Sorry for the confusion. Most growers nowadays use SCROG and similar methods, like you say, to get an even canopy that comes from shorter and bushier plants. The problem is that under the canopy, there isn't a lot of yield. My style of growing , more like outdoors, where the plants are allowed to grow taller and they develop a lot of side growth, which doubles the yield.
When I say vertical lighting, think of a 1000w halide or HPS that is hung in a base up configuration, with just a round reflector (not a hood) at the top to direct more light downward. Think of a football sitting on end, with a sombrero covering about half of the ball. The bulb hangs into the reflector, but the bottom of the bulb is open, so that the light travels partially horizontally. With 2 bulbs going, or with a lot of titanium white paint/reflective surfaces, you get a lot of light both above the plants as well as the sides. It works great until the plants get too tall... above the level of the reflecto.r. When that happens, the leaves twist downwards to catch the light that is coming from below. Only taller Sativa strains will usually do this, so splitting/topping/whatever you want to call it, is recommended to avoid going too tall.
This works in a dedicated grow room since there is enough headspace to grow taller plants. A tent is great but limited to a smaller footprint and shorter heights. As I have said countless times... there are a million different ways to grow and most of them work great. I'm not saing it is the most efficient or tidy way of doing things, but it has worked very well for 30+ years with few modifications. If you ever decide to use something bigger than a tent, consider HID lighting. LED lighting is great and is making things better every day, but I still prefer the warm buzz from the MH and HPS bulbs, especially when it is 10 below zero outside!
