Scrogs not for newbies?

[Moots]

Hey all, I've been lurking and planning for quie some time recently, trying to ascertain which grow method would be best for my situation. The Scrog method has really drawn me in as it seems to increase yields from fewer plants.

I will be running a micro grow, just about 1.5 sq, CFL style, and will probably only be running 1-2 plants max at a time, so Scrog seems to be the way to go. Through the info here, scrogging doesn't seem that difficult, but throughout other searches in google, alot of people seem to not recommend it for new growers.

I just don't want to walk into my first grow with huge expectations only to be defeated by choosing a grow method that is more advanced than I can handle.

So Scrog, newbie friendly or not? Any input would be great,

Also is running a perpetual scrog possible? I've tried searching but have not had much success. I am not looking for the weekly harvest from a Sog for instance but beeing able to harvest once every 4-6 weeks would be fine.

 

[jm420]

(before) (after0 It takes alittle practice .When scroging timing is everything,you dont want your screen to overgrow come the stretch,or not be full .Sativas fill half the screen ,indicas 3/4 full,I think the biggest key to a succesfull scrog is keeping your canopy the sameheight .Check out freezer boys Thunk diary lot of good info there.I'm sure scroggerman will jump in on this one as well.
A perpetual grow is definitely doable if you have the space and time,Theres alot of labor involved in scrogging but you will reap the bennys if succesfull,

 

[JacuzziSplot]

IMO scrog is not too hard for a newbie. Being good at it takes practice but even doing a poor job on a scrog will get you better yields than if you let the plant grow natural.

 

[HempAlchemist]

aggreed, scrog is not hard, it just takes a lil time to perfect. you will see a difference in yeilds vs. without scrog. The big part, which was already mentioned, is trying to keep the canopy even. as a noob, i would suggest you only scrog one strain at a time, since different strains would have different grow hights, flowering times, stretch, etc. all these factors need to be addressed for a perfect scrog, and being that you only have a small grow space, you need to maximize your space and light. as far a perpetual scrog grow, it is possible with modular scrogs, but that takes a lot of room, and knowledge of the strain, which it sounds like you dont have atm. i think the best way for you to go forward would be to try and grow enough each round to last you thru the next grow. once you get the time/money to make some upgrades to your system, looking to getting some HID lights, a larger growing area, and building a few modular scrogs so you can go perpetual
hope this helps
HA

 

[bigwity]

the only way is to just try it mate dont worry about it just do it cross the hurdles when they come. its the best way to learn. good luck man. oh and i would start with a indica as your first grow they tend to be more grower friendly

 

[FreezerBoy]

You can do it!

Your first ScrOG will be like your first baby. Any noise, you panic. Any lack of noise, you panic. Baby throws up, panic. Baby doesn't throw up, panic... eventually, you relax and let nature happen.

If you've a separate veg chamber, you can stagger the ScrOGs in the flowering area. The screens will maintain an even canopy even though plants are weeks apart in age. When one hits the halfway point in it's flower period, start ScrOG #2. Note the screens will have to be modular, one plant per screen.

 

[eagle1213]

I know your concerns moots i'm going to be a first time scrogger as well. I THINK I CAN I THINK I CAN.....

 

[yesum]

I think you could do it fine. Another option would be to hang 1 or 2 42 watt cfl or brighter, down in between the plants. That way you get light below the canopy and it would make up the yield loss imo.

With cfl's 1/2 inch to 1 inch distance from light to plant is ideal. Clamp reflectors will double the light your plant gets. y splitter with extender if necessary, will allow 2 lights per reflector and double the penetration. More heat from reflectors so a small fan is advised to cool.

 

[ogkushkilla]

scrog can be done when your a newbie, but on your first grow you should be learning other very important things, learn plants growth rate and how they respond to ferts, the reason for this is becasue you could concentrate so hard about your canopy being even and neglect the plants needs and make a lower quality but, in my opinion you should just grow a few plants and try super cropping it is a more simple method which increased yield, also a 2 foot space with cfls are gonna create a small amount of bud which is very low quality, your best bet is to put a small hps light in that space, cfls create way to much heat and would simple be a pain in your ass,

 

[VerdantGreen]

if you have a small grow space then not scrogging may well be harder than scrogging!

even a badly done scrog will outyield an untrained plant imo.

remember, plants stretch when you flip them to flower, so unless you are growing a very squat indica you will want to flip before you have filled the screen.

dont try and scrog two different strains on the same screen, even 2 different seeds of the same strain can be quite different. modular scrog will solve this problem and allow you to be perpetual. check my grow diary for modular scrog.

good luck

VG

 

[Snagglepuss]

People get great results from the Scrog technique,I found it to be a real pain in the ass(especially if growing different strains).I like to move stuff around.So now i just grow big plants ,control their height, and then defoliate.Everybody has their own thing...Try it and see how you like it...

 

[VerdantGreen]

modular solves all the problems of a usual scrog re different strains/heights, being able to move plants around/inspect them.

 

[staff11]

Another option is just do some low stress training. If you train them right it will be just like a scrog, but way less hassle. I have a couple going right now with a nice even canopy after training them in the vegetation stage.

 

[FreezerBoy]

If you train them right it will be just like a scrog, but way less hassle.

Depends on the mesh of the screen. Mine is heavy plastic with 1" weave and does most of the work by itself. I can poke a dozen tips under the screen as fast as a single tip could be tied and secured.

 

[supermanlives]

everything has its learning curve.that said some strains dont like to be scrogged. some have brittle branches and dont stretch much. so learn your strain

 

[FreezerBoy]

For brittle branches, crush and fold fold rather than bend. Crush stem between thumb and forefinger, rotate grip 90º, crush again, fold it over. If it splits, no worries, a twist tie, pipe cleaner, slit open straw will hold it together and it will heal in a couple of days. Some plants will ignore the fold and straighten up, so be prepared to tie it down or push it under the screen.

 

[staff11]

For brittle branches, crush and fold fold rather than bend. Crush stem between thumb and forefinger, rotate grip 90º, crush again, fold it over. If it splits, no worries, a twist tie, pipe cleaner, slit open straw will hold it together and it will heal in a couple of days. Some plants will ignore the fold and straighten up, so be prepared to tie it down or push it under the screen.

Yeah it's amazing at how fast they will recover and start growing straight up again. As little as 12 hours or less it seems at times.

 

[VerdantGreen]

one of the things about scrog is that when you fit the screen (i fit a modular screen onto well vegged plants to save on veg space - i veg in smaller pots) or do some tucking under the plants look terrible until they have been given a chance to respond to the light - that takes a bit of getting used to - as does having the balls to manipulate the stems and shoots - most strains will take a lot of bending etc before they snap. try not to train when the soil is very wet and NEVER train after any kind of spraying as the stems are too turgid and will snap much easier.

this is a bit of an extreme example with a slightly over vegged plant, but illustrates my point
vegged up:

screen fitted - yikes!

1 week later

VG

 

[Moots]

Thanks for all the input guys! I went MIA for a bit there, as I had to move.

VG- Wow, that filled out pretty nicely, and quickly too. Looks fantastic. Thanks, I'm going to check out your threads, awesome pics, and info.

Freeze-Thanks for the tip on stem crushing, I had seen it mentioned around a few times but was always iffy about crushing plant matter.