Indoor Growing Scrog

[KingRatt]

I'm hung up on how many main branches I should attain during the staked down and early growth period. Most or all of which I'll later supercrop with pliers. Looking at the photos available here from page 1 on to today, and on reddit, and IG, after following 420autoflower Maestro for a year, I don't see ones that show this. Perhaps I'm missing something. Looking backward from later growth photos, I need to develop quite a few nodes for mains and close to the base. Bright blue light during early growth encourages this supposedly. I do see photos after extreme schwazzing much later on of mostly bare branches, some clearly bent, but need help with this early stage.

As many as possible, your genetics play a part as well. Not all strains are suitable for the 420autoflower method of scrog. There is no right or wrong set number, however He Does Mention that by just tying down the growth tip for a couple weeks, i think he said he gets 8-12 tops going.

 

[KingRatt]

I'm hung up on how many main branches I should attain during the staked down and early growth period. Most or all of which I'll later supercrop with pliers. Looking at the photos available here from page 1 on to today, and on reddit, and IG, after following 420autoflower Maestro for a year, I don't see ones that show this. Perhaps I'm missing something. Looking backward from later growth photos, I need to develop quite a few nodes for mains and close to the base. Bright blue light during early growth encourages this supposedly. I do see photos after extreme schwazzing much later on of mostly bare branches, some clearly bent, but need help with this early stage.

I also want to remind you that when and if you switch your lighting, make sure you still hit your DLI by adjusting your light distance and intensity accordingly. So you still get big fat buds!

 

[Lil Dab]

I'm hung up on how many main branches I should attain during the staked down and early growth period

As many as it takes to keep canopy level allowing shorter branches to catch up to the taller branches

 

[Mongoose]

Good Bro!
I might be wrong but from what I remember I’m still able to check PH with a dropper kit when I mix the FloraNova Grow/Bloom, and also with the black colored poop smelling General Hydroponics Floralicious I supplement with.

My mistake 420, sorry about that. I am able to check the pH with the dropper kit with the FloraNova pair.

 

[yerunclebudsy]

As many as possible, your genetics play a part as well. Not all strains are suitable for the 420autoflower method of scrog. There is no right or wrong set number, however He Does Mention that by just tying down the growth tip for a couple weeks, i think he said he gets 8-12 tops going.

 

[yerunclebudsy]

Thank you. A range of numbers is what I was looking for. And "couple of weeks" is a clue. Does no one have photos of this stage? The Maestro has said and I believe him, that he can do the 420Scrog with any auto cultivar. Results vary of course. I see that in my own plants, two seeds from the same pack can produce different shaped plants raised under identical conditions and rotating positions under the light. I keep track daily with good meters of pH, ppf, EC, and DLI. Waiting for two new Migro lights to arrive for the "lab."

If you're interested in every known way of maximizing nodes and minimizing internode distances in those first three weeks, ask ChatGPT4o. You'll be surprised at the wealth of specifics, pages worth.

 

[wangotango321]

Thank you. A range of numbers is what I was looking for. And "couple of weeks" is a clue. Does no one have photos of this stage? The Maestro has said and I believe him, that he can do the 420Scrog with any auto cultivar. Results vary of course. I see that in my own plants, two seeds from the same pack can produce different shaped plants raised under identical conditions and rotating positions under the light. I keep track daily with good meters of pH, ppf, EC, and DLI. Waiting for two new Migro lights to arrive for the "lab."

If you're interested in every known way of maximizing nodes and minimizing internode distances in those first three weeks, ask ChatGPT4o. You'll be surprised at the wealth of specifics, pages worth.

Also notice how far down he super crops the branches which also helps expose the nodes.Pretty extreme really.I think he has to uses cushioned round nose pliers for this.Big fan of super cropping myself.On some plants it can cause some pretty explosive growth. Good luck.

 

[yerunclebudsy]

Also notice how far down he super crops the branches which also helps expose the nodes.Pretty extreme really.I think he has to uses cushioned round nose pliers for this.Big fan of super cropping myself.On some plants it can cause some pretty explosive growth. Good luck.

Thanks. Yes, that's what I see on the aerial views of his "skeletons" later. Many thick mains close to the base, it appears. This is what prompted my initial inquiry. He says he does not top, which I presume includes fimming. I have no interest or need for maximum ounces. I do like giving the Lord's Lettuce away also. I have six plants on a 5 x 3 foot table. HLG Diablo 350 light. But I want that even canopy of 20" inch wide bushes. The 2 inch metal scrog screen mentioned earlier in this thread looks perfect. I've already cut several flat pieces from it.
I like these pliers:

hydropros.com

Innovative Super Cropper $9​

I find, as do other growers near me, that GH Ag-Sil, (or wollastonite in soil) makes a big difference in stem sturdiness, toughness, and thickness. I use Bendies plant trainers a lot. These are totally adjustable and that silica allows me to never, and I mean never, break anything when bending once into vegging.

 

[Mongoose]

I'm new at this, second 420 method grow, but I'm becoming convinced that to accomplish long stems in early-mid growth stage, a relatively *low* PPFD, and then constant growth with 24 hr lighting to get to the usually recommended DLI, might be one of the secrets.
If light is too intense, leaves/stems don't need to reach for the light, so one ends up with short stems. Been there, done that. But long stems are what one wants, to get the nice wide diameters that 420 always does when he flattens his plants. I've been meaning to ask the Maestro if he could give an example of watts in use and distance above the canopy, from seedling through early veg, and then to 'flattening day'. And then there's genetics. For example, my two different cultivar 21 day olds have different stem lengths, all other factors exactly the same. Looks like the plant on the left will be the better bet by flattening day. Not sure about any of this, trying to figure it out.

 

[DOA]

Day 14 for the White Gen 3 and Day 11 for the Knightmare.

The tops were bent over on day 11 and the lights are on super max at 30cm distance. Trusty Novamax Grow from GH is being fed every 5hours for 4mins, EC 2.1, Ph6.

I'll keep moving the copper rod around the perimeter of the 6" Hugo to ensure that main top is kept down. Everything else is left to grow and do it's own thing.

In Lak'ech DOA