1st time clone scrog! Looking for suggestions - Pics included

[ChefKimbo]

Hello Everyone,

After completing my first grow i'm trying to move toward perpetual harvests. These two clones are the beginning of the ride.

Here they are about 2 weeks after rooting.

And here they are a month later. There were some early setbacks, they were slightly over fertilized and they were transplanted a little late as well. Growth seems a little slow compared to the mother, but I understand that can be due to many factors.

Anyway the net is 2x2 and currently about 5 inches away from the tallest growth shoot on both plants. My dilemma not understanding with to flip to flower. I do know the screen should be atleast halfway filled, but height control will be crucial because of my 3' height limit. The mother plant had a pretty good stretch, but it was nowhere near what I was expecting and ended up removing the screen during that grow. This time like to pack as many sites as possible in the net and would like to know at this point what would be the best gameplan to do so.

Thanks in advance!!!

 

[Amadeus Forzin]

Your space looks a similar size to mine. For your scrog net ti needs to be anchored to the base rather than hung from the top or the plant will just push it upwards. If you heel your net low 3 ft height will be plenty.

I grew this is a 2x2x2.5ft wooden box using light addicts fluxing style

 

[Weaselcracker]

I have several individual screens that I made which are each about 2' x 2'. I don't put the screens on the plants until I move them into the flowering room because, even though they're portable, it's cramped in the veg room and would be a pain to move them between the two rooms. I'm using ten gallon pots mainly and they can also be heavy when wet.
I grow the plants in veg until they're big enough to fill the screen 100% or more. I'm growing pure sativas which stretch quite a lot during flowering. I have no issues at all controlling them at all. Anytime a plant limb pokes itself up too tall I just attach it down horizontally to the screen with pipe cleaners.

Here is an example from earlier in my journal. I'll be harvesting this plant any day now and can post a pic of how it ended up, if you like.
My main point is, you can let the screen get completely full before flipping to flower, and that is what I would do.

~MALAWI~

A Malawi I've had in veg awaiting space. She's a nice plant. I'd love to see her grow wild and free, but unfortunately I've got limited space, and limited time. I don't get to be wild and free, and so neither does she. It makes me sad, but into the scrog she goes. She's a little big for too it but I'll squash the poor thing in there. Maybe I'll let her grow out the sides a little and then cut the screen off after she's done (trying to) stretch.
I'm sorry!

I stick the screen in top and jam the support shafts into the pot.

About one minute later... I just pulled the obvious longest limbs through the screen, crudely. No point getting too fussy here. They'll sort themselves out. In another couple days I'll take a second look, and continue to rearrange things over the next few weeks.
Note to self-
Don't forget this time to cut some clones
Don't forget this time to make a note of when you put her in to flowering.

 

[ChefKimbo]

For your scrog net to needs to be anchored to the base rather than hung from the top or the plant will just push it upwards. QUOTE]

Thank a bunch! Yea I decided to hang the net to give more space at the bottom, I plan to use some fishing weights tied to the net to counter the plants upward push.

YES! Very nice man I saw that pic awhile back. I just got the shallow pots needed and plan to start a few fluxes in the next few weeks. hoping to have a girl ready to flower when the clones are done.

 

[ChefKimbo]

Yes i'd like to see how things turn out. A lot of places I've read that clones produce smaller flowers than their moms. But what I have noticed with these clones is that they seem to have 3-4 main branches. These mains are growing fast and I'm trying to keep them under the newer growth in the middle. I remember when I topped the mom. She defiantly continued to grow the main branch, and 2 more branches next two it. At this point in the game, would there be any benefit to topping these plants? Would topping the mains result in a shit ton of small buds?

 

[Weaselcracker]

Your timing is good as I'm in the middle of harvesting that plant right now- 95 days later. This is Malawi Gold. A pure sativa from Ace Seeds. Couldn't get the greatest pics under artificial light- but this gives you at least an idea of how she turned out after being crammed into that screen.
You'll have to imagine the rest. She looks soooo much better in every way in real life

The screen is 24"x19". I fit four of them together under each 600w. She's overflowing the screen in the pics but in the growroom all the buds are all tucked up and contained on her screen.
This is about as full as I could expect a screen to be with this strain.

EDIT- Ok I'm done now. Wet weight from this harvest was 580 grams. Generally dried weight will be about 25% of this- so about 5 ounces.

 

[Weaselcracker]

As to your topping question- hard for me to come up with a definite answer there. Basically- when the plant is spread out horizontally under the light- buds form at all nodes. It doesn't matter so much to me whether I top a lot or just train the few existing branches out horizontally.
As soon as you lay a branch down horizontally where it has full access to the light it grows more branches and shoots. The available space gets filled.
A plant grown from seed with no topping will grow one large cola. Topping and spreading the plant out as I've done with this Malawi results in more smaller buds for sure.
Lol.
Not sure if I'm answering the question. Can barely see this screen. I'd better quit while I'm ahead.

 

[ChefKimbo]

Hey I'm back!!

So its been a week since the above pics were taken. Things are looking good in the garden!

They are really starting to grow now! They went a couple days with very low on water as I didn't realize they would drink so fast after there first feeding. There are very minimal signs of over-feeding, but all in all they are looking great!! I also notice a slight reaction to the CFLs by some individual colas. I'm assuming this is due to the favorable spectrum of the bulbs, but to me this mean that the panel may be underperforming, and that's really disappointing.

All restraints have been removed, just waiting on them to hit the net for the second phase of training!!!