Ongoing battle all the time! Heres my take....
Yield also has a lot to do with strain also. Keep in mind some of the best smoke comes from low yielders.
Scroging is ment for situations ware height is limited or to make a low plant count fill a large area. It by no means is the highest yielding of the growing methods. If it were thats is how the comercial grows would do it. They all run S.O.G. You experienced higher yield with scroging that others you tried only because your area was filled ( any place light hits the floor is loss in potential yield) and all the tops were the same height. See the post earlier about hormone distribution.
I run a mainline. Instead of stakes for support i use a double layered metal trellis. Stakes keep poking me in the face and get in the way when i feed. I supercrop to keep the tops the same height. The string get in my way when im feeding also so i dont L.S.T. Supercroping is labor intensive but well worth it
Good info here! And such a beautiful garden you have there!
But I must say I have not done a scrog. I grow 30” tall bushes all in different stages at the same time. It’s how I stay in Michigan plant count and usable meds on hand for medical. I crop a plant at a time perpetually.
Every plant needs to be able to be moved at all times.
I like his thread. It is showing how we use different methods to control our individual situations.
Everyone can take something from this kind of discussion. Good stuff!
Also. We can all increase our yields (and quality) with practice.
I have been growing personally for 4.5 years now. Although I have a lot of history with the flowers and growers I never even watered a houseplant before this.
3 years ago I could count on 2 oz per plant of very good flowers. I have been using the same equipment and seeds since then and now average 5 oz per plant in the same #3 nursery pots, potting soil and nutes (which I have tried a few with the same results pretty much). And Seeds. But now I can grow most any decent seed into a good plant. From practice.
Also commercial growers in legal states ask me to send them headstash and coconut oil now so my quality has increased as well.
And illnesses have healed in patients.
Point is. Every grow is different and we must find our own methods and style. And then practice!
There is no magic best way.