The Screen of Green – Cannabis Scroging Tutorial

How to ScroG Cannabis

You have most likely seen images of cannabis plants, whether indoors or outdoors, covered with a transparent screen.

The nylon screen is called a screen of green called ‘scrog.’

Scroggin is a common cannabis industry practice that helps improve the quality and yields of your cannabis buds. Somehow, the plants are kept together in sets, and limbs stretched out to prevent them from shading out or growing on each other.

Remember, every plant is unique, and there is no stone-written measurement for the standard distance apart between two plants or branches.
Generally, scrogging involves determining the plant’s needs, which may include some fine-tuning.

Your plant will achieve a healthy and lush visual appeal over time with some patience.

Why consider scrogging your cannabis?

Whether built during or before flowering, scrogging has some essential functions, including:

– Stretching out branches for more direct-light exposure, and, in turn, increased productivity.

– When stretched out the branches, airflow across the garden increases, preventing buds from rotting.

– Scrog supports the branches and prevents them from falling or breaking due to the increasing buds’ weight..

– Typically, the buds above the screen get thicker than the ones underneath. The branches below the screen usually get trimmed off since they won’t produce any buds or offer subpar buds at best.

Setting Up Your Scrog

Scrog setup isn’t rocket science. 

Begin by selecting some plants, preferably cannabis plants that are identical in size and height. It may be a bit challenging to scrog plants of different sizes, as the screen maintains a consistent level across the canopy to allow even distribution of light. 

Screens of green are available in a range of sizes, commonly between 4- to 6-inch square. A 4-inch mesh is recommendable for smaller grow space.

Scrogging immovable or Anchored Plant

It’s more accessible to scrog plants that remain in a spot through all their growing stages – from vegetative to flowering. However, it is dependent on your setup design.

If you do not have to move your plants, you may set your screen immediately and watch the plants grow up to it. You need to inspect the filter regularly through the early weeks to ensure evenly spaced-out branches to prevent overcrowding.

Plant Transplanting at The Flowering Stage

Set up your scrog only when your plants are currently at the spot where they will spend their entire lifespan. 

Once you set your screen, your plants automatically become immobile. If you need to move your plants, ensure the new vessel or space is adequate.

Learn more: Week by Week Guide to Flowering Stages

Spacing and Placement

Crowding is inarguably a significant concern when it comes to farming. It isn’t different from the cannabis plant.

To avoid the damaging effects of overcrowding, emphasized adequate spacing. However, you also want to avoid going overboard on spacing, leaving excessive spaces in the canopy.

Proper spacing helps keep a reasonable distance and improve airflow between plants when they grow above the screen.

While scrogging, remember that the typical flowering duration lasts about eight weeks, and your buds will still attain some considerable growth within this period.

The critical point is to space the plants well-enough to avoid overcrowding, but not so distant to avoid excess gaps on the cover.

Pro Tip: A 4 by 8-inch tray may take 18 to 21 plants in a 5-gallon vessel. It would equal about three rows of 6 to 7 plants. You may use your discretion to make adjustments, based on the posts and tray size.

When you think the spacing is right, fold the branches backward a bit to target the screen. Extensive care is needed here to avoid snapping the branches.

Fold-out branches away from the plants stem, like a springing flower or as with peeling a banana.

Note also, that some cannabis strains have studier branches than others and may hardly succumb to the buds’ weight.

Stretch the Screen

The screen is usually installed on at least four contact points. Many growers use vertical extensions capable of withstanding force. A T-post or 2″x4″ post at each end of the canopy is recommendable.

Here are two approaches to setting up the screen:

• Attach the screen to the posts, one after the other, stretching out the nylon as you proceed.
• Place the nylon on the four posts loosely, and stretch it out later.

After setting up the screen, allow to drop down until it stays directly on top of the plants. Typically, the screen should be about 6 to 9 inches over the shortest branch.

After setting up the screen, ensure it is firm, particularly the edges. A loosed screen may be unable to maintain shape and handle the weight of growing buds. You may need zip ties here.

You can hold a portion of the screen, drag back, and zip tie to a post to make it tighter. Ensure each point is tightened at the same degree to avoid lopsidedness.

Avoid over-pulling the screen to prevent snapping.

Placing Branches

It all boils down to ensuring the branches interlocks with surrounding plants. 

Tip – spread out the fingers of both hands and put one hand between the others; this is a good hint on the proper positions for branches.

However, before scrogging the branches, ask – what direction does the branch tilt towards? If the branches resist your lead, do not force it, try another position.

Begin the scrog from a corner, preferably from a post. Be clever doing this from post to post until the edges are all filled. Then, proceed to the middle. 

If a branch seems uncertain, rotate the whole plant, by adjusting the pot until it faces where you desire. 

When done, look under the screen to ensure all branches are up. 

Maintenance

Scrogging could be stressful for you and also for the plant. If your plant is looking somewhat ruffled and weak; No worries, they may only need some good lighting to get them back. The gains of your scrogging outweigh the little stress your plant faces.

Water your plant within 24 hours after scrogging.

Check up your scrog in 2 to 3 days intervals. This helps you study where the buds are tilting towards. Over a few days, the canopy of buds will grow and fill the screen. Anything under the thick buds will get overly shaded out and are likely to die.

You may need to cut off dead leaves and those branches under the screen – they do nothing but unnecessarily consume energy.

Although such branches seem hopeful, they are not worth your effort or time. Cut them off and allow the yields above the screen to maximize the nutrients fully.