If you’ve spent time learning about growing cannabis, you may have come across the SCROG, or screen of green methods used to train growing cannabis plants.
Using SCROG, growers can achieve maximum light exposure for their plants and grow more colas, or top buds (flowering sites for female plants.) Instead of creating a single top bud, you can now produce several, maximizing your harvest.
What Is The SCROG Method?
A crucial part of any indoor harvest is the lighting. SCROG was developed as a more efficient way to distribute light to the crops in an even, controlled manner. Making the most of the energy used can save growers money in the long run.
The main feature of the SCROG method is a screen, which can vary from chicken wire (popular but difficult to work with because of the small holes) to mesh netting or even twine. While the screen is a main feature of SCROG, the success of the method is much more reliant on properly making use of the screen.
As plants grow through the screen, the harvester must continually pull down the branches and loop them back through the screen. They will receive more light exposure and consequently create more budding sites, which will produce a larger harvest.
With standard grow methods, the cola receives the most light, and the lower buds on the plant receive less the further down you go. The SCROG method divides the main cola and raises the lower buds up higher.
How To Grow Plants Using Screen of Green
You’ll need to have your screens as close as possible to your lighting setup if you want a successful SCROG operation. You’ll need to find a way to mount your screen so it’s close to the lights and in a good position for your plants to grow through. SCROG works best for small amounts of plants, and you’ll need to leave ample space between them to make moving them around easier.
An easy way to mount the screen is to stretch it across four posts around the perimeter of your plants. Zip ties are a simple way to keep the screen connected to other objects. Make sure it’s tightly installed so it provides good support to the plants and be sure that it’s evenly distributed and level.
