Last updated on June 28, 2026 · Originally published August 20, 2018
Two ways to manipulate your plants to maximize light absorption, growth, and efficiently utilize your grow space.
Have you ever considered living in a tiny home? It’s all the rage these days for people who want to reduce their carbon footprint, decrease their living costs, and improve their quality of life by minimizing the space they utilize.
You might not be ready to make this move, but if you’re cultivating your own cannabis, you might already be facing limited space. If you are, consider using horizontal or vertical growing schemes to improve the output of your grow.
Here are two ways to improve your grow, even if you’re working with limited space.
Vertical Grow Systems
We all intuitively understand that plants grow up from the ground and toward their source of light: the Sun. So, the first cannabis grows mirrored this understanding by placing the lights on top of the grow and letting the plants grow up to them. As people began searching for better ways to grow, the community had a collective light bulb go off: vertical growing.
When the light source is directly above a plant, only the highest and broadest leaves are going to receive maximum light exposure. Vertical grow systems, however, expose more of the plant to its light source by placing it in the middle of the grow. Plants are encouraged to grow up the sides of the grow room, thus allowing for several planes of growth instead of just one, as the Sun does.
Figure 1 Example of a vertical grow system. Credit to Weed Seed Shop
While this method requires the same regular turning of the plants that more traditional grow rooms do, more plants can be grown in the same area using this method as competition for light is distributed more evenly.
Horizontal Grow Systems
Combatting space issues and maximizing yields in another unique way is where we find the domain of horizontal grow systems. By training plants to grow sideways, or in spirals, by tying them down and encouraging multiple colas, growers can greatly increase the number of large buds on their plants.
This is because the hormones in the plant tell it to grow at the tallest piece as the apical growth.¹ With each tie-down after a growth extends, another apical growth will extend.
In the end, growers are left with plants that produce multiple, chunky colas instead of the one, large cola that results from traditional grow systems.
Taking It Further: SOG and SCROG
Once you’re comfortable with the basics of horizontal and vertical training, two techniques used widely by experienced indoor growers are worth knowing: Sea of Green (SOG) and Screen of Green (SCROG).
SOG is a density-based approach. Rather than spending time extensively training a few plants, growers pack a large number of small plants into the available space and push them into flowering early. By providing constant light and keeping plants close together, they compete for light and grow quickly into compact, uniform bushes. The result is a fast harvest cycle with a consistent canopy height – ideal for growers who want to turn over crops quickly. (PsyPost)
SCROG takes a different route. A net or screen is used as a physical barrier to restrict vertical growth, with branches weaved through the mesh and forced to grow horizontally. During the flowering phase, all the blooms originate from the same height, allowing the grower to keep every bloom in the sweet spot of maximum light exposure. The flat, even canopy also improves airflow around the plants, reducing the risk of mold and other issues that can arise from poor air circulation – a common concern in dense indoor grows. (UcsdThe Marijuana Herald)
Both SOG and SCROG employ low-stress training (LST), keeping plants short and wide so they can capture as much light on the upper plant as possible. SOG achieves this through high plant density, while SCROG uses a screen to manipulate how the canopy distributes itself. The tradeoff: SOG gets you to harvest faster, while SCROG typically yields more per plant but requires a longer vegetative period.
Which Method Is Right for You?
The honest answer depends on your space, your patience, and how many plants you’re working with. Vertical systems reward growers with tall rooms and a willingness to manage multiple planes of growth. Horizontal training – whether simple tie-downs, SCROG, or SOG – suits those working with lower ceilings and tighter footprints.
Many experienced growers combine elements of both, using LST to spread the canopy horizontally while still taking advantage of vertical wall space. Whichever direction you go, the underlying principle is the same: the more of your plant you can put in front of the light, the more it will give you back at harvest.
Reference:
1Lee and Yang, “Tip growth: Signaling in the apical dome”, CurrOpin Plant Biol, 2008, 11(6): 662-671.
