When is too late to start SCROG?

I'm growing some white widow and it's pretty difficult for me due to a disability (hence why I'm growing it, I can't afford to pay for it). In any case, because of this disability I wasn't really able to tend to my plants very much for the first few weeks other then to lollipop a bit and cut off fan leaves that were blocking lower growth.

I put a trellis net in there a day or 2 after I switched the lights to 12/12 (so they're like 5-6 weeks old from seed) and I am trying to train them but they just keep growing in their own direction, when I tie them down they just stretch the entire net towards them (causing slack in other parts of the net). Does anybody have any advice on how to manage this mess better?

Attached are 2 pics, it's a small space (2'x4' footprint), there are 3 plants in there (I think I'm going to grow just 2 next time, too crowded). They are about a week into flower (that is to say I turned lights to 12/12 about 2 weeks ago, they started showing pistils about a week after that so they are as far as I understand it just 1 actual week into flower (cuz it counts from when they start showing flowers, not when you turn the lights?)

Next time I plan on making like a wooden frame with string/twine in it pulled taught so that I won't run into this problem of the net being too loose (I swear I made it as tight as I could when I put it up, plants don't care ) but for now I'm not really sure how to deal with this mess.

This is my 3rd attempt at growing (yes I know that I am a loser/failure) and my last 2 have failed, I'm about to give up except I need this medicine. If anyone can help, I just want a successful crop of some weed to treat this pain.

Now I'm no expert here or anything, but I'd start chopping some leaves out for better air flow...its only going to thicken up more when buds start growing bigger.
Its still early in flower stage so you should be fine as long as you take your time (a lot of people defoil at week 3) and maybe even spread it out over a day or two in attempts to not over stress the plant with 1 big chop session.
For the most part the plants seem healthy...keep at it...I think your very close to success. ;P

I don't really know what to defoliate (noob I know lol). I have been defoliating as I've been going along in that I cut off leaves that are blocking lower growths, but I dunno how much or where to defoliate . Thank you hopefully it works out.

When I want to know "how to"...I watch about 10 videos on youtube...if 9 of 10 are showing same info then to me that tends to be an acceptable way and I follow along...lol

guitarguy10 said:

I don't really know what to defoliate (noob I know lol). I have been defoliating as I've been going along in that I cut off leaves that are blocking lower growths, but I dunno how much or where to defoliate . Thank you hopefully it works out.

Click to expand...

instead of cutting off leaves, add more fans if you need to for better air flow in the tent. you'll find that the leaves that arent' being used by the plant will yellow up and die.
less leaves=less photosynthesis

and for your next grow, get some of that 4"x4" metal fencing for your scrog "net"

and the plants look great!

Mak'er Grow said:

When I want to know "how to"...I watch about 10 videos on youtube...if 9 of 10 are showing same info then to me that tends to be an acceptable way and I follow along...lol

Click to expand...

Yeah that's my problem is it's usually hard to find 2 people that agree on how to do things correctly on youtube videos, led alone 9/10 haha.

rkymtnman said:

instead of cutting off leaves, add more fans if you need to for better air flow in the tent. you'll find that the leaves that arent' being used by the plant will yellow up and die.
less leaves=less photosynthesis and for your next grow, get some of that 4"x4" metal fencing for your scrog "net"

Click to expand...

Yes that's why I have been hesitant to do much defoliating at all, it's like cutting the plants lungs out. But there have been leaves I have had to cut off because they were completely blocking 2 or 3 growths below and couldn't really be pulled out of the way. That said, attached is a pic I just took of a very minor defoliating (i cut maybe 10 leaves off 3 plants lol) as well as some weaving I just did of some taller growths.

I heard that using metal screen is a bad idea though because the buds grow up into the wire and requires being cut out of the bud when you harvest (vs. string which is expendible and easy to pull out of a bud without doing much damage)?

I thought it looked like I mess, but if you guys say they look good thanks I appreciate that hopefully they come out to a good harvest.

if you do the scrog right, the buds "should" all be above the trellis whether it's string or metal.

and your approach is good, don't cut off too many leaves all at once. do it gradually so the plant can recover a bit.

keep doing what you are doing and you should have a really nice harvest.

guitarguy10 said:

I put a trellis net in there a day or 2 after I switched the lights to 12/12 (so they're like 5-6 weeks old from seed) and I am trying to train them but they just keep growing in their own direction, when I tie them down they just stretch the entire net towards them (causing slack in other parts of the net). Does anybody have any advice on how to manage this mess better?

Click to expand...

Can you LST low stress train with cotton string or pipe cleaners laying down branches above the trellis? Optimum is when they are still in veg, but you can get side shoots from lateral (be careful not to snap branches) position? Good luck!

What do you guys think of using a second scrog net? Wouldn't that help to support them as they plump in weight and give me a path to try and keep the canopy horizontal, or would this be overkill?

guitarguy10 said:

What do you guys think of using a second scrog net? Wouldn't that help to support them as they plump in weight and give me a path to try and keep the canopy horizontal, or would this be overkill?

Click to expand...

A lot of people use multiple nets shouldn’t be an issue

You have very healthy plants and they love what you are doing thats why you got so much good thick vegetation mine are the same way 3 total 2 white rhino which is related to white widow they are short and thick growing bushes lol. over like 3 days just trim one a day that what I did. I took anything that wouldn't be in the top 50% of canopy and fans that were blocking to much be sparing but you have lots of vegetation to work with. Here are mine now after all 3 got hair cut haha. Don't give up you got this