has become for me. I am using multiple electronic devices such as heat mats, grow lights, humidifiers as well as water heaters now and the energy consumption is rising.
During the current global conditions, the energy prices are ever increasing and I need to make use of the most efficient electronic devices so my electricity bill is not skyrocketing.
The Mars Hydro FC 1000 is very efficient as it uses only 2.3 μmol/J.
Even Light Distribution
When looking at the provided PPFD map on Mars Hydro, you will see that the light distribution is even. This means that you don’t have to concentrate all your plants in the center of the light to get great lighting values.
As I am using an ebb and flow system, space is usually scarce and it is great that I can put my plants also on the edges of the grow light and they can still produce sufficient photosynthesis.
The PAR distribution has been improved further with the increased edge bending and the rearranged diodes in the 2022 version of this light.
Full Spectrum Grow Light
A great combination between warm and cool white light as well as IR and red light produces a really good-looking light close to sunlight.
The plants look great below the light and the grow tent is illuminated really bright.
I guess the times are over when you had to rely on these awkward red and blue only lights. Not only do they look unnatural, the light they produce is also impossible to look at.
Since I am growing mostly ornamentals, I only want to use grow lights that emit natural light and I also strongly believe it is the best for your plants anyways.
Price
Available at a fantastic entry-level price. This grow light is highly affordable for the value and brand you are getting. What a nice surprise.
Optimized Waveband Lenght
The waveband spectrum is mostly between 400-700nm to improve photosynthesis. In order to verify this I will have to have a look at how my chilies will be growing under the FC 1000 from Mars Hydro.
So far the seedlings are doing very well and I can see no sign of legginess.
Previous chili seedlings I have been growing without the help of artificial light were so leggy and thin that they tipped over and died.
I hope this time I will be able to produce stronger plants using great lighting early on.
Silent
There are 0 fans on this grow light and it doesn’t get hot at all. The design and material used are making sure the device doesn’t get hot.
In addition, it is so energy efficient that most energy turns into light and not heat I suppose.
Dimming Feature
Dimming is a great feature. I like to dim my grow lights to save on energy costs. With the ratchet straps, it is easy to adjust the height of the light from the plant canopy.
With some of the other grow lights you have to buy ratchet straps separately or come up with your own solution on how to hang the grow light.
Happy to report that the FC 1000 from Mars Hydro comes with everything necessary to mount it on the ceiling of a cabinet, ceiling, or grow tent.
Driver
It uses a high-quality driver that is mounted onto the grow light. I suspect you could also take it off and mount it elsewhere if needed.
I will leave the driver on top of the light, however, as it fits perfectly.
Design
Improved patented design with an improved reflector angle that was increased from 90 to 120 degrees.
The better angle makes sure even more light reaches your plant and also ensures a great PAR distribution.
Overall the design looks slick and minimal. I like the Mars Hydro logo sticker on the side and the overall minimal design.
This way the FC 1000 doesn’t need a lot of space and also looks pleasing to the eye.
Daisy Chain Possibility
You can link up to 60 lights and have one light as the master. So when you are adjusting the dimming on the master eg. from 100% to 75% all the lights will be adjusted synchronously.
I haven’t tested this feature so far as I am only going to use one of these lights for the moment.
But when growing multiple plants and covering a wider area, I am sure it is great to have the opportunity to connect multiple FC 1000 in a row.
Heat Dissipation
The heat dissipation really surprises me and I am not quite sure how it is achieved. I can touch this grow light even after running it for multiple hours.
It doesn’t get extremely hot.
I have other grow lights that you wouldn’t dare to touch after 30 minutes, but no issues here.
High Quality
Let’s face it. Mars Hydro produces quality products. The light looks sturdy and well isolated from any humidity and I suspect it to run for a long time.
Warranty
I hope to not have to use the warranty. But it is quite reassuring that you get 5 years of warranty. This speaks books about the confidence of Mars Hydro in their own products as 5 years is quite a long time.
Special Features
Comes with 2 ratchet straps and a metal hanger/wire. I added this as a special feature as not all grow lights bundle it with their lights.
The ratchet straps are great to adjust the height of the light and I am happy that I don’t have to order them separately.
Negatives in Detail
No App Bluetooth/Wireless control
It is not a negative as such, but it would be fantastic if these lights came with their own app or at least the option to control them via Bluetooth or a wireless network.
This way I wouldn’t have to buy an additional time switch to control when the light is on and off.
Conclusion About The Mars Hydro TS 1000 Full Spectrum LED Grow Light
The TS 1000 Full Spectrum LED Grow Light is a winner. It is the optimal size for a handful of plants in a grow tent, cabinet, or shelf and is very energy efficient using 2.3 μmol/J. You can dim it between 0-100% as needed, producing a very high light output of PPF 343umol/S at the highest level. It is easy to mount on your own and comes with the required ratchet straps.
My plants still love the light and are growing vigorously. Today I have even seen my Anthurium metallicum producing an inflorescence. Something I have never witnessed before. I now have had the Mars Hydro TS 1000 light running for over a year. It is on 12 hours on and 12 hours off schedule.
Daniel has been a plant enthusiast for over 20 years. He owns hundreds of houseplants and prepares for the chili growing seasons yearly with great anticipation. His favorite plants are plant species in the Araceae family, such as Monstera, Philodendron, and Anthurium. He also loves gardening and is growing hot peppers, tomatoes, and many more vegetables.