Grow Q&A: Screen of Green

Dear Dan, I am thinking of applying the Screen of Green (ScrOG) method to my next grow but don’t know that much about the specifics e.g how high should the screen be from the top of the pot? What are the best sort of places or positioning to attach the branches to the screen? – Mac in Scotland

Dear Mac,
Screen of Green (ScrOG) is a technique that involves using a horizontal screen across the top of your plant canopy in order to hold branches in place and efficiently filling the space provided by the growlight’s footprint. The easiest way is to use chicken wire. While your plants are in their vegetative stage, attach the chicken wire above the plants but below your growlight reflector. As the branches grow, tuck them in under the screen placing emphasis on trying to fill the empty areas of the canopy. When the screen is close to full, induce flowering by changing the light cycle to 12 hours on/12 hours off and feed accordingly.

The flowers will grow through the holes in your trellis and fill out the space above the screen very efficiently. The distance between your screen and your pots is determined by how long you plan to vegetate the plants, but it’s safe to keep the screen at about 2 feet or more below your reflector. As for positioning, most people like to build a simple frame with four posts, one in each corner, to attach the screen onto. Take care when harvesting to cut the flowers out from the wire and not try to pull them through, which may damage the buds.

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