GenetixBayEST. 2009
Training · Intermediate · 1 min read

SOG: sea of green

Sea of green packs many small plants, usually clones, into the space and flowers them after little or no veg, so each plant makes one main cola. Higher planting density increases yield per square metre but lowers cannabinoid uniformity between plants, according to controlled research. Typical densities are 9–25 plants per m² with 0–14 days of veg; check local plant-count rules first.

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Short answer. Grow many small plants close together and flower them after 0–14 days of veg, so each plant makes one dominant cola and the canopy fills with tops quickly. Higher density raises yield per m² but reduces cannabinoid uniformity between plants and positions, in controlled work on drug-type cannabis [1]; density is among the strongest yield drivers in the cannabis literature [2]. Typical SOG density is 9–25 plants/m² (about 1–2.3 per ft²); Belgian yield trials used 12–20 plants/m² [3][4]. Plant-count limits in many jurisdictions make SOG illegal for home growers; check your local rules.

How to do it

  1. Use uniform, rooted clones of one cultivar (seed plants vary too much in height and timing).
  2. Small containers: 1–4 L (0.25–1 US gal), rockwool blocks, or an ebb & flow table (ebb and flow).
  3. Veg 0–14 days under 18/6, then 12/12.
  4. Strip the lower third (lollipop) at or soon after the flip; these buds would be larf (lollipopping).
  5. No topping; maybe light supercropping to level outliers.

Numbers that matter

Item Typical
Density 9–25 plants/m²
Veg 0–14 days
Container 1–4 L
Cycle time Shorter by the veg weeks saved; more harvests per year
PPFD Full flowering intensity from day one (PPFD)

Trade-offs

  • Pros: fast cycles, even canopy, less training labour, simple irrigation.
  • Cons: many plants (legal and clone-supply issues), uniformity drops with density [1], one sick plant spreads disease to its neighbours, airflow at the base is harder.

Common mistakes

  • Mixed cultivars or seed plants (uneven stretch).
  • Too long a veg, recreating a crowded SCROG.
  • No airflow under the canopy.

Evidence

Density effects on yield per area and on uniformity are Supported [1][2][3]. SOG-specific densities and veg times are Grower practice.

Questions this article answers

What is sea of green?

Sea of green packs many small plants, usually clones, into the space and flowers them after little or no veg, so each plant makes one main cola. Higher planting density increases yield per square metre but lowers cannabinoid uniformity between plants, according to controlled research. Typical densities are 9–25 plants per m² with 0–14 days of veg; check local plant-count rules first.

How many plants per square metre for SOG?

Sea of green packs many small plants, usually clones, into the space and flowers them after little or no veg, so each plant makes one main cola. Higher planting density increases yield per square metre but lowers cannabinoid uniformity between plants, according to controlled research. Typical densities are 9–25 plants per m² with 0–14 days of veg; check local plant-count rules first.

How long to veg for SOG?

Sea of green packs many small plants, usually clones, into the space and flowers them after little or no veg, so each plant makes one main cola. Higher planting density increases yield per square metre but lowers cannabinoid uniformity between plants, according to controlled research. Typical densities are 9–25 plants per m² with 0–14 days of veg; check local plant-count rules first.

Is SOG legal where I live?

Sea of green packs many small plants, usually clones, into the space and flowers them after little or no veg, so each plant makes one main cola. Higher planting density increases yield per square metre but lowers cannabinoid uniformity between plants, according to controlled research. Typical densities are 9–25 plants per m² with 0–14 days of veg; check local plant-count rules first.

Does higher planting density increase yield?

Sea of green packs many small plants, usually clones, into the space and flowers them after little or no veg, so each plant makes one main cola. Higher planting density increases yield per square metre but lowers cannabinoid uniformity between plants, according to controlled research. Typical densities are 9–25 plants per m² with 0–14 days of veg; check local plant-count rules first.

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. doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.713481
  2. Backer R, Schwinghamer T, Rosenbaum P, et al., 2019. Closing the yield gap for cannabis: a meta-analysis of factors determining cannabis yield. Frontiers in Plant Science 10:495. doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2019.00495
  3. 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. doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2011.06.006
  4. BELSPO MARCANT project summary (plant densities 12–20 plants/m² in yield trials). belspo.be/Belspo/fedra/DR/DR92_MARCANT_summ_en.pdf

Related

Grower practiceIntermediate · Draft

SCROG: screen of green

SCROG uses a horizontal net 20–40 cm above the pots to spread a few plants into a flat, even canopy: shoots are tucked under the net through veg and early stretch, then allowed to grow up through it. It suits small rooms and plant-count limits, at the cost of longer veg. Fill about 70–80 % of the net before flipping, since plants stretch to fill the rest.

SupportedIntermediate · Draft

Defoliation and lollipopping: what to remove, when, and the evidence

Lollipopping strips small branches and leaves from the shaded lower third at or near the flip; defoliation removes fan leaves that shade bud sites or block airflow. In a controlled study on large plants, neither defoliation three weeks before harvest nor lower-branch removal changed flower or cannabinoid yield per plant, and defoliation improved cannabinoid uniformity. Stripping within reason doesn't hurt yield, but in the founder's experience tucking helps more: tuck and train first. Whether tucking beats stripping, and whether defoliation raises cannabinoids, is an open GenetixBay trial question.

SystemsSupportedIntermediate · Draft

Ebb and flow (flood and drain)

A pump floods a table or tray of pots to a standpipe height, then the solution drains back to the reservoir. Each flood refreshes water and pulls fresh air into the medium as it drains. Typical schedules: clay pebbles 3–6 floods per light period of 10–15 minutes, coco or rockwool 1–3. It is robust because the media buffer pump failures for days, but salts can build up at the top of the medium.

SystemsSupportedAdvanced · Draft

Nutrient film technique (NFT)

In NFT a thin, continuous film of nutrient solution runs down sloped channels past bare roots. It is efficient and well proven for lettuce and herbs, but large cannabis root masses can dam the channel, and roots dry within one to three hours if the pump stops. Keep flow continuous (about 1–2 L/min per channel), slope about 1:30 to 1:100, and solution at 18–22 °C.

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