LST (dumb) question - can't you just tie down those side shoots as well? I know little about the technique, but I thought one of it's primary goals was to limit height of the plant. If it doesn't do it completely, then I might want to look into scrog (that screen thing), since that appears to be pretty effective at limiting height.

I tried using the distilled water. Picking it up constantly got old. Then, I moved, and the water where I live now was actually pretty good. I believe it has a ppm of 150-160, and pH around 7. I usually try to lower the pH to about 5.5-6. I believe it was about .99/gallon for me. That's about $6 each reservoir change. Unfortunately, my wife doesn't smoke, so I have to keep an eye on costs. Last check, I think I was close to about $1500 outlay so far. That's great that your GF smokes. I wish I could get my wife to at least try it. However, I should be careful what I wish for - that could put increased demand on an already short supply.