SCOTTYBALLS Tribute Grow! Pineapple Express 400w Scrog Waterfarm

kriznarf said:

Thanks man!

The Screen stays locked in place. Some scroggers have setups that allow for the screen to move around a bit, but you generally want to keep the plant from pushing the screen up and potentially unbalancing that even canopy. Scroggers that use very flexible materials to make their screens sometimes have problems in this area, too.

The height at which you initially place the screen depends upon the strain you're growing. For a stout little indica, the screen could be set about 8 inches up, though a leggy sativa would probably need 12 inches. Some early LST is def going to help when it comes to early scrog training. Something else to think about is how you're going to work around the screen when it comes to re-filling your reservoir or performing maitenance on your gear (assuming you're using a waterfarm/aquafarm or dwc kit.)

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thanks for the response..I am already in the middle of a soil grow...but i am considering a waterfarm perhaps at some point...I just really like the scrog technique you employ...it seems to be the least amount of stress when it comes to bending,lst, etc a plant...
My grow space is small but kinda tall....its about 18" wide 28" deep, and over 7 ft high...I'm growing Skunk Haze (sativa) and from what I gather this can grow tall.....I'm at exactly 4 weeks of vegging now....

So if and when i decide to scrog I would probably leave the screen in place? and then what happens ? Do just the colas grow straight up then ?

thanks again, SC

Hobgoblit said:

How close together can you scrog 2 plants? I'm thinking of down sizing to 2 pots in my tent, noway I could do 4.

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I'd go for at least 2' apart. More close to 3. My single plant filled up my 36" long screen.

SpaaaceCowboy said:

thanks for the response..I am already in the middle of a soil grow...but i am considering a waterfarm perhaps at some point...I just really like the scrog technique you employ...it seems to be the least amount of stress when it comes to bending,lst, etc a plant...
My grow space is small but kinda tall....its about 18" wide 28" deep, and over 7 ft high...I'm growing Skunk Haze (sativa) and from what I gather this can grow tall.....I'm at exactly 4 weeks of vegging now....

So if and when i decide to scrog I would probably leave the screen in place? and then what happens ? Do just the colas grow straight up then ?

thanks again, SC

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No problem. A proper scrog requires the grower to train the plant as it grows into the screen. Simply put, once a top is about four inches above the screen, cup your hand around the top and attached fan leaves, holding them together, and gently pull the top back under the screen. Then move the top to a further spot on the screen and gently push it back through. The attached image is pretty helpful here.

The screen should be placed once you're about twenty days into your grow. By then you should have a good idea at where the screen height should be. If you're growing in hydro, once the screen is about 1/5 full, you can flip to 12/12. If you're growing in soil, wait until the screen is about 1/3 full before flipping to 12/12. The bulk of your training will happen in the five days before you flip and during the following two weeks. Once the screen is full and the tops are even, just let her grow. Eventually you'll want to clear out the foliage and popcorn that remains under the screen, but that should be a slow process (like one fan leaf per day) so as not to stress the plant.

Your main goal is to create an even canopy. The more even the canopy, the more impressive your growth will be. By training the plant out and exposing previously covered areas to the light, you're essentially changing how and where the plant distributes its growth hormones. You'll begin to see tops shoot up to fill those empty spaces that you just created. Rather than putting its energy into a single main/top cola, the plant will distribute its resources evenly across the canopy. If done properly and with care, the results are absolutely impressive.

hmmm...thanks for that informative answer...for some reason my plant at 4 weeks is a shirt bush with lots of tight nodes...from what I gather I don't want to stretch her to gain more height.......It's so bushy a screen would do nothing at this point

Hobgoblit said:

How close together can you scrog 2 plants? I'm thinking of down sizing to 2 pots in my tent, noway I could do 4.

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mr2shim has it right. Depending on the size of your tent, you may only need one plant. My tent is only 3 x 3 and it's def going to fill up. If you were going 4 x 4, two plants might be called for. It's probably worth noting that light is the main limiting factor here. If you're growing under a 400, one plant should be great, 600, go for two, 1,000, step up to four. This is all assuming you're using a scrog to maximize on light exposure.

SpaaaceCowboy said:

hmmm...thanks for that informative answer...for some reason my plant at 4 weeks is a shirt bush with lots of tight nodes...from what I gather I don't want to stretch her to gain more height.......It's so bushy a screen would do nothing at this point

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Just wait till you flip to 12/12. I'm sure that sativa will show her legs.

haha ok thanks kriz....I guess we shall see....

SpaaaceCowboy said:

haha ok thanks kriz....I guess we shall see....

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It's not too late to start a journal or at least take some pics! I'd love to see.

" Rather than putting its energy into a single main/top cola, the plant will distribute its resources evenly across the canopy. If done properly and with care, the results are absolutely impressive."
So cool lol and yeah I have been LST ing the bejeezus out of my plants, looks like a bizarre bondage website in that grow room.I do have a question though and mind you I am fast approaching a two month veg mark on the Buddha cheese and pineapple express. so Ive got these branches that are individual tops if you will right? How many sets of leaves do you recomend before I throw the switch? Normal grow in dirt I veg 1,5 months and boom it goes. now I am in hydro with lst for the first time and have no clue. getting impatient and may throw it tomorrow we will see. sucks no pics am working on that as I want a journal and ya'll can come over and bust me on it lol.

subbed, kinda late but i have arrived!
i plan on doing a 2 plant scrog with PE and ak48, they are on day 16 and 23 of veg. very interested watching your lady do her thing gives me a heads up of what to expect.

looking good kriz!

Awesome read every time from first to last page I've read this thread about 10 times already. Thanks for the great info and journal. I'm also about to try out my first WF with a Kalashnikova from GH, i'm a bit afraid of the herme tendencies so fingers crossed til then. It's a breed between a WW and AK-47 so hopefully it'll be some good ganja in the end of it all. In any case I was wondering about how you feed or add nutes to the water reservoir. I have read some people just pour it over the hydroton and drain the reservoir using the blue tube on the side of the WF? Any advice on doing that? I know you change or check your nuts every few days or at least once a week right so how do you go about doing so? Also when you have the screen how the heck are you gonna drain the reservoir or add nutes if not by draining it and adding it through the top? Between this grow, SCOTTYBALLS and Mr.2Shim I got all the motivation I need to go WFing, can't wait to start my journal. (Still waiting on the tude to deliver the goodies). Thanks for your time.

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AWnox said:

Awesome read every time from first to last page I've read this thread about 10 times already. Thanks for the great info and journal. I'm also about to try out my first WF with a Kalashnikova from GH, i'm a bit afraid of the herme tendencies so fingers crossed til then. It's a breed between a WW and AK-47 so hopefully it'll be some good ganja in the end of it all. In any case I was wondering about how you feed or add nutes to the water reservoir. I have read some people just pour it over the hydroton and drain the reservoir using the blue tube on the side of the WF? Any advice on doing that? I know you change or check your nuts every few days or at least once a week right so how do you go about doing so? Also when you have the screen how the heck are you gonna drain the reservoir or add nutes if not by draining it and adding it through the top? Between this grow, SCOTTYBALLS and Mr.2Shim I got all the motivation I need to go WFing, can't wait to start my journal. (Still waiting on the tude to deliver the goodies). Thanks for your time.

rep ++

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Here's what you do. When you go to add nute water back to the res you just pour it over the hydroton. Every 7-10 days you want to drain out everything and add back fresh nute water. Everyday you should check the pH ppm and EC if possible. When the scrog screen is down you either need to have it 12" away from the waterfarm to get a gallon jug in there, or you need to make a hose that will allow you to refill without having to put the jug under the screen. I went with the latter. Draining the res with the screen in is just as easy as when it isn't. It's best to practice leaving the waterfarm in one place when draining/adding so you can develop a good system by time the screen goes down. The blue tube is for checking water level and draining res. When I drain I use a pan that can hold about 2 gallons. First I drain it into an empty gallon jug then pour it into the pan. You'll get the hang of it once you get everything. It will all become clear. I had the same questions before I got my waterfarm then I was like "oooh I get it."

Maker sure you get a journal going with lots of pictures and details of your setup. Are you also going to be using a 400w mh/hps?

Hello Kriz I have been watching alot of these waterfarm grows, and I am interested in trying it myself. If you don't mind I have a couple questions for you. First I was wondering how difficult a waterfarm would be to maintain compared to other forms of hydro such as hempy, dwc, flood and drain, ect.? And secondly how much greater do you think your average yield would be with the waterfarm as opposed to the same set up with soil? I realy like your set up and I am considering doing somthing similar with 800 watts in a 3ft x 5ft closet, but I am not sure that I know enough about it yet. Thank you for taking the time to share your grow. Good luck and happy growing.

mr2shim said:

Here's what you do. When you go to add nute water back to the res you just pour it over the hydroton. Every 7-10 days you want to drain out everything and add back fresh nute water. Everyday you should check the pH ppm and EC if possible. When the scrog screen is down you either need to have it 12" away from the waterfarm to get a gallon jug in there, or you need to make a hose that will allow you to refill without having to put the jug under the screen. I went with the latter. Draining the res with the screen in is just as easy as when it isn't. It's best to practice leaving the waterfarm in one place when draining/adding so you can develop a good system by time the screen goes down. The blue tube is for checking water level and draining res. When I drain I use a pan that can hold about 2 gallons. First I drain it into an empty gallon jug then pour it into the pan. You'll get the hang of it once you get everything. It will all become clear. I had the same questions before I got my waterfarm then I was like "oooh I get it."

Maker sure you get a journal going with lots of pictures and details of your setup. Are you also going to be using a 400w mh/hps?

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I just had one of those "oooh I get it" moments when I read your reply, thanks for that one, tuly informative. I do plan to be very thorough with the journal very much looking forward to it. About the light no, I am going to have to go with a smaller setup; dual 27W Daylight Balanced 5500k for seedling, 250W MH for veg and 250W HPS for flower. Space is about 26'' wide 18'' deep and 60'' tall.

nice stuff man im also starting to grow auto's. was thinking about scrog but wasnt sure but after sum gj with ppl using them i got to say it can be really impressive.

awesometo see to many prople using the screen!i have 1 pineapple bean i got for free, a little scepticle of the bud. i got sum once and it wasnt that great, but then again i didnt grow it lol jk sorry that sounds cocky

Hey guys - thought i'd add my 2 c here...

I think sometimes people start to really over-think the whole waterfarm thing - it's incredibly simple. The most commonly asked question is the method(s) used to change the rez, especially after the screen is in place. Like mr2 said, make sure you leave yourself enough room between the top of the WF and the screen - usually about a foot to a foot and a half is fine. You also want to make sure to have something underneath your waterfarm so it's got 2-3 inches between the floor and the bottom - this way you can lower the tube below the bottom-level and get every last drop of water out of the rez. When draining the rez through the tube, use a low-profile container or tub - I use the large rectangle Ziploc tub ( http://www.ziploc.ca/en/products/containers/snap-n-seal.aspx ). You can fill this container about half-way each time and it only takes 3-4 tubs like that. Use the reverse method to add your fresh water/nuts back. Also a great idea - mr2 and kriz both do this I think - get a large funnel and a 1" flexible tube, and run it down through the top of your screen to the top of the waterfarm - use the funnel/tube to do your add-backs...

I think someone needs to do a detailed video or slideshow of this method and add a seperate post on this forum for these steps...

As far as checking your pH and ppm - I use a small cup and take a sample from the tube as well. It's a good idea to take 2-3 different samples and test each, taking the average from them all, but I usually just do a single test. One thing to note - testing your ppm and pH right after changing out the rez is not always accurate - it's best to give it 5-6 hrs before taking a sample, or just wait until the next day. Remember that when your water-level goes down, the concentration of nutes will usually go up - less water, higher ppms - this means your plant is drinking more water than it's eating nutes. Using that example, you can kinda see how it works.

Yea I use a funnel because my screen is only 5-6" away from the bucket. Basically it's a cap off a 1 gallon jug with a hole in it and a hose just like the one on the waterfarm stuck through the hole. I sealed the gap and use that to fill it.

matatan said:

subbed, kinda late but i have arrived!
i plan on doing a 2 plant scrog with PE and ak48, they are on day 16 and 23 of veg. very interested watching your lady do her thing gives me a heads up of what to expect.

looking good kriz!

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Thanks for the sub. With regard to the PE, I can tell you now that you'll want to start her training early. That main stalk came in thick and stocky. Did not want to bend at all.

AWnox said:

Awesome read every time from first to last page I've read this thread about 10 times already. Thanks for the great info and journal. I'm also about to try out my first WF with a Kalashnikova from GH, i'm a bit afraid of the herme tendencies so fingers crossed til then. It's a breed between a WW and AK-47 so hopefully it'll be some good ganja in the end of it all. In any case I was wondering about how you feed or add nutes to the water reservoir. I have read some people just pour it over the hydroton and drain the reservoir using the blue tube on the side of the WF? Any advice on doing that? I know you change or check your nuts every few days or at least once a week right so how do you go about doing so? Also when you have the screen how the heck are you gonna drain the reservoir or add nutes if not by draining it and adding it through the top? Between this grow, SCOTTYBALLS and Mr.2Shim I got all the motivation I need to go WFing, can't wait to start my journal. (Still waiting on the tude to deliver the goodies). Thanks for your time.

rep ++

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Much appreciated, AW. I would def encourage you to check out the grows of the two guys who were kind enough to answer your questions while I was away. mr2shim and Dayzt are great resources. Use them. Use them hard.