# SOG

> SOG (sea of green) grows many small plants at high density with little or no veg time, each making one main cola, to shorten the cycle.

- Canonical: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/sog.html
- Also written: sea of green, sea-of-green
- Glossary category: Cultivation and training · Evidence: Supported
- Status: Draft: awaiting expert review · Updated: 2026-10-31
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), attribute "GenetixBay cannabis glossary"

Sea of green is a cultivation method that relies on plant numbers rather than plant size. Many rooted clones are flipped to flower after very short veg, often a week or two, at densities of roughly 9-20 [plants per square metre](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/plant-density.md), so each plant grows into a single [dominant](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/dominant.md) [cola](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/cola.md) and the canopy fills quickly.

## In practice

SOG shortens the cycle and makes [perpetual harvests](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/perpetual-harvest.md) practical, because the room spends little time in veg. It works best with uniform clones of a cultivar that finishes on one main cola; mixed seed plants give an uneven canopy. Lower branches are usually [lollipopped](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/lollipopping.md), since they would only make small buds. Research on drug-type cannabis found that higher density increased yield per area but lowered the uniformity of [cannabinoid](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/cannabinoid.md) content across plants.

[Plant-count rules](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/plant-count-limit.md) in many places make SOG impractical for home growers; check local rules.

## Don't confuse with

- **SCROG**: few plants, long veg, screen-trained.
- **Plant density**: the measure; SOG is a method that uses high density.

## Related terms

[SCROG](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/scrog.md), [Plant density](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/plant-density.md), [Veg time](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/veg-time.md), [Lollipopping](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/lollipopping.md), [Perpetual harvest](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/perpetual-harvest.md)

## Read more

- [SOG: sea of green](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/training/sog.md)

## Sources

1. Danziger N, Bernstein N, 2022. Too dense or not too dense: higher planting density reduces cannabinoid uniformity but increases yield/area in drug-type medical cannabis. Frontiers in Plant Science 13:713481. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.713481
2. Vanhove W, Van Damme P, Meert N, 2011. Factors determining yield and quality of illicit indoor cannabis (Cannabis spp.) production. Forensic Science International 212(1–3):158–163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2011.06.006