Ok I'm a first time grower and was wondering about a method my friend was telling me, and wether it was actually a good idea or if it just sounded like a good idea. He said to put a light at half the height of how tall you want your plant to grow fully and to put a layer of chicken wire halfway between the light and the plant base (so say you want a 6 ft plant put the light at 3ft above base and chicken wire 1.5ft above base). he said in doing so the plant will grow a stronger root system from having to force itself through the chicken wire. this should eliminate some of the manicuring at the bottom of the plant because its more focused on getting taller and bringing its nutrients to the further extremities giving the plant bigger fuller buds. He said keep the light at this height for entire veg period and then once the plant starts to flower to raise the light to just above the height you want the plant to grow (Ex. 6ft). He was saying that this is a better method than keeping a light 2-4 inches above the plant and trying to keep upward growth at a minimun (which is the method ive read most about). I think his method might not give the plant enough light and might make the plant grow to tall and scraggly I'm planning on using CFL's, all organic soil, worm castings, blood/bone meal, sand and clay mixtures (to encourage the roots to spread), my own organic compost, and of course a fan. another question, i have room for two plants to get 6ft tall with 2.5ft diameter each. would there be much of a difference if i used a 5 gallon bucket to 7 or even 15 gallons?
It sounds like your buddy is trying to describe what is commonly referred to as a SCReen Of Green, SCROG. This thread should help. I don't like the method, but others do. http://forum.grasscity.com/plant-training/48363-scrog-method.html You should check out the organic section. Organic Growing - Grasscity.com Forums Bigger pots = bigger roots = bigger plants = bigger yield. Usually.