Cannabis growers are constantly looking for new ways to increase the quality and amount of their yields. Growing with a screen of green is gaining some popularity among cultivators, and many people wonder why.
Today, we’ll discuss the SCROG method and its comparatively high yields in small spaces. We’ll also tell you how to SCROG and why it’s useful.
Let’s get into it.
What Is SCROG?
What is SCROG? It’s an abbreviation for a screen of green and refers to a growing style that involves a net.
Scrogging is a type of plant training technique that allows you to grow a canopy of cannabis. Rather than the traditional Christmas tree formation, you train all the plant’s branches to grow at the same height.
The technique gets its name from the SCROG screen, which growers weave the branches through to keep them at a uniform height.
The Advantages of Using Screen of Green
SCROG growing has multiple advantages, and many growers claim that it multiplies yields significantly.
By scrogging, you remove the most significant disadvantage of traditional growing techniques–uneven light distribution. The upper branches get more light with original styles, while lower branches and interiors get shaded out.
Because SCROG cannabis branches grow at a uniform height, all the parts get optimal lighting. Any would-be popcorn buds can grow to their full potential because they receive sufficient lighting.
A secondary advantage lies in space efficiency. With a SCROG grow, you can efficiently optimize plant development to get greater yields with fewer plants.
When to SCROG
Many new cultivators are unsure when to SCROG and when to use a different growing technique.
Scrogging is ideal when:
- You want a bumper crop from as few plants as possible
- You have limited space and want to maximize yield
- Available lighting is limited, and you need to optimize it
- You’re growing plants with a tendency to produce popcorns in traditional growing setups
- Growing multiple different strains with similar flowering times
When Not to SCROG
There are times when scrogging isn’t advantageous. These include:
- Growing multiple strains with different growth rates
- Growing many plants in a minute area
- When your plants are almost full-grown
How to Prepare Your SCROG
SCROG is one of many fantastic cannabis training techniques that’s easy to accomplish. It would help if you did some careful preparations before you begin.
1 – Choose the Right Strain
Finding the right strain for your indoor SCROG setup is essential. It would be best if you found a variety that matches your preferences but will stretch well.
Sativa-dominant varieties tend to be more flexible than indicas, though this isn’t a rule. If you decide to use indica-dominant strains, you’ll probably need to use more plants to fill the same area.
If you decide to mix strains, you should choose varieties that grow at similar speeds. You can also match other properties, like THC content.
2 – Make Your SCROG Net
When preparing your grow area, you can use one of several nets. DIY scrog options are endless and vary from t-posts with standard nylon mesh to PVC systems.
You can also buy a SCROG kit and set that up. Most growers prefer hemp or nylon mesh, and the nets usually come in 4-6′ sizes.
You can easily build a square frame out of two-by-fours or PVC pipe and attach your string or net to that.
3 – Select Your Pots
The pot size that you choose depends on how many plants you want to grow.
If you wish to grow multiple plants beneath your SCROG netting, consider an 11l pot for each.
Single plants that you’ll sculpt into a screen of green may benefit from a larger 25l pot.
You can also choose between many materials, like fabric, terracotta, and plastic pots.
4 – Space Plants Appropriately
Whatever you do, don’t try to fit as many plants into the soil as possible. Space the plants so that each one gets the space that it needs.
Most growers recommend having a single plant for every two square feet.
How to SCROG
Scrogging is simple but can be intimidating to newbies. This SCROG tutorial will take you through the basics.
1 – Top Your Plants
To get your plants luscious enough to fill your screen, you need to top them.
Once your plant has five growth nodes (the joints the leaves sprout from), snip off the top one. The plant will stop focusing its energy on creating one main stem and grow two new stems instead.
You can top your cannabis bushes multiple times during the vegetative stage. When the two new main stems reach their fifth node, snip it off again and keep repeating. You can do this up to eight times to produce 32 growth points.
2 – Fit Your SCROG Screen
You need to place your screen 20-40cm above the growing surface.
Compensate the height to fit your seedlings.
3 – Weave Your Plants Through the Screen
Once your plants have grown enough to make contact with the net, start weaving them through. Be careful not to snap, tear, or break branches during this process.
You need to guide the plants to fill out space without overcrowding or leaving gaps.
Pro tip: Get your weaving done during the vegetative stage when the plants are supple. If you try to weave plants during the flowering stage, you’re likely to snap more branches.
4 – Prune Your Plants
Once all your carefully trained branches are in the mesh, you need to prune. Remove any new branches that grow below the ones you’ve woven in.
This step will prevent popcorn buds and unnecessary branches that eat the plant’s energy.
5 – Feed and Water Your Plants
Once you’ve completed the weaving and pruning, your plants will be a bit stressed. Give them a proper feeding and watering to help them recover.
Otherwise, stick to your normal feeding schedule until harvest time.
Training Techniques for SCROG
As with any other type of plant, you can use many training techniques on your SCROG marijuana. The following four techniques are some of the best to use with SCROG growing.
Low-Stress Training (LST)
LST involves delicately bending the branches in the desired direction and tying them down. After a while, the branches grow the way you want them to.
By practicing this technique, you can manipulate two to four branches into positions where their side shoots will fill your SCROG net.
Lollipopping
Lollipopping is a plant training technique where you remove the lower branches and buds. The plant then pushes resources that it would have used to maintain those segments into useful growth.
Whether you know it or not, you’ll always practice lollipopping on your SCROG weed. After a certain point, you’ll need to remove any new growth on the bottom part of the stem.
Mainlining
Mainlining is a brilliant technique to help you get the perfect canopy for scrogging. By topping and tying your plant multiple times over an extended period, you encourage growth. Instead of one main cola with many outer branches, you create a sheet with no more than 32 main growing shoots.
Supercropping
Supercropping is a technique where you bruise the inner tissues of the plant without breaking the outer tissues.
If done carefully, this technique will provide your cannabis with greater flexibility. It’s a useful trait when you’re trying to weave branches into SCROG netting.
You perform this technique by carefully pinching and rolling parts of the plants’ stems to bruise the inner structures. You also need to bend the branches to a point where they’re close to snapping.
Supercropping should occur in the vegetative stage but before the screening. You don’t need to bruise all the branches, merely the ones that you want to train.
Best Strains to SCROG
Most growers agree that there’s no perfect Cannabis for SCROG. Some strains do work better than others due to flexibility and growing speeds. We’ve tracked down two varieties that work exceptionally well for this growing technique.
OG Kush
OG Kush, the original gangster of Kush, is an intense, aromatic strain that’s been around since the ’90s.
This variety is 75% indica, with a THC content of 19-26%. Because it’s indica-dominant, the plants have a fair amount of flexibility.
Bushes of this variety can produce between 450 and 500 grams per plant, making them ideal for small grows. With a flowering time of eight to ten weeks, this strain is ideal for your next scrogging session.
Auto Blueberry X Jack Herer
While the Auto Blueberry x Jack Herer strain produces considerably less per plant (up to 150g), it’s ideal for beginners.
This hybrid strain is autoflowering and has a flowering time of 8-10 weeks. Since there’s no need to induce flowering, it’s ideal for newcomers. It’s also a perfect gateway for combining SCROG and autoflower.
Auto Blueberry x Jack Herer is a Sativa-dominant strain, which offers a whirlwind of flavors. If you’re looking for a hybrid that’s easy to SCROG and won’t leave you bouldered, this is it.
The Blunt
Whether you buy DIY SCROG supplies or a SCROG kit, you don’t have to work hard at this technique.
Once you get the hang of it, you can produce massive yields in a small area. Whether you only have a growing closet or want to optimize light outdoors, a SCROG grow is the way to go.
For high-quality seeds like OG Kush and Auto Blueberry x Jack Herer, check out our vast array of seeds for weed.
Blog Categories
Top 10 Cannabis Seeds
