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Sea of Green (S.O.G.) - one of the highest-yielding cultivation methods: tips, tricks & practice
Sea-Of-Green cultivation methods are probably among the most productive ways to achieve fast and outstanding results. SOG cultivation (not to be confused with SCROG) takes advantage of the principle that individual plants can be very productive in a controlled and optimised environment, even with limited space. This method of growing is particularly suitable for the cultivation of many cannabis strains. S.O.G. cultivation gets its name from the fact that plants are grown and harvested in a relatively high plant density. The plants usually remain rather short, are largely identical in stature and stand very close to each other, giving the impression of a sea of green.
Die Sea-Of-Green-Methode wurde Mitte der 1980er entwickelt und hat ihren Ursprung in Holland als eine kommerzielle Anbaumethode, die das Ziel verfolgte, Kulturpflanzen möglichst schnell und einfach zur Reifung zu bringen. Die Idee, die dahinter steckt ist einfach: pflanze mehr kleinere Pflanzen in kürzerer Zeit für größere Erträge. Die einzelnen Pflanzen sind nur etwa 45-50 cm hoch und bilden einen großen Head-Bud ähnlich wie ein „Bud am Stiel“. Sie wachsen gerade nach oben mit kaum oder gar keinen Seitenzweigen.
For SOG, one should choose cannabis strains that are suitable for this type of cultivation. In general, it is advisable to choose pure Indicas or Indica dominant strain.
With this method and the appropriate timing, regular and continuous harvests can be achieved. With a little planning, growing a Sea of Green is not that difficult. The Sea-Of-Green growing method is a special high-conductivity technique for indoor cannabis cultivation that shortens the time to harvest.
Growing in a SOG brings some advantages to the grower:
Die Erträge pro Watt sind normalerweise sehr hoch, weil der vorhandene Platz perfekt ausgenutzt wird. Jeder Quadratzentimeter unter einer intensiven Pflanzenlampe (Natriumdampflampe oder leistungsstarke LED) ist dann vollgepackt mit Buds. Es wird kein wertvoller Platz verschwendet und das Licht kann alle Teile der Pflanze sehr gut erreichen. Die Pflanzen werden schnell erntereif beim SOG-Anbau und es wird nur ganz wenig Zeit für die vegetative Phase benötigt. Für die Sea-Of-Green-Methode werden üblicherweise Stecklinge der gleichen Mutter verwendet (also genetisch identische Klone), denn damit gelingt es, einen homogenen „Pflanzenteppich“ zu erzeugen, wobei alle Pflanzen die gleich Höhe und Statur erreichen.
After the cuttings have rooted, they are each placed in approx. 4L pots (or 8-12cm rockwool blocks). In just a few days of the growing phase, they get used to their environment and gain strength. Because the plants are so dense, they will quickly fill the space and you don't have to wait long for sufficient branching to form. When a green carpet has formed, flowering can already be initiated.
Because the plants finish faster with this growing method, diseases and pests have less time and opportunity to spread and gain a foothold. Harvesting and trimming is much easier because each plant is simply a super-bud.
Yields can be doubled with the SOG cultivation method if all factors are optimised.
Sea of Green in practice: step-by-step to a sea of flowers
Step 1: Find mother plant
First, a suitable mother plant must be selected and cultivated, or several. You start with seeds. It can easily take 4-6 months to grow a suitable mother from seed that has a certain size. In our article Selecting the mother plant you can read more about this process. The mother plant(s) should be large and strong enough so that you can take a maximum number of cuttings at one time. As many as are needed to fill your available space. The plants will later stand pot to pot, or rockwool block to rockwool block, in the SOG cultivation, leaving little or no space in between. As a rough guide, there are about 40-70 plants per m². This can be varied according to preference, personal experience, existing environment and variety.
The cuttings have the genetic age of their mother, which means they start flowering immediately during the 12-hour exposure in the SOG environment and do not have to become sexually mature first like young plants grown from seed.
An example of a grow rhythm in SOG cultivation:
Zunächst werden soviele Stecklinge produziert, dass die Hälfte oder ein Viertel der vorhandenen „Blühfläche“ gefüllt werden kann. Diese Stecklinge werden mit Datum versehen. Etwa 14-21 Tage später werden weiter Stecklinge genommen, datiert und mit dazu gestellt, je nachdem nach weiteren 14-21 Tagen erneut Steckis nachstellen usw. bis eben die ganze Blühfläche ausgefüllt ist.
The Fim or fimming technique is a very good method to keep mother plants small and at the same time get a high number of cuttings.
Step 2: the cuttings
Now you have to decide how many plants should flower at the same time. Example: You can grow a maximum of 12 plants. You start taking 3-4 cuttings, then wait 3-4 weeks, then take 3-4 cuttings again, while the first cuttings are placed in the flowering chamber. Again wait 3-4 weeks and take 3-4 new cuttings. etc. This is how the cycle begins and goes on and on.... You can find more about cutting cut tings here.
As soon as the cuttings have rooted sufficiently, they can be placed in the flowering room. Rooting takes about a week depending on the variety. With some cannabis varieties it can take up to 2 weeks. During this time, the cuttings are placed 18 hours per day under a grow light e.g. Plant energy-saving lamp or Neon tubes or . The cuttings should remain under the 18-hour lighting until they have formed a sufficiently strong root system for their further development, without growing any larger than absolutely necessary. At this point, close observation of the plants is important and with time one gains experience when the right time has come to move them into the flowering room.
An extra grow room or grow tent is needed for raising the cuttings and mother (mothers). The production of cuttings is an important basis for the SOG method. If you achieve a cutting survival rate of over 90% on a regular basis, you can be very happy with a Sea-of-Green.
Step 3: the flowering room
The flowering space is the space with a 12/12 exposure, clearly. The smaller plants should be in the middle of the illuminated area and the larger ones at the outer edges. Ideally, however, all plants should be the same height. The plant pots are placed/stuffed together without wide gaps or relatively close together and then later covered by a canopy. The plant pots should be deep rather than wide (approx. 4 L).
The hydroponic systems such as ebb and flow systems from GHE (General Hydroponics) or Nutriculture are also suitable for the SOG method. With these, this enormously powerful and commercial form of cultivation can be brought to perfection.
Helpful tips for SOG growers
- Avoid hot spots at the tips of the plants. Therefore, it is best to hang the plant light a little higher than normal to prevent burns.
- Use fertiliser in moderation, especially nitrogen. Too much fertiliser can cause the plants to become too bushy, which tends to reduce the yield.
- Avoid over-watering, also to control plant height.
- The flowering space should have good ventilation and airflow over the tops of the plants ensures the exchange of gases in the dense canopy of flowers and foliage.
- The right choice of variety(ies) has a lot to do with the later result. Typical SOG plants end up being 22cm to a maximum of 60cm tall.
