plexiglass screen of green?

[metallicaman506]

I'm a new grower and will not be able to check up on my plants more than once a week. I saw the Scrog method and it seemed good except for the fact that the plants could grow through the screen if left unattended and get burned. I wanted to see what others thought of the idea of fixing a sheet of flexible transparent plastic such as plexiglass 1-3 inches from a 4' fluro with a fan and venting running in between the two to keep it cool. I dont have the height for an HID so i must use fluros and cant check them more than once a week. the main drawback of fluros in this situation would be raising them. this way even if the plants grew too high they would hit the cool plexiglass and grow out to acheive more light. Any comments would be appreciated.

 

[SoloGro57]

I'm a new grower and will not be able to check up on my plants more than once a week. I saw the Scrog method and it seemed good except for the fact that the plants could grow through the screen if left unattended and get burned. I wanted to see what others thought of the idea of fixing a sheet of flexible transparent plastic such as plexiglass 1-3 inches from a 4' fluro with a fan and venting running in between the two to keep it cool. I dont have the height for an HID so i must use fluros and cant check them more than once a week. the main drawback of fluros in this situation would be raising them. this way even if the plants grew too high they would hit the cool plexiglass and grow out to acheive more light. Any comments would be appreciated.[/quote

The point of the screen is twofold.

First, it gives the grower a framework to train the plants to. Second, it gives the plants something to grow through towards the light when they are put into flower. Theoretically, a piece of plexiglass would certainly serve the first purpose, assuming that the plants dont react unfavorably to the plexiglass, and the heat and humidity that would likely accumulate there. However, I think it's gonna be tough to get your colas to grow above a solid sheet of plexiglass. You could poke holes in it, but that seems a lot like a screen to me. I'd be interested to hear how this goes if you decide to try it.

 

[bobharvey]

i think he means to use the plexiglass to train the plants on a horizontal plane...not to make holes in it to grow the plant through...

 

[SoloGro57]

i think he means to use the plexiglass to train the plants on a horizontal plane...not to make holes in it to grow the plant through...

Even if that works, how's it gonna help him when it's time to flower and let the colas rise above the canopy?

 

[metallicaman506]

this is for vegetative purposes only, for flowering i am hoping to use as many cooling techniques as possible to keep it as low as possible in a seperate higher space. With a cool tube, air cooled reflector and a light mover with a 250 or 400w hps in a 4-6 foot wide container, how close do u think i could get the light

 

[Hubert]

I think you should stick with a screen, just get one with smaller holes so the shoots don't go through...get something like a screen door screen.

 

[billybob88]

the purpose of a screen in a scrog is so u can train your plants outwards and into the screen. like weaving a basket. i think the screen door screen would work better than plexi. plexi seems like it might distort the light in ways and the plants wont get light. in a scrog you MUST train everyday. if not the screen is useless.

 

[metallicaman506]

hmm well i wont be able to train everyday and have no access to clones so im hoping if i use feminized seeds all of the same strain under the same conditions they should stay about the same distance throughout. If that fails i can put some plastic mesh to stop them at about the same height.

 

[metallicaman506]

This has to be a low (4' or under) grow and MEGA stealth because I have people in the area on occasion. I have two questions, the first being, how well do carbon filters get rid of the smell, and secondly how close can i get the plants to a cool tube air cooled reflector 250w hps.

 

[billybob88]

carbon filters are 100% effective on smell if used properly. and depends on how cool your tube is. i can keep my 600's within 10 inches if i wanted without a problem.

 

[metallicaman506]

well what would be the ideal coolest setup for a 250w hps and how close could i get it to the plants

 

[billybob88]

i would run at least a 250cfm inline fan venting it. u could probly keep it at 6 inches.