Interested in getting the biggest crop possible with a small indoor grow? Then you have come to the right place. The SCROG technique - screen of green - uses stress induction and an adjustable screen to make large, high quality flowers in your plant. This article covers everything you ever wanted to know about Scrog, and here's how you can grow your plants with this efficient method:
What is the SCROG (SCREEN OF GREEN) technique?
Scrog is an indoor cannabis growing method that trains plants using a thin grid. This cultivation format increases the harvest of small grows. She does this by allowing the pantry to take the most space for herself, which makes her make the most of the available light.
If you want to get the most out of your indoor plants, the technique is one of the best alternatives available. It produces many buds and gives each flower every opportunity it needs to develop. Once you have your net or crate mounted, you can easily use it to produce crop after crop of high quality cannabis.
Scrog Benefits
If you put a single plant in a pot to grow without any technique applied to it, chances are it will only develop a central canopy. With the Scrog technique, the entire branch develops into a decent sized pantry. This induces high harvests originating from few plants as one to five only.
This cultivation technique produces homogeneous flowers (same or similar). All branches are trained to hover over the screen that has been placed in a canopy. This means that they are all at equal distance from light, giving all flowers the opportunity to absorb all the solar energy they need.
This method is still particularly useful when cultivating sativa. They tend to extend as much in width as in height and can be difficult to grow indoor as they turn out too large, although the indications also perform equally well with the technique.
Using a network also simplifies maintenance. You won't have to tie the branches in crazy random ways, because instead you can just use the separation the screen gives you. You can also use the technique on clones and feminized seeds.
How to make Scrog?
The even cooler part of the Scrog technique? It's easy to do. During the vegetative phase, just start passing the branches through a net, screen or grid. Under the surface the plants will look neat and trimmed. They will also be easy to water and maintain, but the only thing to really pay attention to with Scrog is flowering.
Some strains tend to grow larger than others during this phase, so a tip is to look at general information about the strain you are planting. If it tends to grow tall and very vigorous in flowering, you can shorten the time spent in the vegetative state.
A plant that grows a lot will fill the screen during flowering. If you have one that doesn't grow so much, leaving it in the vegetative phase a little longer will help it take up more space from the net. Another tip to remember is that you want to train your plant for broad lateral growth.
Here is a step-by-step how to use your Scrog:
Materials
A screen with holes 5 to 10cm in diameter;
Plastic ties or ribbons;
12L pots for one plant and 25L or more for more than one plant;
Plants;
The ready growing space (grow).
Instructions
Place the net or screen about 20cm above the vessels;
You want it to be as close to your light as possible while leaving room for the broad flowers;
Give each plant about 30cm of net or screen;
Guide the branches through the net or screen and let only the top hang over the surface;
You can use plastic ribbons, cords, or ties to handle branches if necessary, but you should realize that the screen will hold them in place after a while;
Continue her management until an average of 70% of the canvas is covered before switching to flowering. If you are growing a sativa, go from 50 to 60% cover before flowering. With one indica, up to 80% of the network can be completed;
As plants continue to grow they will fill the space left over;
Once the plants change to flowering, keep an eye out for more branches stuck underneath.
Pruning
During the growing process, can back leaves. During flowering you can stick them close to the flower under the canvas. The idea is that you want your light focused on the flowers. Supplemental leaves drain energy from flower development. In such a method, your plant can succeed without extra leaves thanks to the surface structure. This technique has a name and is called Lollipoping,
But don't let them get wasted - cannabis leaves are highly nutritious! Throw some in a green juice or use in a soothing tea as well. The leaves of the plant may not contain THC but they contain cannabinoid acids. These acids have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. They are also rich in vitamins - you don't want to get beaten by these super healthy benefits.
Air circulation
As the technique creates thick buds, quality air circulation is essential. When the flowers are all put together and encouraged to grow bigger, you create the perfect environment for mold to appear.
If possible, use light that does not emit as much heat or with built-in ventilation. Make sure you have at least two fans running: one to get fresh air into the grow and one to get hot air out of it.
As mentioned earlier, one of the cool things about Scrog is that it can save you time in watering. Water only when your soil is completely dry. Over-watering is one of the most common mistakes in cultivation, and this will increase the chances of mold, pests or disease appearing.
That's it! These are the basics of the Scrog technique. It will give your pot lots of flowers as home growers are often limited to just a few plants. The method is definitely worth a try for anyone diving into the world of cannabis cultivation!