Found this on the interwebs :
What is ScrOG
A ScrOG refers to the term Screen of Green and can be interpreted to any method of growing plants that uses a screen of some sort. There are vertical , horizontal and even box screens but they all use a net or a wire to train cannabis in a way that is more efficient for light usage , exposure and ultimately increases your autoflower yield and maximizes the growing space.
Autoflowers and ScrOG?
AUtoflowers flower automatically so there is no way you can vegetate your plant for as long as it spreads through the screen and then start to flower it. This makes Scrogging autoflowering plants a bit more difficult and you need to pay closer attention to what you are doing. Basically there are two types of autoflowers:
Regular autoflower
Super autoflower
And both of these types need different methods for scrogging because the fast flowering regular autoflowers have to be trained much earlier and you can start training them as early as the first or second pair of true fan leafs appear. These plants can also be trained when the flowering starts because they will still grow for a week or a bit longer and you need to maximize the bedsides by training them as fast as they can grow.
The second type the SUPER autoflowers are more longer growing and they have a longer pre-flowering period so you will be able to extend them more through the green screen and get much higher yields. These SUPER plants also can be trained at the first week of flowering but usually growers try to stop training them as soon as those first flowers appear and let the budsides grow through the screen toward the light .
So you can see that as with regular plants autoflowers can also be trained with the Screen of Green method but why is it necessary?
airo pot scrogWhy is ScrOG necessary
The screen of green gives many advantages to growers and here I will give all of them to let you know why exactly is the ScrOG method used by so many growers?
Increase yield – Scrog growing can dramatically increase the overall plant yield because you are maximizing your light potential and letting more of the leafs get the energy thus providing more growth and buds.
Decrease size – Scrog screen can be effectively installed at around 20 to 30 centimeter mark from the pot and that means that you can get your plants overall profile very low so you will be able to grow in short places.
Increase exposure to light source – by exposing more of your autoflowering plant to the light you are maximizing the total amount of energy transferred from the lightbulb to your plant and it also means that there are less wasted energy and lumens.
Decrease the plant count – with ScrOG you can get bigger plants and you can fill more room with a single plant so this also decreases the overall plant count and fewer plants are easier to manage.
Makes harvesting easier – you can just chop off the buds above the screen and dry them whereas without scrog you will need to find the best branches and chop their buds off one at a time and use the rest for hash.
Easier growroom maintenance – because you don’t need to move your whole plant up or down or light lower or higher it is more convenient to train the plant itself to the intended height.
No hooks or string – Comparing ScrOG with Tie Down LST you can train your cannabis without any strings or hooks so it takes less time and materials.
No hassle – Again comparing to regular LST method ScrOG takes less time and you don’t need to create holes in the pot walls where to tie down your plants or get hooks that can be used to bend and hold branches.
Maximizes space – ScrOG screen can be used very effectively in small grow areas where the height or width of the grow room / cabinet is limited. This space maximization gives you better total yield and weight that you can get out of your growing area.
So now you know what is scrog and why it is so popular but where exactly can you use it?
vegetative PVC scrogWhere ScrOG can be used?
ScrOG can be used in almost any grow operation ranging from small closet or pc grows to big 1000W HID lamps setups. As i mentioned above scrog increases yield so any grower can use this method , however not every situation is good for scrogging.
Usually the best places where to install the Green Screens are grow rooms where the lights are difficult to position and it would be best to position plants around or below these bulbs. But by no means those are the only places where ScrOG is used, it is also used in:
closet grows where any scrog type is perfect for maximizing the yield and overall efficiency of the grow.
In larger operations where individual scrog nets can also maximize each lights potential and decrease the overall plant count.
In micro grows where it is more convenient to have one plant use up the whole area and not to use multiple plants for the same purpose.
In T5 grow light setups where the light is spread evenly so plant canopy also needs to be even to get best light coverage.
In HID setups where it is best to set up a curved vertical or box scrog screen around the bulb and also maximize the coverage and overall light usage.
Also in LED setups where there is also One light source where diodes are fit closely together because as With HID or T5 setups it is all about the light usage.
SCROG can also be used outside because the horizontal statue of the plant is more efficient than the rhombic or triangle shape.
tall but thin grow areas where a vertical or box shaped scrog could maximize the overall yield from that space.
Also on balconies or window sills where the sunlight typically comes from one direction and it is a good idea to train your plant to that direction to get the most out of that light.
As you can see the Screen of Green can be used in many different setups and every grower should choose if they want to train their plant or not to train them but you should know that this particular training method also has some drawbacks.
SCROG disadvantagesSCROG gone bad
don’t work for regular seeds because male plants are pointless to scrog and when the first flowers appear it is already too late to start training your females.
difficult to water – if your screen is too close to the pot you will have difficulties watering your plants because the screen covers the pot and the surrounding area around it and a watering can won’t get under the screen.
difficult or impossible to move around – ScrOG screens are big and clumsy and it is difficult to move them around or if the screen is secured on the grow room walls then it is impossible to move them so any plant rotation or changing is highly unlikely.
time consuming – constant check ups and maintenance takes time so a ScrOG grow will definitely take more time out of your day.
constant check ups – if too much time passes without scrogging your autoflower plant they can overgrow the screen and you will have difficulties getting those shoots back in the holes and by forcing them you can bend or break the stems.
At last we have come to the place where you know the advantages and disadvantages of scrogging and if it is something you like I will give you a quick guide how to SCROG your plant.
SCROG GUIDE
First of all you need to let your plant grow to the intended height at which you want it to stay for the rest of its life.
You need to get or make a screen that would be in the appropriate size and position it from 6 to 11 inches (15 to 30 cm) below you intended height.(You can of course position the screen before you grow your plant and let it grow though the screen)
After the screen is in place and your plant has gone through those holes you need to gently bend that main shoot downward so it is no longer pointing up but is below the screen pointing horizontally.
After a day or two the main shoot will again be pointing towards the light so you again take it and position it below the screen pointing horizontally in the direction you want.
After a couple of these initial trainings you will see that there are also other shoots now pointing toward the light and you basically need to train them below the screen.
You need to keep up training your plant every day and it is best to try training the bigger shoots at the edges of the screen and let those smaller ones grow in the center region.
After the first female preflowers appear you need to really train your plant in the position and shape you want it to flower because you only have a week or a bit longer to train it.
Trie to get your bud-sides as even as possible for flat grow lamps and for single point lights let the outer branches grow bigger through the net to maximize the light potential.
After a week or two has gone by after the initial flowers appeared you will see that your autoflower is slowing down and you can’t ScrOG it anymore.
At this point you should let it grow out and stop the scrooging because if you continue some of the buds won’t grow out of the screen anymore.
If however some of the buds get too big just tie them down with hooks or hemp string or you can try to get it under the screen and in a hole that is further away.(This could be difficult because the plant will no longer be as flexible as in the vegetative stage)
When the vertical growth stops almost completely you are done with scrogging and you can wait for your harvest.
ScrOG size
ScrOG sizes and net hole sizes are different for each occasion and it is vastly affected by the strain and your grow room location, dimensions as well as the light you are using. For the actual screen size I can’t give you a number because every strain is different and every grow room is different, you will need to grow one harvest with a screen and see how big the plants gets and if it reaches the edge of the screen you can always use the tie down method. Basically if you have small grow room create a screen for the whole area but if you have individual plants create a screen as wide as the plants intended height would have been.
As for the netting hole size it again depends on the strain but here I can say that smaller nets tend to be more convenient because you have less work to do. I have seen screens with 1 inch(2.5 cm) holes and 6 inch(15 cm) holes and they all work perfectly but the smaller ones tend to be cleaner. For autoflower I think 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 cm) would be the ideal size as the tops won’t grow any wider than this before flowering.
SCROG materials
The screen and frame can be created with different materials and basically every grower will find his approach work the best but for general purposes I will count some of the materials that you can take and create your screen.
First of all the frame. You can create frames from:
PVC pipes – they fit together quite well, you can get them in different shapes and it is easy to drill holes in them where the wires or strings will sit.
Wood – Wood as you may know is an excellent material. It is strong, light and easy to work with. Wood frames are usually built for repeated usage and they won’t bend from the plant weight.
Metal – Metal frames are a bit trickier to create and they can be quite heavy so consider using metal only when you know that this won’t be your only grow and you know how big you want that screen to stay forever.
Bamboo – Bamboo beams are great because they are very light but at the same time strong. You can again create holes for strings easily and positioning a lighter frame is always easier.
Plastic – Plastic frames need to be quite thick to be strong enough because some plants get really big and because plastic is really flexible your screen can bend and twist. But apart from the flexibility this material is perfect as it is easy to come by and plastic tubes or beams can easily fit together.
These materials are the ones I have seen being used for ScrOG frame but if you can think of a better material go for it.
After you have created the frame you will need something that you can create a screen with. These materials are usually flexible to allow a bit of up and down motion that your plants will endure on them.
Hemp String – In my opinion this is the best material and not only because it is made from the plant you are growing but also because it is organic , resilient and cheap.
Plastic – plastic screens are usually pre-built and you can’t regulate the width of the holes. These screens are good for quick set-up but they don’t bend and you must look out for sharp edges as they can harm you plant.
Fishing line – this is one of the worst material for screen creation because it is thin and can easily cut into the stem of the plant and ham it. It is easy to cut yourself with these kind of screens and use them only as a last resort.
Metal wire – Metal is also not that good to cannabis plants but a thick enough one can be workable because the plant will not be able to grow itself into the screen and it will be strong and reusable.
Nylon netting – Nylon is another great material as it is soft and will not harm your garden. It is very cheap and you can get it in any supermarket.
Bamboo skewers – For small time growers I can recommend creating a Screen from these bamboo skewers as they are strong , cheap and easy to find.
Chicken wire – This is a good pre-made solution as you can find different size meshes and you don’t need to make a frame for it.
These are just some of the materials I have seen used by others or used them myself but there are a lot of other possibilities and you need to think creatively to find them. There are also pre-built screens that can be bought and used but I usually find that they are not as strong or reusable as I want and their holes are too wide or narrow for my taste.
Huge overgrown scrogSCROG Types
Basically there are two types of SCROG methods and they are the Horizontal and Vertical ones but you can find and create on your own many different variations of these till you find the best one that fits your needs.
Horizontal SCROG – This is the most widely used method and it simply means a horizontally placed screen. This is also the easiest method because you don’t need to bend or have multiple screens, just create or buy one net and you’re good to go.
SCROG and Tie Down method combined – This refers to training your plants with the SCROG method but also tying them down if they get too big or just securing branches that are falling out of the net holes.
SCROG over LST plant – This is a rather interesting method when you basically are using the LST training method but putting a screen over the top. This screen is the maximum size that you allow your plants to be and if some of the branches from your Low stress training get too big they hit the screen and you maintain your plants not letting them to get burned.
Vertical SCROG – Simply stated this is the method of growing when you place your screen vertically and your light source is placed at the level of plant not at the top. This is usually done in narrow but high places or just for maximum light usage as two vertical screens can be placed in both sides of a growing lamp.
Circle SCROG – This is the screen of green that is created around the light. That means you have to create a full horizontal circle around your light where you can grow your plants. Looking from the above you could see a HID lamp hanging from the ceiling in the middle of a circle and surrounded by green plants.
BOG (Box of green) – Box ScrOG is the method of putting your net below and on both sides of your grow lamp creating a kind of a box shape. This method can also have many different implementations and most often it resembles the V shape not the U one.
Tips
Always use clean materials
Don’t use screens with sharp edges
Don’t use screens with thin wires
Attend your SCROG regularly
Stop scrogging after first weeks of flowering
steely
What is ScrOG
A ScrOG refers to the term Screen of Green and can be interpreted to any method of growing plants that uses a screen of some sort. There are vertical , horizontal and even box screens but they all use a net or a wire to train cannabis in a way that is more efficient for light usage , exposure and ultimately increases your autoflower yield and maximizes the growing space.
Autoflowers and ScrOG?
AUtoflowers flower automatically so there is no way you can vegetate your plant for as long as it spreads through the screen and then start to flower it. This makes Scrogging autoflowering plants a bit more difficult and you need to pay closer attention to what you are doing. Basically there are two types of autoflowers:
Regular autoflower
Super autoflower
And both of these types need different methods for scrogging because the fast flowering regular autoflowers have to be trained much earlier and you can start training them as early as the first or second pair of true fan leafs appear. These plants can also be trained when the flowering starts because they will still grow for a week or a bit longer and you need to maximize the bedsides by training them as fast as they can grow.
The second type the SUPER autoflowers are more longer growing and they have a longer pre-flowering period so you will be able to extend them more through the green screen and get much higher yields. These SUPER plants also can be trained at the first week of flowering but usually growers try to stop training them as soon as those first flowers appear and let the budsides grow through the screen toward the light .
So you can see that as with regular plants autoflowers can also be trained with the Screen of Green method but why is it necessary?
airo pot scrogWhy is ScrOG necessary
The screen of green gives many advantages to growers and here I will give all of them to let you know why exactly is the ScrOG method used by so many growers?
Increase yield – Scrog growing can dramatically increase the overall plant yield because you are maximizing your light potential and letting more of the leafs get the energy thus providing more growth and buds.
Decrease size – Scrog screen can be effectively installed at around 20 to 30 centimeter mark from the pot and that means that you can get your plants overall profile very low so you will be able to grow in short places.
Increase exposure to light source – by exposing more of your autoflowering plant to the light you are maximizing the total amount of energy transferred from the lightbulb to your plant and it also means that there are less wasted energy and lumens.
Decrease the plant count – with ScrOG you can get bigger plants and you can fill more room with a single plant so this also decreases the overall plant count and fewer plants are easier to manage.
Makes harvesting easier – you can just chop off the buds above the screen and dry them whereas without scrog you will need to find the best branches and chop their buds off one at a time and use the rest for hash.
Easier growroom maintenance – because you don’t need to move your whole plant up or down or light lower or higher it is more convenient to train the plant itself to the intended height.
No hooks or string – Comparing ScrOG with Tie Down LST you can train your cannabis without any strings or hooks so it takes less time and materials.
No hassle – Again comparing to regular LST method ScrOG takes less time and you don’t need to create holes in the pot walls where to tie down your plants or get hooks that can be used to bend and hold branches.
Maximizes space – ScrOG screen can be used very effectively in small grow areas where the height or width of the grow room / cabinet is limited. This space maximization gives you better total yield and weight that you can get out of your growing area.
So now you know what is scrog and why it is so popular but where exactly can you use it?
vegetative PVC scrogWhere ScrOG can be used?
ScrOG can be used in almost any grow operation ranging from small closet or pc grows to big 1000W HID lamps setups. As i mentioned above scrog increases yield so any grower can use this method , however not every situation is good for scrogging.
Usually the best places where to install the Green Screens are grow rooms where the lights are difficult to position and it would be best to position plants around or below these bulbs. But by no means those are the only places where ScrOG is used, it is also used in:
closet grows where any scrog type is perfect for maximizing the yield and overall efficiency of the grow.
In larger operations where individual scrog nets can also maximize each lights potential and decrease the overall plant count.
In micro grows where it is more convenient to have one plant use up the whole area and not to use multiple plants for the same purpose.
In T5 grow light setups where the light is spread evenly so plant canopy also needs to be even to get best light coverage.
In HID setups where it is best to set up a curved vertical or box scrog screen around the bulb and also maximize the coverage and overall light usage.
Also in LED setups where there is also One light source where diodes are fit closely together because as With HID or T5 setups it is all about the light usage.
SCROG can also be used outside because the horizontal statue of the plant is more efficient than the rhombic or triangle shape.
tall but thin grow areas where a vertical or box shaped scrog could maximize the overall yield from that space.
Also on balconies or window sills where the sunlight typically comes from one direction and it is a good idea to train your plant to that direction to get the most out of that light.
As you can see the Screen of Green can be used in many different setups and every grower should choose if they want to train their plant or not to train them but you should know that this particular training method also has some drawbacks.
SCROG disadvantagesSCROG gone bad
don’t work for regular seeds because male plants are pointless to scrog and when the first flowers appear it is already too late to start training your females.
difficult to water – if your screen is too close to the pot you will have difficulties watering your plants because the screen covers the pot and the surrounding area around it and a watering can won’t get under the screen.
difficult or impossible to move around – ScrOG screens are big and clumsy and it is difficult to move them around or if the screen is secured on the grow room walls then it is impossible to move them so any plant rotation or changing is highly unlikely.
time consuming – constant check ups and maintenance takes time so a ScrOG grow will definitely take more time out of your day.
constant check ups – if too much time passes without scrogging your autoflower plant they can overgrow the screen and you will have difficulties getting those shoots back in the holes and by forcing them you can bend or break the stems.
At last we have come to the place where you know the advantages and disadvantages of scrogging and if it is something you like I will give you a quick guide how to SCROG your plant.
SCROG GUIDE
First of all you need to let your plant grow to the intended height at which you want it to stay for the rest of its life.
You need to get or make a screen that would be in the appropriate size and position it from 6 to 11 inches (15 to 30 cm) below you intended height.(You can of course position the screen before you grow your plant and let it grow though the screen)
After the screen is in place and your plant has gone through those holes you need to gently bend that main shoot downward so it is no longer pointing up but is below the screen pointing horizontally.
After a day or two the main shoot will again be pointing towards the light so you again take it and position it below the screen pointing horizontally in the direction you want.
After a couple of these initial trainings you will see that there are also other shoots now pointing toward the light and you basically need to train them below the screen.
You need to keep up training your plant every day and it is best to try training the bigger shoots at the edges of the screen and let those smaller ones grow in the center region.
After the first female preflowers appear you need to really train your plant in the position and shape you want it to flower because you only have a week or a bit longer to train it.
Trie to get your bud-sides as even as possible for flat grow lamps and for single point lights let the outer branches grow bigger through the net to maximize the light potential.
After a week or two has gone by after the initial flowers appeared you will see that your autoflower is slowing down and you can’t ScrOG it anymore.
At this point you should let it grow out and stop the scrooging because if you continue some of the buds won’t grow out of the screen anymore.
If however some of the buds get too big just tie them down with hooks or hemp string or you can try to get it under the screen and in a hole that is further away.(This could be difficult because the plant will no longer be as flexible as in the vegetative stage)
When the vertical growth stops almost completely you are done with scrogging and you can wait for your harvest.
ScrOG size
ScrOG sizes and net hole sizes are different for each occasion and it is vastly affected by the strain and your grow room location, dimensions as well as the light you are using. For the actual screen size I can’t give you a number because every strain is different and every grow room is different, you will need to grow one harvest with a screen and see how big the plants gets and if it reaches the edge of the screen you can always use the tie down method. Basically if you have small grow room create a screen for the whole area but if you have individual plants create a screen as wide as the plants intended height would have been.
As for the netting hole size it again depends on the strain but here I can say that smaller nets tend to be more convenient because you have less work to do. I have seen screens with 1 inch(2.5 cm) holes and 6 inch(15 cm) holes and they all work perfectly but the smaller ones tend to be cleaner. For autoflower I think 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 cm) would be the ideal size as the tops won’t grow any wider than this before flowering.
SCROG materials
The screen and frame can be created with different materials and basically every grower will find his approach work the best but for general purposes I will count some of the materials that you can take and create your screen.
First of all the frame. You can create frames from:
PVC pipes – they fit together quite well, you can get them in different shapes and it is easy to drill holes in them where the wires or strings will sit.
Wood – Wood as you may know is an excellent material. It is strong, light and easy to work with. Wood frames are usually built for repeated usage and they won’t bend from the plant weight.
Metal – Metal frames are a bit trickier to create and they can be quite heavy so consider using metal only when you know that this won’t be your only grow and you know how big you want that screen to stay forever.
Bamboo – Bamboo beams are great because they are very light but at the same time strong. You can again create holes for strings easily and positioning a lighter frame is always easier.
Plastic – Plastic frames need to be quite thick to be strong enough because some plants get really big and because plastic is really flexible your screen can bend and twist. But apart from the flexibility this material is perfect as it is easy to come by and plastic tubes or beams can easily fit together.
These materials are the ones I have seen being used for ScrOG frame but if you can think of a better material go for it.
After you have created the frame you will need something that you can create a screen with. These materials are usually flexible to allow a bit of up and down motion that your plants will endure on them.
Hemp String – In my opinion this is the best material and not only because it is made from the plant you are growing but also because it is organic , resilient and cheap.
Plastic – plastic screens are usually pre-built and you can’t regulate the width of the holes. These screens are good for quick set-up but they don’t bend and you must look out for sharp edges as they can harm you plant.
Fishing line – this is one of the worst material for screen creation because it is thin and can easily cut into the stem of the plant and ham it. It is easy to cut yourself with these kind of screens and use them only as a last resort.
Metal wire – Metal is also not that good to cannabis plants but a thick enough one can be workable because the plant will not be able to grow itself into the screen and it will be strong and reusable.
Nylon netting – Nylon is another great material as it is soft and will not harm your garden. It is very cheap and you can get it in any supermarket.
Bamboo skewers – For small time growers I can recommend creating a Screen from these bamboo skewers as they are strong , cheap and easy to find.
Chicken wire – This is a good pre-made solution as you can find different size meshes and you don’t need to make a frame for it.
These are just some of the materials I have seen used by others or used them myself but there are a lot of other possibilities and you need to think creatively to find them. There are also pre-built screens that can be bought and used but I usually find that they are not as strong or reusable as I want and their holes are too wide or narrow for my taste.
Huge overgrown scrogSCROG Types
Basically there are two types of SCROG methods and they are the Horizontal and Vertical ones but you can find and create on your own many different variations of these till you find the best one that fits your needs.
Horizontal SCROG – This is the most widely used method and it simply means a horizontally placed screen. This is also the easiest method because you don’t need to bend or have multiple screens, just create or buy one net and you’re good to go.
SCROG and Tie Down method combined – This refers to training your plants with the SCROG method but also tying them down if they get too big or just securing branches that are falling out of the net holes.
SCROG over LST plant – This is a rather interesting method when you basically are using the LST training method but putting a screen over the top. This screen is the maximum size that you allow your plants to be and if some of the branches from your Low stress training get too big they hit the screen and you maintain your plants not letting them to get burned.
Vertical SCROG – Simply stated this is the method of growing when you place your screen vertically and your light source is placed at the level of plant not at the top. This is usually done in narrow but high places or just for maximum light usage as two vertical screens can be placed in both sides of a growing lamp.
Circle SCROG – This is the screen of green that is created around the light. That means you have to create a full horizontal circle around your light where you can grow your plants. Looking from the above you could see a HID lamp hanging from the ceiling in the middle of a circle and surrounded by green plants.
BOG (Box of green) – Box ScrOG is the method of putting your net below and on both sides of your grow lamp creating a kind of a box shape. This method can also have many different implementations and most often it resembles the V shape not the U one.
Tips
Always use clean materials
Don’t use screens with sharp edges
Don’t use screens with thin wires
Attend your SCROG regularly
Stop scrogging after first weeks of flowering
steely
