Gettin' the itch again, lol. I'm just bored and running out so I'm thinking ahead even farther... and then I thought, why think ahead? LOL. So I think I'm going to build a "middle shelf table" for my grow tent and subdivide it into two scrogs stacked on top of each other. Then change the 16-bulb setup to 8-bulb overhead only, and do a third scrog there.
So it would be a 4x3 scrog with the 8 bulbs and two 4x2 scrogs with 4-bulbs each.
I'm curious as to whether the larger footprint resulting would work to give me a bigger, better harvest... I can use the same netting for this idea too, and the fiberglass rods for support, so it's not a wasted investment in that sense at least.
Dome scrogs end up having something like 4x1, 4x2, and 4x1 footprints directly exposed to lighting... and the 1 isn't really 1, it's a 12" curve, so both the sides and the top lose a portion of their foot print there.
Is it just me, or is it a no brainer to think that if I can maximize the footprint under these lights in this way I'd get better yields than the planned dome would have? I know everyone was itching to see that unusual scrog in action, but I'd rather yield well than innovate right now.
So here's the thinking... the question is, what is best for each 4-bulb 48" section? 4x1 (4 sq ft) or 4x2? The fixtures read about 13" each, so obviously the bulbs are 1 foot... and in that sense, to get as close to the fixture as possible, it would be better to work with a 1 foot dimension... but since it's all curves, the buds end up a little farther from the light anyway... so even though the scrog would be 4x2 in the tent, I feel like it would still be a better-yielding option. I could make a point to pull it in to 4x1.5 even. Better air flow that way anyway. That might be a good compromise. Still maximizes direct lighting with even, flat canopy... but doesn't require such a wide angle that it's diminishing much for the buds directly under.
If I ignore the curve and think of it in terms of flat design, I figure each screen can support roughly 4x2 as is... so I'd be going from 16 sq. ft of surface area to... 4x3 =12, + 4x1.5=6, + 4x1.5=6 ... so that's 24 sq. ft. And I could go up to 4x2 so that would be 28.
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Obviously 16 sq ft would fit perfectly under 16 bulbs with the lights RIGHT on the plants, but I've seen people grow really big buds at much wider angles, so I'm not convinced I need to be right up on the plants anyway... so maybe I could get more out of 24-28 sq. ft of scrog screen with the same lights.
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We'll see how innovative I get in the next few weeks. I might not find the gumption to build the divider table for the tent, heh.
Then again, I guess I could use the table and the tent to dry my buds and get started on the scrog table in the closet while that's doing, heh.
Hm. It would certainly be easier to train and access everything if I spread things out. This will take some consideration...