topping is a really easy way to do it i have a really good picture of a plant that has been topped and a plant that hasnt been topped, that i will post on my grow journal sooner or later probably sometime tomarow if i can find my fuckin camera !! when you top the plant you make it so the plant grows four main colas so that way instead of growing one large cola that takes up all the light and several tiny popcorn buds you get four large colas and still get the popcorn buds. all you have to do is cut the top growth off of your plant when it reaches its 3rd or fourth node . this is easy to do even someone whos growing for the first time can do it. no screen needed. the scrog would be the ultimate way to increase yeild but that takes some time and experience. there are other things that contribute to yeild the most important of which is producing a consistant environment! 3 1/2 is even better (the more room the better) just remeber that it still grows after you induce flowering! start a grow journal so everyone here knows where your at in your grow and that way will be able to tell you what you should do to not only increase your yeild but grow nice strong healthy plants!!
i know this is probably not what you want to hear.. but dont expect to yeild alot off of your first grow!! i am still on my first grow and i can tell you the amount of mistakes you make in your first grow are ridiculouse i am still making mistakes left and right!! but i got lucky and have three females one of which i will keep as a mother plant!! this is the main point of first grows... to learn alot about growing so their second grow will kick ass and to get atleast one female to keep as a mother plant. those are goals you can expect to achieve in your first grow.. worry about yeild later. right now just focus on the basics!!!
so a good beginer grow outline should start like this:
1.buying the materials needed to vegg plants/succsefully vegg plants
2.buying materials to clone plants/succesfully take clone and vegg clones
3.buy materials needed to flower plants/begin flowering
4.sex plants,throw away males, put one female back into vegg to be used as a mother plant to take clones off of for future grows, and flower/harvest/and cure any remaining females
5. by the time you do all this you will have a vast knowlegde of how to grow plants, and any future grows you do will most likley yeild alot more buds!!!