Outdoor stealth Scrog

[Gfol]

Hello - not sure if this is the right place but looking for some insight into doing an outdoor Scrog to keep my plants low. Am a legal grow but would still like to keep my plants out of sight - privacy issue etc.

Thinking I could creat a 4' x 2' Scog frame for each plant, set about three feet high and use standard nylon netting. As I am in zone 4b, guessing would be best to put plants out in early June to avoid frost and start them in long light. Not sure how big they would grow before going into bloom stage though - concern would be if they could outgrow the scrog before budding. All would be in a greenhouse as well and would of course lollypop the bottom third to promote air circulation and divert energy up to mainplant.

Anyone w experience in doing an outdoor Scrog? Particularly in a Northern climate - again, zone 5/4b?

Gfol

 

[Conradino23]

It should work just fine, I'd put the screen when they start to stretch around July/August. Topping or fimming before is the best way to get wide and even canopy.

 

[Gfol]

It should work just fine, I'd put the screen when they start to stretch around July/August. Topping or fimming before is the best way to get wide and even canopy.

Interesting. I would have thought starting the screen earlier to train them laterally from the point that they reach it eg 2 or 3 feet high. My challenge is also estimating how far they could stretch flat and how much space to provide in a northern climate. My sense is to provide more than enough room for this first experiment. I can grow veggies in between and cut them back if space becomes limited.

As for training - I had also considered mainlining / manifold - again, to support lateral grow. Topping and super cropping will certainly be applied as well.

Any experience w monster cropping outdoors? Would there be an advantage?

 

[Gfol]

This is kinda like what I'm hoping to do. Boost productivity while keeping out of sight.

 

[Conradino23]

Definitely you can start training them earlier if your objective is stealth.

 

[Oldbear]

I wonder if you need a net. SOG/SCROG techniques were developed to get more light to more bud sites in indoor growing. With natural sun there is no penetration of light problem. After 20 mil miles whats another foot

LST and trimming should be sufficient to meet the stealth requirement.

Edit to add: Strain selection will help you also. There are varieties well suited to outdoor growing that are low and bushy.

 

[Oldbear]

This is kinda like what I'm hoping to do. Boost productivity while keeping out of sight.

Great picture. Ive often wondered if you could grow cannabis like at a winery. I quess you can.

 

[Gfol]

I wonder if you need a net. SOG/SCROG techniques were developed to get more light to more bud sites in indoor growing. With natural sun there is no penetration of light problem. After 20 mil miles whats another foot

LST and trimming should be sufficient to meet the stealth requirement.

Edit to add: Strain selection will help you also. There are varieties well suited to outdoor growing that are low and bushy.

I would imagine support would be required. I will try welded wire fence material on a wood frame. From the image they may have just strung wire - like grapes are grown.

 

[Oldbear]

Re the wire: something that works really well is the steel mesh used for concrete garage floors. Its a 6x6 inch grid I think.

 

[Gfol]

Re the wire: something that works really well is the steel mesh used for concrete garage floors. Its a 6x6 inch grid I think.

I'll look into the that. I'm thinking I may look for smaller grid sized fending 2x3 as it is easy to find and cheap.

My thoughts on this are sure - the sun's light penetrates well but it doesn't go through leaves - at least not that far. So, with a bush like structure my honking is that only the outer regions really get much sun / produce flowers. By SCROGing outside - one gets the same benefits as was intended for inside use - maximum exposure as well as concealed grow. I'm also thinking it would be easier to harvest and manage pests as well. Air flow would be good as the plants would be lollypopped underneath. Same reason why grape are grown laterally.

Any possible disadvantages apart from the need to set up structure and maintenance / training?

 

[Oldbear]

With outdoor grows, one benefit is the breeze/wind moves the branches enough allowing light to get to all the bud sites. My thinking isn't so much the disadvantages of doing it, rather I'm uncertain if you get any real benefit from it. Only you can decide that. I have enough 'fun' training tomatoes plus I joined the esteemed Society of Lazy Growers.

I'm a sweetsue lab rat so experimentation is fun. Trying a few plants as a scrog, and a couple with just topping/lst, just to see the difference would be a good thing.

One caution - take care in the size of the wire in whatever you choose. If is fine like say chicken wire it could cut the stems and branches because of the breeze/wind factor. The wire in a chain link fence might be ok.

Looking fwd to seeing your grow and the results. I don't recall seeing an outdoor scrog before so that alone is a great reason for you to try it.

All the best

Edit to add: Just remembered I have access to a fence gate from a chain link fence that's been taken down. You've inspired me to try this too ... maybe. In my circumstances, my concern will be that the scrog structure will be more 'attention getting' than plants growing randomly in a wildflower meadow.

 

[Gfol]

With outdoor grows, one benefit is the breeze/wind moves the branches enough allowing light to get to all the bud sites. My thinking isn't so much the disadvantages of doing it, rather I'm uncertain if you get any real benefit from it. Only you can decide that. I have enough 'fun' training tomatoes plus I joined the esteemed Society of Lazy Growers.

I'm a sweetsue lab rat so experimentation is fun. Trying a few plants as a scrog, and a couple with just topping/lst, just to see the difference would be a good thing.

One caution - take care in the size of the wire in whatever you choose. If is fine like say chicken wire it could cut the stems and branches because of the breeze/wind factor. The wire in a chain link fence might be ok.

Looking fwd to seeing your grow and the results. I don't recall seeing an outdoor scrog before so that alone is a great reason for you to try it.

All the best

Edit to add: Just remembered I have access to a fence gate from a chain link fence that's been taken down. You've inspired me to try this too ... maybe. In my circumstances, my concern will be that the scrog structure will be more 'attention getting' than plants growing randomly in a wildflower meadow.

i guess I have a few reasons to SCROG - at least based on the principle...
- it allows me to keep my plants low - at four feet is my goal. This keeps them below the fence line and out of sight.
- Easier to monitor buds for pathogens - bugs and mold etc as they will all be in reach
- increase yield as is the case w indoor. Growing flat also affects certain growth hormones.
- easier to protect from elements as I can toss row cover / 6mm plastic over them if weather gets too wet or cold

A clear con is that they will take up more surface area but I'll get over that.

Done some additional Google searches for and results sound positive.

Will post photos when in process. Who knows, this may work out or could be a disaster - will see. I know that mold will be a potential issue so will be sure to lolly and pay attention to air flow.

G

 

[Oldbear]

Looking fwd2it

 

[Oldbear]

Hi Gfol - wondering how did this turn out?

 

[Gfol]

Hi Gfol - wondering how did this turn out?

Sorry - haven't been on here in a while. The project worked out quite well. A few varieties responded quite well to the outdoor scrog including blue dream, purple haze and white widow - the ones w sativa characteristics. Bubbha kush wasn't having any of it and critical mass seemed to tolerate it. All to be expected.

The aforementioned grew up to the wire screen and grew laterally as can be expected - although the I have little to compare to, this appeared to open the plants right up and seemed to make for many more bud sites. The buds were more numerous but also a bit smaller than I would have expected. This turned out to be an advantage as it became quite damp out and some were succumbing to mold.

Overall I would consider the experiment a success - more bud sites and low grow profile. Going forward I would drop the screen even lower (2.5ft maybe) and get the plants out even earlier using a grow tunnel or cloches to provide extra warmth. I will certainly do it again next year.

 

[Conradino23]

I'm glad it did, man. Usually sativa hybrids make for better scrog plants. Indicas inmy experience have fewer tendencies to branch out and they're flowering time is too quick to fully benefit.