Gold1answered grow question 2 years ago Hey there friend. I'm no master grower but I'll try to give you as much info as possible on what I like doing when I SCROG. Note that the majority of this applies to photoperiod plants. I'll get to autoflowers towards the end :D.
Its important to distinguish between the two main uses of a trellis or SCROG net for indoor growing.
1. The trellis/scrog net is used as a way to train the plants branches so you can achieve a nice even canopy in your tent. The light distribution becomes more even and you get a canopy full of nice buds instead of the typical dominant cola you see in grows without any training.
2. The trellis/scrog net is used to support the larger buds from falling over in late flower.
Personally (for photoperiods) I like to put my trellis up minimum 2 weeks before I flip to flower. This gives me time to train the branches underneath the net and get a good even canopy before the stretch of early flower. SCROGGING really makes a difference in yield and quality compared to not training the plant at all so you want to make sure that you're actually tucking tops underneath the net when they get too tall. Its really going to come down to personal preference but I think the two week minimum is a good start.
After I SCROG for two weeks (and am happy with how my canopy looks) I will flip the plants into flower. During this time the plants enter into their stretch phase. At this point I will cease training the branches under the first SCROG net as the branches become brittle and less flexible and I don't want to break my stems. I prefer to just allow the plant do its stretch, however if your genetics allow for it you can still train the plant under the same net in the first few weeks for flower without issue unless you are working with autoflowers.
Around mid-late flower if I feel like the buds are becoming too heavy and are at risk of falling over I will put another SCROG net up just to support the buds. Its important to note that I'm not looking to train the colas under the second scrog, I only want to stop them from falling over.
Generally autoflowers however are a different story.
Since autoflowers typically flower very fast, the time window you have to SCROG is much shorter. I find that the branches on autoflowers will become brittle very fast as they flower very fast and there is a risk of breaking your stems. That means that if you want to SCROG your autoflower, you should probably do it very early in its life, probably around week 2-3. This can be difficult however because of how small the plant is. Therefore I suggest you just continue to Low Stress Train as LST achieves a similar result to scrogging anyways.
If you want to take a look at my recent Mephisto's Wedding auto diary you'll see in week 5 (first week of flower) I accidentally snapped my main stem trying to SCROG. This is the danger with trying to scrog an auto although I will say its still doable (but not as effective due to the short time below the net). I really hate having to LST so the logic at the time was that I would be able to achieve a more even canopy without having to LST by just tucking branches underneath the net.
It looks like your autos are trained relatively well and you shouldn't need a SCROG net, however I encourage you to still use one if you really want. I'm not sure how much you'll be able to open the plant up at this point with the net but again if you want to do it, do it. As long as you don't break stems there is nothing to worry about.
Finally just some thoughts I have in no particular order.
- Thinking about getting disposable rope SCROG nets because harvesting plants underneath a net that you can't just cut away is cumbersome and annoying.
- SCROG nets are pretty good for hang drying your plants in the same tent.
- If you use your SCROG net to dry, make sure you tie each corner to the top bars of the tent to prevent your net from sliding all the way down to the ground due to the weight of the buds. I like to use metal plant ties.
- Your branches are going to look mangled and messed up when you tuck them under the net but they usually recover in a day or two.
- Keep in mind that once SCROGGED, you will not be able to move or rotate your plants in your tent as the branches are caught up in the net.
- LST pairs well with scrogging.
- I've seen some people only use 1 scrog net and some people use multiple scrog nets, all with good results.
I wish that you find my post helpful and I hope that this answer wasn't too all over the place. Like I said I'm no master so you should definitely look for more opinions. Your grow looks great so far and I hope you crush it friend. πͺ Happy growing π