Germination Guarantee
Free Shipping
Sea of Green

What is The Sea of Green Method (SOG)?

December 31, 2021

We’ve all heard of the Red Sea and the Black Sea, but have you heard of the Sea of Green? Luckily you don’t have to travel to the Middle East for it. You create an ocean of potent weed nugs right in your home. 

The Sea of Green method is a commonly used weed growing technique easy enough for novice cultivators to perform. There are many pros to utilizing SOG, like increased yield and faster-growing time. 

You can use this method with soil, hydroponics, indoors, or outdoors. All you need to start is a few of your favourite strains. Are you interested in knowing more about the Sea of Green method? Continue reading for a canopy of knowledge. 

Cannabis SOG
Cannabis SOG

What is the Sea of Green (SOG) method?

What is Sea of Green?

The Sea of Green method is a low-stress growing technique that involves many smaller plants growing close together. As the crops mature, the branches, leaves, and buds start to intertwine, creating a canopy effect, which looks like an ocean of marijuana, hence the name.

Growers utilize the Sea of Green method to increase the yield per square foot. They also use this method to encourage outward growth when vertical space is limited. The flowering time is shorter, meaning you can have more harvests per calendar year. 

The plants must be of the same strain, so they grow similarly, making a uniform canopy. Growers most commonly use indica dominant marijuana crops because they tend to be short with sturdy bushy foliage. 

Does Sea of Green increase yield?

Does the Sea of Green method increase yield? It depends on which figures you’re looking at. 

The creators designed the Sea of Green technique to keep crops small, so your overall yield per plant will be lower. However, when looking at ounces per square foot, the yield is much higher. This is due to accelerated nug development with shorter veg and flowering time. 

Growers using the Sea of Green method place one crop per square foot. You don’t want to put more than two plants per square foot, as they still need their space to expand and get air ventilation. 

Sea of Green

Pros and cons of Sea of Green method

Everything in life has its pros and cons, and the Sea of Green technique is the same. The advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Let’s take a closer look. 

Pros

  • Higher average ounces per square foot yield
  • Shorter growing time 
  • More harvests during the year
  • Plants stay short 
  • High bud to leaf ratio
  • Less pruning and waste
  • Buds develop quickly 
  • Efficient use of light and space
  • Ideal for commercial cultivating or those who need an ample amount 
  • Utilizes the characteristics of indicas for a better harvest
  • An easy growing technique that beginners can use

Cons

  • Need a lot of plants at the same stage of growth, which can be difficult to achieve
  • Smaller plant size
  • Only successful with specific strains
  • Limited to cultivating only one strain at a time 
  • Increased maintenance when growing many plants at once
  • Cannabis pests and pathogens can be a problem and spread quickly from one plant to another.
Kyle Kushman SOG vs SCROG

How to use Sea of Green in your weed plants

Now that you’ve heard all of the wonderful advantages of using the Sea of Green method, we’re sure you want to know how to use it. It’s a pretty straightforward technique, and you can do it in all types of growing rooms. Let’s explore the ways to use the Sea of Green with your weed plants. 

Sea of Green set up 

The Sea of Green setup doesn’t require specific equipment, but you need to arrange it in a certain way for best results. 

The first thing you’re going to need is your plants. You need at least four plants for the Sea of Green technique, but there isn’t a limit. Fit as many crops as you’d like as long as your grow room can handle it. 

You need lights that are evenly distributed over the canopy of Sea of Green. This ensures that the stems and branches grow straight up and don’t reach towards one point. 

If the leaves are reaching up too much, you can tie them down to encourage outward growth and keep the canopy level. 

Your watering and feeding schedule remains the same as the traditional way to cultivate. You need to do some maintenance trimming with the Sea of Green method, but you shouldn’t have to do a lot. 

Sea of Green in hydroponics

Hydroponics is a method of cultivating with water as opposed to a growing medium, like soil. Using the Sea of Green technique with hydroponics can be more challenging than soil, so you should leave it to those with some experience with hydro and SOG grow methods. 

The perfect hydroponic setup for Sea of Green growing is a tray that floods and drains. Put water with nutrients into the tray and crowd the roots of the plants together. You need to distribute the lighting above evenly. 

This method is more difficult because if there’s a problem, the water quickly passes it along to all plants. 

Indoor Sea of Green 

You can perform the Sea of Green indoors or outdoors. With indoor growing, you need to keep a few things in mind. You can use soil or hydro inside, so use the setup directions for whichever you choose. 

You need to be mindful of the humidity and heat in your indoor grow room. When marijuana crops are clustered together, they’re more prone to getting moisture build-up if the humidity is too high. The pathogens spread faster from plant to plant because of their close proximity. 

Remember, the lights give off heat into your grow room. Make sure there’s enough ventilation when using the Sea of Green technique to help cool off the area when it gets too hot. 

Sea of Green outdoor growth

Outdoor Sea of Green isn’t very common among weed growers. You generally use the SOG grow method to keep crops small when you don’t have a lot of vertical space, which isn’t a problem outdoors. Also, the sun is always moving, which means the plants will reach in different directions towards the light. 

You can achieve a successful Sea of Green harvest outdoors when using a greenhouse. The setup is similar to an indoor one, but Mother Nature takes care of the light, heat, and humidity. You just have to place them close together and trim them. 

How to make your own Sea of Green

Making your own Sea of Green is straightforward. The key is to use one strain only and place the plants close together. Naturally, the branches, buds, and leaves will start to intertwine. To ensure the crops are growing at a similar rate, evenly distribute the light above.

If the strain you choose produces large, heavy buds, you might need to install supports, but this ventures off into another method, Screen of Green (SCRoG). The two are very similar and are just as effective. 

Sea of Green method guide

To have a successful Sea of Green harvest, you need to follow some tips. 

  • Use one strain only
  • Use indica strains 
  • Have evenly spaced lights above 
  • Regulate humidity and heat to avoid issues
  • Encourage outward growth by tying down upward branches
  • Have great ventilation

Now let’s look at some specifics for each growth stage for a successful Sea of Green harvest. 

FactorsSeedling StageVegetative StageFlowering Stage
Day temperature 71°F83°F83°F
Night temperature65°F73°F73°F
Day relative humidity100%75 to 80% (early)
55 to 67% (late)
55 to 67% (early)50 to 62% (late)
Night relative humidity100%75 to 80% (early)55 to 67% (late)55 to 67% (early)42 to 62% (late)
Light intensity150 to 200 µmol m-2 s-1From 200 gradually increasing until 550 µmol m-2 s-1From 550 gradually increasing until 800 µmol m-2 s-1
Hours of light181812
Day vapor pressure deficit00.67 to 1 kPA (early)1.11 to 1.80 kPA (late)1.11 to 1.80 kPA (early)1,28 to 2.00 kPA  (late)
Night vapor pressure deficit00.50 to 0.75 kPA  (early)0.82 to 1.34 kPA  (late)0.82 to 1.34 kPA  (early)1.07 to 1.73 kPA  (late)
CO2 enrichment -1200 to 1500 ppm1200 to 1500 ppm

If you follow these tips about Sea of Green, we’re sure you’ll love the increased yield and fast harvest. 

Best strains for Sea of Green method

We’ve mentioned that indica strains are ideal to use for the Sea of Green Method. You must be wondering about some of the best choices out there are. We’ve got the best strains for Sea of Green. 

Northern Lights feminized seeds are the first on the list because they take on all the best indica features. The plant matures to a short height with compact, dense foliage, which is just what you’re looking for. 

It already has a quick flowering time at 6 to 8 weeks, ensuring the yield will be potent and mature when using the SOG grow method. The harvest contains 14–17% THC and 0.2% CBD. Your grow room will be twinkling in the light with the crystal resin-coated nugs. 

For those cultivating medical marijuana, we suggest growing CBD White Widow feminized seeds. The increased CBD levels at 5.5% and the same percentage of THC create a therapeutic high. 

When growing, the crop stays true to an indica with its compact, thick buds. It’s sturdy and can handle some low-stress training like SOG grow technique. This strain loves the sun and grows indoors, making it an ideal Sea of Green option. 

Try the Pure Indica feminized seeds for a 100% indica strain. The crop stays short and flowers in 6 to 8 weeks, making it excellent for the Sea of Green technique. Although it’s compact, the crop is resistant to mold, mildew, and pests. 

Growers’ mouths will water when they see an ocean of huge dense nugs popping up everywhere. Recreational users appreciate up to 14% THC and 1% CBD, making it a great strain to smoke for the ultimate mind and body relaxation. 

Pure Indica feminized
Pure Indica feminized flower

The canopy of thoughts on Sea of Green 

If you’re a beginner grower and want to dip your toes in the many weed cultivation techniques, we recommend starting with the Sea of Green method. You’ll love the increased yield and quick harvest, so you have plenty of marijuana all year round. 

There are some pros and cons to using the SOG grow technique, but the positives outweigh the negatives. You don’t need any special materials to perform this method successfully. You can do it indoors, outdoors, and with soil or hydroponics. Indica strains are the best to use because of their short compact size. 

Now you know all about the Sea of Green growing method; it’s time to test it out. The only place to purchase high-quality indica cannabis seeds mentioned in this article is from Homegrown Cannabis Co. Buy weed seeds and start implementing the SOG grow method. 


About the author: Parker Curtis

Parker Curtis has around a decade of cannabis-growing experience, specialising in soil-less and hydro grows. He’s mastering outdoor, greenhouse, and indoor grows.

Was this article helpful?
Do you need help? Contact us
Comments
Leave your comment
Your email address will not be published
  • Be first in line to hear about our amazing deals and new products.
  • Learn how to grow cannabis with expert tips, tricks, and hacks.
  • Watch strain reviews, podcasts, and more.
This website is intended for adults only (21+)

Are you over 21 years of age?

no