Setup and equipment Training and technique Flowering Vegetative

SCROG or SOG: which canopy method?

SCROG spreads one to a few plants across a net over a longer growing time. SOG packs in many small plants and flips to flowering early. Both aim to keep all the…

Both aim for a more even canopy. Neither makes every site identical in light, airflow or maturity, and neither method is automatically higher yielding.

Screen of green with fewer large plants compared with sea of green using many smaller plants. — Common canopy layouts, not a guarantee of higher yield. Local plant-count limits still apply.

Comparison

	SCROG (screen of green)	SOG (sea of green)
Plants	1 to a few, large	Many, small
Growing time	Several weeks	Often just 1 to 2 weeks
Best when	Plant counts are limited	You have clones and want a fast turnaround
Downside	Plants get locked into the net	More pots and a bigger watering job

Running a net

Stretch the net a few inches above the pots.
As shoots grow through, tuck them under and across into empty squares.
Keep doing this through the first couple of weeks of flowering.
Trim shaded lower growth that won’t reach the light.

These schedules and plant counts describe common practice, not a head-to-head trial of the two systems. Check current local plant-count rules before choosing a many-plant layout. Leave room to inspect and water, and don’t crowd the canopy so tightly that it traps moisture.