Introduction

This thread will provide a glance into a small HID lighted scrog grow. It is intended for anyone who wants to maximize yields and keep coast down, or anybody needing a small powerful setup in tight and small grow spaces. It will have my knowledge obtained from past grows and the research that lead me to this innovating way of growing

Scrog at a Glance

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S.C.R.O.G--- (SCReen Of Green) is a method of growing plants similar to Sea of Green where one would fill an area under a light with many clones to achieve multiple bud sites that creates a carpet effect of colas. Usually, with this method,(SOG) one could fit nine clones per square foot. In a Scrog setup, a screen is used set at a predetermined height below a light fixture. One plant per square foot is used to fill the screen with bud sites from the growing plant. This brings the amount of plants that one is growing in case of a bust, down to as little as four plants in stead of the larger amount of plants and clones that one would be holding in a SOG.

How a 250 watt Scrog works

With a 250 Watt bulb the optimum light distance is within 20-24 inches from the bulb. It is really a lopsided sphere extending out from the lamp source. Some bend chicken wire to make a concave bowl to bring the plant to this sweet spot. While others prefer a flat screen of chicken wire. A wire screen with two inch holes is commonly used. I have been using
one inch chicken wire. I have found that it gives me more surface area to tie branches to.
An area of 8-12 inches is used under the screen to allow the plants room to branch out and most importantly, places to reach in and work with the plants. Once a plant has grown in to the screen it is real hard to get out with out damage to the branch structure. Once the vegging plants reach about a inch or two above the screen, induce flowering. the plants will soon fill the screen with bud sites at every hole. For a full, and descriptive view of scrog growing click here.

Step One


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Starting from seed proves to be tricky, Males in your scrog are difficult to remove and leaves unwanted bare screen space, That will not help you when your main goal is to increase as many female buds sites to the available light. I have grown out a Scrog from seed knowing this and excepted it, as a learning experience. It may also be noted that the long veg time needed to grow plants in a scrog tends to help in showing males. I vegged for three months organic soil and found that all but one male showed sex before the screen and plants became to full and before the light was turned back to 12/12. This gave me the time to place females in their optimum place for the scrog. If growing a scrog from seed, try and raise your screen a few extra inches. this will force you to let the plants grow a longer vegetive cycle and hopefully, many males will show sex before you start your flower cycle.

Clones are preferred by scrog growers. I would use a cutting from a plant that has proved its branching quality. A heavy branching plant will help in filling up a screen quickly and properly. A great cloning setup can be found here

Step Two

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When your plants start to reach the screen it is time to induce flowering. When the main grow shoots have reached a inch or two above the screen this is were I found it to be best to switch light cycles.

If you are growing fewer plants, grow out the plants till many of the grow shoots have reached and have been bent on the horizontal plane. I let the branches ride under the screen and I twist tie the branches up to the screen exposing lower nodes of the branch to the light field. The first three weeks of flowering is the most crucial part of growth and training. When the plants stretch out in the first few weeks of flowering, adjusting branches under the screen will be the most grueling work of the scrog grow. I try to keep as many leaves as possible. Tucking and pulling leaves under and through the screen will help with exposing all bud sites and branches to the light. I cut any leaves blocking light to a bud sites to help increase my odds of a bud to leaf ratio. As the plants fill the screen any growth under the screen needs to be removed. Any branches that can not reach the screen are removed and rooted for the next crop.
I have noticed many scroggers letting branches reach the screen and grow through and beyond the screen. The screen helps spread out branches and flower upwards as normal. I like to bend every branch horizontally even budding colas will be bent down. This makes what was one big cola grow horizontally and all the buds that made that big cola are now growing up to the light. Letting all sides of the buds expose to light will add more weight to your grow, you will not get larger colas to drool over, but you will get more bud mass per square foot.

Step three

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You should now be three weeks into flower. All stretching is slowly coming to a stop. This is when it is very necessary to make sure you have adequate ventilation and air flow. Mold can grow quickly in a scrog, do to how tight a scrog grow is. Buds that are touching each other may need to be moved to help with air flow between the plant mater. All dead or dying leaves should be removed to help keep the possibility of mold growth down. most training or moving is now done, except for replacement of buds growing to close together. Or having to tie down colas that leap ahead of the gang!

typo "three weeks into flower"

Step Four

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Now the plants are four to five weeks into flowering, and they are fairly steady on pushing out flowers and most of the work is done. The only thing you should be trimming are leaves off of the buds that are blocking light to their neighboring bud sites. I just give the long finger leaves a trim, not cutting all of the leaf off. Keeping many leaves will help in proper bud formation and growth. But removing to many or to much will hamper growth and slow down flower production. I do believe that removing many leaves is a bad idea. But in a scrog, you need to remove allot of leaves to accomplish the bud to leaf ratio. A well blanched ratio of both will quickly prove better results than removing too many or leaving too many leaves, which will show for pour results

Step Five

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Harvest is right around the corner! All you can do is sit back and watch your now crowned off plants ripen. Cutting buds out of the one inch holed screen can be tricky. You can pull smaller buds out from under the screen. Larger buds can be pulled up and out of the screen. Getting all the twist ties out can also be a challenge. I try and remove unnecessary ties out before harvest leaving ones that hold branches and buds in place until harvest day.

Soil or Hydroponics?

I have grown out scrogs with soil and hydroponics. I have found hydro to be the quickest way of reaching a high volume scrog goal. Soil takes some time to veg and fill the screen properly. If your new to growing, I recommend growing your first scrog with soil. I would use square pots to maximize space. You may want to use more clones to speed up your vegging time.
Hydroponics is the way to go! I have seen the light, and am totally sold on hydro! With soil, it took five, six plants to fill my screen. With only four plants in hydroponics my screen is full and only with a month and a half of veg compared to the two, three months it took to veg in soil. I feel a scrog would be difficult with traditional bubblers. A Ebb&Flow will be easier to handle in a scrog condition. Or any setup with a resivour on the side for easy access.

Soil with four plants

four plants in the same setup with hydro

What strains will work in a SCRog?

Try and find strains that branch well. Most indicas will perform well in a scrog. Sativas will work well as long as you induce flowering right from the seedling stage and don't mind a long flowering time. I think a scrog could benefit a sativa lover. Do to training you might be able to grow one or two sativa phenotypes under your scrog with no problems. Here is a list of plants I have grown out and my opinion of each in a scrog.

White Widow/Nirvana: Grew very short and branched well. Did not stretch as much as I hoped. White Widow grows very well in a scrog, and produces some of the best smoke that I have had.

Afghani/Nirvana: Had allot of huge buds but she did have allot of branch space in-between the nodes. Filled the screen with allot of empty holes do to this trait.

Bubble Gum/Nirvana: A long stretch time with tons of branches. Filled the screen very well but I should have switch the lights back a week earlier do to this amount a stretching it has put out.

Mango/KCBrains: Just like her Afghani parent, allot of branch space in-between the nodes.

Northern Lights Special/KC Brains: I have not grown this strain in a scrog but have grown it. I feel this phenotype would support a scrog grow beautifully!

skunk #1: Another trusted strain that can perform very well within the scrog grow!