MJ Crescendos 'Operation Snowflake' Journal

[MJ Crescendo]

Enjoying this grow

Looking to get DR60 + Spectra 180 with some SLH for my first grow... so you're educating me!

Keep it up MJ! Wishing you awesome yield...1+g/w

Smoke a doobie at 4:20 and end up browsing 420mag and find my journal at the top

I like your plans fragerdaz! I am really happy with the secret jardin so far and I bet you will feel the same way. If you've taken a look around the forums you will see that the general consensus on GLH spectra's is that they are perfect for us small time growers. Glad that you are learning bro, I just glanced through my journal and grow log to see how far I've come and man I am learning a lot too! Wish I could provide higher quality pictures, but I use what I have at hand. Thanks for the luck, I'm cheerin for the girls as well

 

[MJ Crescendo]

Well somehow I received an incorrect order on my seeds, but I think I will be very pleased with these genetics.

Barney's Farm Red Dragon - exotic sativa high
Reserva Privada Kandy Kush - one of the most resinous plants, true California flavor
G13 Labs Pineapple Express - speaks for itself

The RD and KK are actually expensive strains that have very likable descriptions. The pineapple express has always interested me. I do own the movie afterall. I'm definitely ok with these genetics and will very interested to grow them.

Grow update: I read that snow white will have heavy trich production around the 4th-5th week of flowering. It's day 40 now and wow there is a lot of trichs. The SW#2 is literally crusted in crystals everywhere. I'm amazed at the difference between now and last week. Now that trich production is hitting peak, I believe it's about that time for these calyxs to begin the swell. Lower leaves have begun a very slight yellowing, so I hit them with some tiger bloom this feeding. Hoping to see the fan leaves bounce back to a greener tint, but it is natural for this to happen.

I have been see'n some of the OC+ grows around and that stuff is great. I can't believe how dark green the leaves remain late into flowering. I definitely want to try that on my next grow as I am see'n such great health from the crf's even late in flower. Everyone have a good weekend. Happy halloween! I wish I could dress up as a big ol bud cola haha

 

[Planter]

plants are looking good bro. good job!! these lights are really good, im ordering another 180 in a couple days. cant wait, well good luck bro

 

[Setting Sun]

Looking great MJ!

My guess on the leaf issues on those two plants is moderate nute burn, so if you can do a good flush with at least 2-3x as much water as the volume of the pots, it should help correct it.

If you use tap water for the flush, PH the last gallon to 6.5 or whatever PH you're generally going with.

That GLH 180 is doing a nice job in your DR80 tent! Your light distance to canopy is half of what I'm running at 17", and that makes sense, since your light is a bit more than half the wattage of the GLH 360.

How did it go breaking out the glass?

I'm not thinking about doing it at this point, but I'll stash away whatever reassurance you can give me, lol

 

[MJ Crescendo]

Looking great MJ!

My guess on the leaf issues on those two plants is moderate nute burn, so if you can do a good flush with at least 2-3x as much water as the volume of the pots, it should help correct it.

If you use tap water for the flush, PH the last gallon to 6.5 or whatever PH you're generally going with.

That GLH 180 is doing a nice job in your DR80 tent! Your light distance to canopy is half of what I'm running at 17", and that makes sense, since your light is a bit more than half the wattage of the GLH 360.

How did it go breaking out the glass?

I'm not thinking about doing it at this point, but I'll stash away whatever reassurance you can give me, lol

Thanks SS. Your support has been great I believe you are correct about the 2 plants. I did just one watering around 25 days flowering w/ 10mL of tiger bloom per gallon. I think that was the specific event that probably managed to burn some of the fine root hairs which changed the appearance of the fan leaves. Of course, I have been very cautious with tiger bloom and been keeping those 2 lightly fed. I have not done a full flush with 4-6 gallons of water so I may do that the next watering and finish it off with the good ph'd stuff because my tap water is 7.4 out the tap.

I really like the way the fox farm series has grown these girls. It is a chemical fertilizer, so I'm definitely considering other, greener, methods of growing them. I will stick to soil and I feel like an organic fertilizer would do wonders.

I have been checking on your light distances throughout the past grow. I think you're right about the half wattage thing (240w compared to a 360w). I was surprised I was able to keep the GLH so close as well. I think with the lesser intensity there has been much less light stress at my distances. They also have been grown with just this light since day 1 which I think attributes to their high tolerance to 6'' away from the high intensity led's. I will have a close eye on light bleaching and any other problems that come with led's at close distances. So far so good and the top cola's are just loving the light.

I broke the glass out after I heard Irish did it. Then the next thing I saw was that Mike would keep the warranty on w/o the glass. I figured I would be doing a grow with just one light and that I may as well maximize the intensity. I think the glass was making it lose 10% intensity and was not about to let that happen.

I went out to ace hardware and bought a glass cutter. It's a pretty standard item and cost me $3. I watched some youtube video's of how to cut glass and after about 20 minutes I was ready to give it a go. There was a special method of holding the glass cutter straight up and down from the glass and then a smooth cut down the side line of the led casing. After going around the light once with a strong pressure of glass cutting I found that the glass would not break out and I had no way of pressuring it. I found this method to be a FAIL.

Next I turned the glass cutter around to the mallet side. I think Irish recommended a spark plug. I tapped with a good bit of force around the outer shell of the glass. Eventually one of my hits shattered the glass into the led's. It was not an explosive shatter and did no damage to the led's. I put my gloves on (highly recommended) and got my finger into the hole. I pulled up and like a puzzle piece the glass broke out. I continued with my hands pulling glass piece after glass piece out. Occasionally I would need to smash another part of the glass so I could start pulling it out in that spot. I noticed the glue holding in the glass panel under the outer shell of the led panel. I found that this glue could not hold onto the glass that well at all. I pulled my needle nose pliers out and began yanking the glass from the glue with the pliers. Eventually all the glass was free of the glue and I took my vacuum and cleaned the glass shards out of the led casing. This took me about 30 minutes of careful work, but it really was not that difficult.

Overall, smash glass in, pull chunks of glass off, take pliers and remove as much glass from glue on sidings, vacuum. I did plug the light in with the glass and took a good look and plugged it back in after the glass was removed and took a good look. I'd say it was a noticeable difference. I especially noticed it on the mylar walls of the tent w/o the glass. It just seemed brighter which I'd say was an increase in led intensity.

I probably wouldn't do it mid flower SS, but always a fun idea for the next round with the GLH 360. I figure it's fun smashing glass and you'd be making the light better (these things are already amazing) Hope this described my method so you can imagine it and maybe one day take your glass off.

Day 47 flower over here and I'm thinking about going to 70 days flower. Going to start testing out AN overdrive on day 56 till the end and see if it really makes my girls keep on producing bud. The calxys are swelling really nice the past few days. The tent smells like a sweet skunk and candy. Maybe this AN bud candy they've been gettin fed for the past 6 weeks really did bring out these delightful aromas.

-MJ

 

[MJ Crescendo]

Day 49 - 7 Weeks Flower

Hawaii Maui Waui

Top Cola

Accidentally snapped bottom branch off..

Ice

SW#1

Top Cola

SW#3

2L comparison to 2gallon air pot

Top Cola

Side Cola

Top view of tent

All plants were flushed with twice volume of their containers today. Once flushed water stopped coming out I did another watering of 5mL molasses per gallon @ pH 6.6. I let the molasses soak in until no runoff and finished with spot waterings. These were very small and consisted of my 3mL tiger bloom per gallon jug.

Wow the branches are getting heavy and can't handle the weight! The SW#1 and HMW needed some branch support. Luckily, I have rope and zip ties laying around so I went to work on them after the flush. I managed to get the canopy together with minimal damage. The tie offs were mostly on branches and the air pots. I know I shouldn't be doing so much to the girls this late in flower, but they needed the help.

Everything fits really well into the tent at this point and the canopy as using the room best as possible. The nute burns on some of the plants look a lot better and I think the flush was much needed. I will still continue lightly feeding them, but needed to get the old salts out of the medium. I thought the flush was really easy with the air pots. The non air-pots were a pain in the ass to get a consistent flush.

In all the movement today I accidentally broke off a lower branch on the HMW. I cut it close to the stalk below where the damage was done. Trimmed the leaves off and grinned with sticky fingers. This stuff smells like mangos and is veryy sticky. I'm going to let it hang for 5 days and put it in the jar for a week before I smoke any of it.

Trichs are starting to get cloudy, but nothing amber yet. I think I have another 3-4 weeks to go. The ice is two weeks behind still and needs as much time as the maui waui. The fan leaves are turning red/orange on SW#1, it's like fall in the tent haha The maui waui is turning yellow, but that's normal for a tropical plant. These girls are plenty alive still and swelling a lot since the flush. Hoping they get even denser!!

 

[MJ Crescendo]

I'll probably just take close-up pictures of the colas that look the frostiest from now on. Just wanted to give an idea of how these plants are progressing. I know most of the pictures have terrible clarity, but I don't have a nice camera.. yet!

 

[Setting Sun]

fattening up really nice MJ!

just beautiful!

nice job bro

 

[MJ Crescendo]

I trimmed up the small branch of hmwaui and was curious how dense this stuff was. This was the top of the branch nug which is really small compared to most of the stuff she has blooming. Looks promising

Curing it up and going to smoke test it in a week, should be different then the final product. This nug was not even flushed or matured yet. I'm glad this GLH 240 is producing dense nugs, I can only imagine how the main colas are going to weigh in.

 

[Setting Sun]

Your grow is really helpful to me, because seeing how the GLH 180/240 works in the same tent I have is very cool.

Looks like it's producing some fine nugs


how's the coverage? can you subjectively tell if it drops off significantly at the perimeter?

Have you had your plants at the perimeter lean in towards the center?

hope you enjoy the early fruits of your labor

 

[Planter]

great looking plants bro. well done!!

 

[MJ Crescendo]

Your grow is really helpful to me, because seeing how the GLH 180/240 works in the same tent I have is very cool.

Looks like it's producing some fine nugs


how's the coverage? can you subjectively tell if it drops off significantly at the perimeter?

Have you had your plants at the perimeter lean in towards the center?

hope you enjoy the early fruits of your labor

I agree SS. I also really enjoy see'n how the GLH 360 performs in the DR80. I must say that your light definitely one ups mine, but it's twice the cost so I expect it to. The coverage in these tents is helped a lot with the mylar side walls. I can't even take pictures because the reflectivity is so high and bouncing at the camera from every angle. Remember that these tents are 31.5''x31.5''. In terms of power I'm using 35 watt per sq ft. This is not the sweet spot for light power in a space this size so keeping that in mind, I'm impressed with the intensity. I just checked Mikes website and this light has a core coverage of 33.6''x30''. I'd say that 12'' off the canopy, mines 38'' from the floor, that this light does cover the entire tent. The bud sites on the outside perimeter of the light are still significantly sizing up. I do notice that directly under the light has the "best" bud sites far as size and frostiness go. I saw that during LST training when I pulled them over they would respond better when the top of the plant was directly under the light. I would always keep the top of the plant close to the middle and the light did it's job perfectly there. It's probably best coverage is directly under the light. I'd consider it to be best with 2 large plants. I'm not trying to say that outside of the light perimeter doesn't have plenty of potential, but best results are directly under as far as I can tell.

The GLH has still done plenty good this grow. It seems to do quite well in a tent this size and I'll be able to better tell when the weights are in. I personally wouldn't mind doing a grow similar to yours comparison test with 4 plants under this light and see how yields go.

The way I've been looking at the difference is between a 250w hid and a 400w hid. The 250w will still get the job done in a DR80, but of course having the maximum intensity with the 400w will yield much better results. Either way I'm very happy with how the light performs in my space. I'm excited to see some double GLH 240 grows. I see a lot of potential there!

Hope this wasn't too long winded and gets at the question you were asking. Keep up the good work SS and I will surely enjoy the early fruits of my labor next week

 

[MJ Crescendo]

great looking plants bro. well done!!

Thanks staffy. Looking foward to your double GLH grow. I think you will be impressed once you kick them into flower.

Do you have any thoughts on intensity outside of the perimeter of these lights?

You'll have plenty of power for your grow so no worries there

 

[Planter]

thanks mate, i can wait, i get my other light on tues.

light intensity outside the perimeter, not to sure really, i just always move my hands like on he sides and if u look at your hand u can tell where it is more brighter and where it starts to shade more and i always try and keep them in the most brightest part. my last grow, my super silver haze got huge with two other plants and it was lst'd and some of the plant didnt get as good of light but still budded up nicely before i had to chop it and throw it out.
hope this helps

 

[Setting Sun]

I did pretty well growing 4 plants in a DR80 with a 126w LED light, so you should be able to grow four with the 240w. The 360w really doesn't lose much intensity at all at the walls, so that gives me the luxury of being able to push the plants away from the center of the tent into the corners, which gives them more space.

When I did the 126w grow, I had them all crowded as much as possible in the center, because that's where most of the intensity was.

Secret Jardin recommends a 250w HID for the DR80, and if you've noticed, the ports on the DR80 are 5", not 6", so it really is meant to be used with a 250w HID, not a 400w.

I had to use a couple of 4"-6" adapters to get the cooling to work with my 6" hood, and even with air-cooling, 400w isn't easy to manage. The weather cooled down at exactly the right time . It sure is bright in there though, if you can manage the heat.

The other problem with running a 400w in a DR80 is headroom. Averaging the canopy, I've got the light at about 17", and that's as low as I can go without stressing the plants. So that doesn't leave much room to grow in a 63" tent.

More than 24" plants after stretch, and something would have to give. I'm really glad my ladies stayed short enough so I didn't have to do something like supercropping right before they started budding up.

The GLH 360, on the the other hand, has been a pleasure to grow with. Less hassle and expense on the LED side.

thanks for all the good info, I appreciate it.

 

[MJ Crescendo]

I'm glad you appreciate the info SS. I'm sure you know that everyone, especially me, appreciate all the info you've provided the community. I can't wait to start using CRF's especially after you guys narrow down exactly which ones are the superior recipe for success.

I did notice that this tent was made for a 250w and it's one reason I went with a GLH light w/ similar power. I'm very impressed with your 400w in a DR80. Good job on getting that setup appropriately. I'm rooting for the GLH, which is passing the HID on the last update I'm even more impressed that the HID girls fit well in there, good job all around. I feel ya on the less hassle with LED. That's the number one reason I went with LED's, didn't want the hassle. This light has been a pleasure to use and producing expected results.

By the way I've been taking a closer look at the outside of light perimeter nugs and they are big, dense, and don't seem to be deterred by the fact that they are in less intensity. This light is providing enough intensity to the entire tent area and I have nugs crawling up the walls. I was considering adding more light to the tent, but I think I will be happy for multiple grows with just the GLH 240. I am still a noobie and getting it all dialed in, so next round should be even closer to perfect results for this light, like 1 g/w production with 4 plants. I have faith that it can easily be done.

One thing I picked up since I want to ensure the best cure was one of those small hygrometers recommended by Irish and I believe you've been using them as well SS.

I'm going to post this for my reference and anyone else that hasn't seen it yet.

This method is particularly effective for folks who are starting out, those looking to maximize quality in a shorter period of time, and folks who's like to produce a connoisseur-quality product each and every time with no guesswork involved.

It's a very simple and effective process:

Cut the product, trim it per your preference, but don't dry it until the stems snap. Take it down while the stems still have some flex, but the product feel dry on the outside. This is a perfect opportunity to drop the dry-feeling flowers onto a screen and collect prime-quality kief that would otherwise get lost in the jar.

Jar the product, along with a Caliber III hygrometer. One can be had on Ebay for ~$20. Having tested a number of hygrometers - digital and analog - this model in particular produced consistent, accurate results. Then, watch the readings:

+70% RH - too wet, needs to sit outside the jar to dry for 12-24 hours, depending.

65-70% RH - the product is almost in the cure zone, if you will. It can be slowly brought to optimum RH by opening the lid for 2-4 hours.

60-65% RH - the stems snap, the product feels a bit sticky, and it is curing.

55-60% RH - at this point it can be stored for an extended period (3 months or more) without worrying about mold. The product will continue to cure.

Below 55% RH - the RH is too low for the curing process to take place. The product starts to feel brittle. Once you've hit this point, nothing will make it better. Adding moisture won't restart the curing process; it will just make the product wet. If you measure a RH below 55% don't panic. Read below:

Obviously, the product need time to sweat in the jar. As such, accurate readings won't be seen for ~24 hours, assuming the flowers are in the optimal cure zone. If you're curing the product for long-term storage, give the flowers 4-5 days for an accurate reading. If the product is sill very wet, a +70% RH reading will show within hours. If you see the RH rising ~1% per hour, keep a close eye on the product, as it's likely too moist.

 

[Setting Sun]

One way you can add more light and provide a fuller spectrum to your plants very effectively and cheaply is to hang a couple of 42w or 68w CFL's on the sides, like this:

I was using a 250w HPS on this grow.


I like using the hygrometers for curing. They are teaching me things.

 

[MJ Crescendo]

Day 70 Flower

Once I run this setup again I will definitely devote 1 large cfl to each of the plants. That would hopefully add another 100+ watts and really make them happy. I must say that the outside perimeter nugs have really gotten fat so I'm quite impressed so far. In fact the branches can not even support the weight of the majority of the nugs. Tie-ups have been added where needed, but it's making it more difficult to move anything for waterings. Harvest day is coming all to soon in this tent.

SW#1 Most Left - SW Solo Cup - SW #3 (No LST) middle - Ice on back right - HMW Right Forward

SW#1 red and purple fan leaves and twin main colas

HMW outside light perimeter nug

SW#1 and HMW

The HMW is foxtailing everywhere and trichs are packed on each foxtail. SW#1 is just adding a lot of density to all her bud sites. Solo cup SW is surprisingly fattening up in her rootbound state. Ice is yellowing really bad and still looks like a runt, but her colas are starting to take shape. SW#2 and #3 look very ripe and ready to be harvested.

I believe I'm going to cut down SW#2, #3, and solo SW in the next couple of days. Their soil is almost dry and I will cut them in the morning after 12 hours of darkness.

I will let SW#1, HMW, and Ice go another 3-4 days. I will water them tomorrow w/ more plain water and harvest once soil is dry. I am letting these go longer because HMW is sativa and needs it, SW#1 is hopefully the largest yielder and I want her to really max out in the end. Ice is clearly around day 45 flower and could use the extra few days even though she is still quite immature.

The 1st part of the harvest will go into a closet for 2-3 days. This will be the 2 gallon air pots and the solo cup. I will have 2 fans blowing air around the closet, but not directly on the buds. Humidity in the closet will be monitored. I will mason jar them when I believe the outside of the buds feels dry enough. All the colas are about the size of a water bottle so I assume they will dry fast. I will pass the hygrometer around the jars to assure the best curing conditions.

The next part of the harvest will have the two 3 gallon pots and the ice. They will receive 36 hours of darkness and be hung in the tent w/ no lights. I will leave the ventilation on in the tent w/ no other fans. The ventilation does keep enough air moving so I bet that these buds will dry out the best. I also feel that the 1st part of the harvest will get me ready to harvest the larger plants perfectly. These will probably hang 3-4 days and be jarred. I will keep all plants seperate so I can record their respective weights.

Hopefully from the harvest weight I can determine how helpful LST is, how much better a larger air pot can do, and how big of a difference can the position under the light make. I should be able to conclude the, imo, the best setup for this tent.

These girls have come a long way in 100 days.

 

[Setting Sun]

Beautiful fat buds!

Check the ones in the tent for drying too quickly, because too much air exchange can dry them out too fast and they won't cure after that.

 

[MJ Crescendo]

Beautiful fat buds!

Check the ones in the tent for drying too quickly, because too much air exchange can dry them out too fast and they won't cure after that.

I was just looking through the pics and they could really use something to reference their size, but at least you noticed how big they were. They have really fattened up and all calyxs are swelling out.

I definitely will be keeping a close eye on the drying situation. I want them to go in the jars at the perfect moistness. I'm thinking it will take close payin attention to. I'll have to make a DIY drying box next time, but no time this round. I'll double check them when hangin in the tent. Thanks for the tip SS!

rH is around 40% in the closet and tent so hopefully that's good for a slow drying process

I'm going to lay the popcorn buds on a acrylic mesh clothes hamper. I think it will do the job perfectly. Maybe one day I can one of those mesh drying racks.