Hello everybody. I am asking you kind people for some help with my first grow. I started a month ago and so far my plants are pretty robust and healthy. I have 4 plant I ordered from nirvana. I got the indoor mix pack so I don't know what is what. OK so here is my set up. I have 4 plants I started from seeds. I have been growing them using 12 cfls. I transplanted them about a week ago into there bigger final pots and started using the cfl's plus a metal halide. They have grown much bigger since then. My plant are about 8 inches tall. I'm not sure when to flower. My grow room is gonna be 3x4x5 so its pretty small. The reason I am starting this thread is because I read the the scrog method is best for a limited space grow because it will give the best yields. So I need all the help I can get. I think I might start to flower them next week. But first I have a lot of questions.
1. What size hps should I use for just four plants?
2. When doing the scrog method do you need to train your plants first by
bending them with string to one side?
3. I want to trim some of the fan leaves so the other branches get more
light is this ok?
4. I read to trim the first few bottom branches so more energy is focused on
on the top of the plant. Is this needed when doing scrog?
5. Is it even a good idea to trim at all? I know its bad to do during flowering
but is it ok to do during veg?
6. What are benefits to trimming? What pieces should be trimmed?
7. When doing the scrog method what size should the plants be before
placing the screen across?
Thank guys any help would be appreciated.
Hello,
I am not an experienced grower. However, I have read about 30 Scrog Grow journals around the net (I don't think there are any on this site), and have been exhaustively researching this technique, as I am aiming to throw a screen down soon as well. I just noticed that this post is a week or so old, so hopefully I am not too late.
1. Light size in screen of green is not so much dependent on the number of plants you have in a ScrOG. The main determining factor is the size of your screen. You could have one plant covering a 10 sq ft screen, or 10 covering the same area. If you intend on using a 2' X 2' screen, as I think you stated, you could get away with a 250. A 400, I think, would be optimal. With HPS, bigger is usually better. Use the biggest one you can get in there and still maintain a healthy environment (heat-wise). But remember, because you have an even canopy, and light penetration is not really an issue, you don't necessarily need to over do it.
2. You can train your plant in advance, especially if you feel it is going to exceed your intended profile. However, if they are not already too big, you might just want to wait until they get up to the screen. If you train them in advance, make sure you have a plan as to what growth will go in what direction, as you are working with limited space.
3. I don't think you will benefit from trimming before you put the screen down. You will likely stunt your growth; and you may find that the part that you chopped off would have been valuable in filling your screen.
4. Hopefully, your bottom branches will be right up in the mix as well. You will probably want to top them to make sure this happens.
5. Of all the grows I looked at in preparation for my own Scrog, I found that most people did trim the under growth. Many growers, however, are against trimming of any kind. I guess you just need to consider whether the intended trim is of a part that will benefit your yield. Once the screen fills up, any leaves that aren't on the top of the mountain will be crushed by an avalanche of darkness. For 1 plant/sq ft, you will have much more than you need. So, I guess, trim, but not until it is necessary.
6. I guess any branch that will never have a chance to see the light.
7. For 4 plants in 4 sq ft, you should keep them short. If you tried to ScrOG them at 4 feet, you may feel like you are trying to stuff an elephant in a suitcase. Try to go 12"-24", depending on your preference. If they are too big already, try to LST them a little bit. Just make sure your screen is well anchored when you finally put it on.
Oh, and two pieces of advice that I have found, but are easily overlooked:
I. Try to remain mindful of how your buds are going to grow as you progress through your screen. Tying down bud sites is probably not a bad idea. If you just let it go wild, you will get a decent yield. However, if you take the time to really plan out the development of your plants, and make sure that you have as many exposed bud sites as possible, you can pull out something incredible. ScrOG is not meant to be a "set it and forget it" style of grow.
II. Ventilation is an absolutely vital thing in a ScrOG. Many of the case studies I have seen mention this, and many do not. However, Your screen, when full, (and especially when flowering) will become moist, warm and dark, and you need to take
extra precaution about getting air through it. Large colas touching eachother should be separated as well as possible, and fans should
always be blowing through the canopy.
Alright, well I hope I was a bit of help here. I have read a lot about ScrOG, and I know how hard it can be to find information about it. It seems to be a technique that is shrouded in 'scholarly' speculation, but rather few people actually take on. I wish you the best of luck! Oh, and start a grow journal! This site is pretty much ScrOG-free on that front.
With regard,
S-Town
P.S. To all the rest of you, especially the very experienced, feel free to point out anything I said that is inaccurate, or simply outright barbarous. I try not to speak out of turn around here; and I certainly try to know my place. However, I felt compelled to contribute this.
