When it comes to growing your own cannabis, you want to make sure the methods you use are as effective as possible. This is especially true if you’re growing indoors, where space is limited, but it’s also the case if you have plenty of room to spread out in a greenhouse or garden.
That said, one of the biggest challenges cannabis growers face is figuring out how to maximize the space they use to grow their crops under optimal conditions. Whether you’re an experienced grower or just starting out, if you’re looking for a way to maximize your yield, the SOG and Scrog methods are available to you. Keep reading to discover everything you need to know about these two cannabis growing methods.
What is the SOG method: the Sea of Green method?
When indoor cannabis cultivation emerged in the 1980s and 1990s, growers were faced with limited growing space. As the saying goes, “necessity is the mother of invention,” and as such, the pioneers of indoor cultivation found an ideal solution: the SOG method, also known as the “sea of green” method. The Sea of Green method (tactic or strategy would also be appropriate terms to describe it), commonly referred to simply as“SOG”in the cannabis growing community, is a stress-free and hassle-free technique that involves growing a large number of small marijuana plants in a single, compact space, rather than a handful of larger plants.
The principle behind this strategy is that if cannabis plants in a small space (such as a closet or basement, for example) are brought into their flowering phase earlier than they normally would be, they will only need to grow to half their normal size to support full development. In other words, the SOG method accelerates bud development, allowing the grower to maximize crop size in a short period of time.
How does the SOG method work?
In practical terms, the SOG method involves growing more cannabis plants—though smaller ones—per square meter, and speeding up the vegetative phase. The smaller size of the plants means they take less time to flower, and, of course, since they’re more compact, they don’t need as much space—a win-win situation. The Sea of Green strategy involves grouping a large number of plants in a confined space under a series of grow lights. The plants grow together, and as they do, they develop a lush canopy of cannabis leaves and buds, which, when you step back and look at the space, literally resembles a “sea of green”—hence the name. When the plants receive the proper care—water, nutrition/fertilizer, light, and ventilation—and under your watchful eye, they quickly transform into an abundance of healthy, robust cannabis plants.
What are the advantages of the SOG method?
This unique method of growing cannabis plants offers several advantages, the most notable of which will be discussed.
- High yield in a compact design (ideal for home or hobbyist gardening);
- Faster growth and harvests (you get your money's worth);
- Optimization of growing space (no wasted space, no wasted light, no wasted nutrients);
- Highly efficient use of resources.
With the SOG method, you don’t need to “tend” to your cannabis plants, which means you’ll get buds much faster. The faster the buds on your cannabis plants form, the sooner you can harvest and the more you’ll be able to grow. If you want to grow plants that consistently produce large yields of weed for your personal use, the Sea of Green technique will allow you to do just that.
Cannabis cultivation: How is the SOG method carried out?
Putting the SOG method into practice is fairly simple. However, before you begin, you should keep the following points in mind.
- This growing technique works best with more compact Sativa or Indica cannabis strains, such as autoflowers, since you’ll need to group the plants together.
- The plants must also be of similar height to form a uniform canopy; hence the need to start with cannabis plants grown using tissue culture or cuttings.
Once you've decided which plants you want to grow, you can start creating your little green garden by following these simple tips.
How do I proceed?
When your cannabis plants are ready, keep them in the vegetative stage for about 2 to 3 weeks instead of the 2 to 6 weeks used with other growing techniques. Once the 2 to 3 weeks are up, adjust the lighting and environment to promote the flowering phase. Once the canopy begins to close in, prune the lower branches of the plants to allow for better air circulation and superior growth. When you’re satisfied with your buds, you can start harvesting!
What challenges must be addressed during the SOG method?
In general, the SOG method is easy, but it does present a few challenges. The main challenge arises when you need to adjust environmental conditions to boost bud yield, which can be quite tricky. To help simplify the process, here are some tips you can use to adjust your lighting appropriately.
- When cannabis clones are just getting started, use a light intensity of 150 to 200 micromoles, and gradually increase it to 550 micromoles to accommodate the vegetative stage of growth.
- During the vegetative growth phase, adjust the lighting so that it provides the appropriate amount of light for this stage throughout the entire cycle: 18 hours on and 12 hours off.
- To help your cannabis plants transition from the vegetative stage to the flowering stage, gradually increase the light intensity to 550–800 micromoles or more. Generally speaking, the more light your cannabis plants receive, the higher the yield per square foot your SOG garden will produce. As a general rule, a 1% increase in light intensity corresponds to a 1% increase in yield.
- Adjust the lighting so that it is on for 12 hours and off for 12 hours to promote the flowering phase of your cannabis plants. If manually adjusting the lighting seems like a difficult, time-consuming, and tedious task, do yourself a favor and invest in software or a grow light controller so you can automatically adjust the lighting during the appropriate growth cycles.
What is the Scrog method?
Scrogging is a yield-boosting method that many growers use to train their plants. Unlike the popular SOG (Sea of Green) method, this technique makes the most of a small setup by utilizing every inch of available space.
This technique involves installing a net or a lightweight screen, such as a trellis, to encourage your cannabis plants to grow horizontally. Growers guide the branches through the openings, taking care not to damage the leaves and nodes. As the plants make their way through the holes, growers pull them back down and under the mesh again. They repeat the process many times to achieve the desired effect.
How does the SCROG method work?
When plants are trained to grow horizontally, the upper canopy becomes dense and blocks almost all light from reaching the lower levels. This environment allows for better airflow between the cannabis stems, and the plant’s energy is focused entirely on the bud-laden canopy.
If you use the ScrOG method correctly, your plants will produce high yields. The idea is to get a harvest as large as that from several plants, but instead, you get it from just one. By growing indoors, you can potentially get three times as much weed without compromising quality using ScrOG.
Why use the ScrOG method for your marijuana plants?
The ScrOG method offers many advantages, including:
- Excellent airflow through the stems and branches. This helps reduce the risk of mold and pests that can damage your cannabis plants.
- Structural support for large buds. Without the trellis, large buds can weigh down on the branches and cause them to snap.
- More light exposure means more branches. The horizontal ScrOG setup ensures that all your buds get more light, which will make them bigger and juicier.
- Easy to care for. Caring for your cannabis plant is simple with this technique, as the branches spread out, making it easy to tend to them.
- Yields can increase by up to three times! Your plants will grow laterally and produce more seeds.
Cannabis cultivation: How to succeed with the ScrOG method?
Huge yields are every cannabis grower’s dream. If you know how to do ScrOG correctly, that’s exactly what you’ll get. Fortunately, setting up your trellis is pretty easy, as long as you have everything ready. Gather the following items for your DIY ScrOG kit:
- Mesh or screen with holes approximately 10 to 15 cm in diameter. (Cotton is ideal for this);
- Plant ties or twine to keep your plants in place;
- Young weeds that no longer need to be transplanted;
- Your growing space;
Once you're ready to set everything up, follow this step-by-step ScrOG guide for the best results.
- Place the net about 20 cm above your young cannabis plants and secure it in place. Make sure it’s close to the light source, but that there’s also enough room for the seedlings later on.
- Aim to leave about 12 square inches of space per plant.
- When your grass starts to grow and poke through the mesh, gently push it back into place.
- You can use twine or ties to hold the branches in place if necessary.
Continue using the ScrOG technique and training the plant until it covers most of the screen. If you’re growing a sativa strain, aim for 60% coverage. With indica cannabis, your goal is 80%. Once you’ve reached the desired coverage level, you’ll need to change the light cycle to trigger flowering.
Your plant will grow more slowly now, but keep filling in the remaining gaps. Stay on top of your care routine and prune the lower branches often. This way, all your plant’s energy will be focused on producing plump, juicy buds.
How do you maintain the Scrog method?
Setting up your cannabis ScrOG doesn’t end once you’ve tucked the branches under and through the net. Maintaining the grow area and the plants is essential for achieving the best possible yields. Follow the steps below to keep your plants healthy.
Topping
When growing marijuana using the scrogging method, pruning techniques are essential. Once your plants reach a height of 30 cm, you should start topping them. Cut off the top of the main stem to encourage your cannabis plant to grow more bushy. This method helps your crop become bushier and prevents it from growing too tall, which is ideal for scrogging.
Pruning knots
Scrogging is all about getting as much weed as possible from your small setup. When you prune the nodes, you encourage the plant to focus all its energy on forming large buds instead of lots of small, popcorn-like buds.
Humidity
For any indoor setup, humidity and air circulation play a crucial role. When using the ScrOG method, you create a dense cluster of plants with thick foliage. Mold and mildew are much more likely to develop in this environment. To prevent problems, install a dehumidifier and keep your grow room as well-ventilated as possible. Set up an air conditioner and fans to maintain a gentle breeze that circulates through the green canopy.
Hydration
Overwatering can also encourage the growth of mold and pests in your ScrOG setup. However, underwatering can also lead to problems, such as wilting plants and poor overall health. Water your plants only when the soil is almost dry, not completely dry.
You can tell it’s time to water by inserting your finger a few inches into the soil. If the soil is still moist at that depth, don’t water. Try again in 24 hours. Keep your soil’s pH around 6.3.
SOG or Scrog: Which method should you choose for growing cannabis?
Both SOG and Scrog techniques can yield high harvests. Sea of Green cannabis cultivation methods are used worldwide, wherever growers have tight budgets and/or space constraints that preclude the sprawling (and relatively inefficient) nature of industrial-scale operations. Not to mention that SOG optimizes the use of massive amounts of water, light, and nutrients. If you have limited space—for example, in a city where real estate is expensive, or if you’re on a mountainside, again with limited space—then Sea of Green seems like the obvious choice for efficiency’s sake.
On the other hand, the ScrOG method is ideal for those who can only grow a few cannabis plants. Some states only allow you to grow five plants or fewer at a time. Even if you only have two or three plants, you could end up with the same yield as nine. Scrog is also perfect for maximizing yields. With scrogging, you get your money’s worth. With just one plant, you can achieve massive yields. Finally, use the Scrog method if you’re growing indoors.
