A couple large scrog grow questions

[jakeman]

Hi everyone, I am starting a 50 plant legal scrog grow and had a couple questions. First is screen height. I have an 8ft ceiling and am looking to maximize my yields. I currently have my screen set at 20in above the top of 5 gal pots. I was thinking of lowering it to about 16 in the middle and keeping the sides at 20 so it is like a bowl. I have seen pics of this. Any thoughts on this and my 20 in screen height?
Also am very torn, to top or not to top. So many differing views on this. Each plant has a 2ftx2ft area of screen with 2inx2in holes. I would like to fill as many holes as possible without overcrowding.
I am using 600w hps in air cooled hoods and have plenty of ventilation and A/C Thanks in advance

 

[Hydro-Soil]

Screen height is all about being able to reach under and manipulate the plants. The larger the number of plants and the further you have to reach, the higher you'll want the screen height.

Topping has to do with the stretch and growth of your strain/phenotype. It usually takes at least one grow to figure out what a strain/pheno will do when flipped. Strains that don't stretch much may need topping in veg or allowed to fill the screen a bit more before flowering.

It's usually a crapshoot the first run with unknown stuff.

Make sure you have plenty of ventilation below a large scrog... keeping airflow constant will reduce the humidity pockets below and above the screen. Humidity pockets below promote mold growth, humidity pockets above the screen create superheated moisture in the air, also bad for plants.

The best part about scrog is two-fold... it's meditative to work on the screen twice a day and you get at least a month break when the stretch is over... no more working the screen, just adjusting the lights (if needed) and keeping up with nutrients and water.

Stay Safe!