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Best Cannabis Strains for the Sea of Green (SOG) Method
The sea of green (SOG) growing method is an easy way to cut growing time and increase the final yield! However, some strains are more suited to it than others. Here we share our five favourites to make your life easier.
The sea of green (SOG) growing method is one that makes use of many small plants rather than fewer full-size ones. Even though each plant produces less bud with this method, the overall amount of bud produced per square metre is greater than with fewer, larger plants. As such, if you can shell out the extra cash for seeds, it’s a very simple way to get more bud with minimal effort.
SOG involves flipping plants to flowering soon after they begin vegetating—around two or three weeks in. This means that the plants remain very small, therefore allowing you to fit more into a smaller space. What’s more, this method shaves precious weeks off of the whole growing process, making it faster too!
To make SOG work, you’ll want to grow plants of the same strain, sown on the same day, otherwise you’ll likely run into problems. They all need to grow at the same rate. For the best results, we recommend buying high-quality seeds that develop uniformly—which is where we come in! The following list shows a selection of seeds that we think are best suited to the SOG growing method.
Grape Ape
Grape Ape is the progeny of a three-way cross of Afghani, Mendocino Purps, and Skunk #1. These three strains mingled their genetics to create a magnificent new strain that is surprisingly relaxing and chill.
Thanks to its compact height and quick flowering time, Grape Ape is especially well suited to SOG. Once you flip it after two to three weeks, expect a moderate little growth spurt during the pre-flowering stage, after which point it should begin to develop its flowers. Within a week or two, you should see the calyxes taking on a proper form, and you’ll begin to get the first whiffs of blueberry, earthiness, candy, and skunk.
As the weeks wear on, the flowers will bulge and develop rapidly, swelling to more or less their maximum size at around week five. At this point, you’ll probably see some senescence in the fan leaves and it will be safe to prune them. From here, growth will slow and the pistils will darken and trichomes will become more cloudy. You can plan to harvest somewhere between week six and seven, hauling in ample yields!
Grape Ape
Afghani x Mendocino Purps x Skunk 1 | |
16 to 19 oz/m² | |
2 to 3 feet | |
7 - 9 weeks | |
THC: 20% |
Sativa 10% Indica 90% | |
18 to 21 oz/plant | |
5 to 6 feet | |
Late September | |
Calming, Physically Relaxing, Sleepy |
Critical Kush
Critical Kush crosses Critical and OG Kush, and the result is a compact plant that produces a whole lot of potent bud. Staying low to the ground, this strain can yield around 500–550 g/m² of flower in optimal conditions, making it a very good choice for growers looking to try out SOG. It also has a flowering time of around 55–60 days, which means growers can eke out multiple harvests per year when growing this strain.
Being a Kush strain, Critical Kush has a tendency to grow quite bushy, which has both benefits and drawbacks. As long as you prune unnecessary foliage, this bushiness will serve you well, allowing for maximum bud sites per metre squared. Once flipped to flowering, Critical Kush will exhibit a pretty vigorous growth spurt for around a week. As the name SOG suggests, a beautiful green sea will flourish beneath your lights.
From that point, expect to see buds growing before your eyes. After a few weeks, they’ll swell less but will begin to smell more, displaying a rich coating of trichomes and darkening pistils to boot. After around 8–9 weeks, expect to harvest Critical Kush's exceptional bounty.
Critical Kush
Critical x OG Kush | |
18 to 19 oz/m² | |
2 to 3 feet | |
8 - 10 weeks | |
THC: 20% |
Sativa 20% Indica 80% | |
18 to 19 oz/plant | |
3 to 5 feet | |
Late September | |
Long Lasting , Physically Relaxing, Powerful |
Wedding Cake
Wedding Cake is a world-famous and world-favorite cannabis strain—and we have our very own version of it. A cross between Girl Scout Cookies and Cherry Pie, it’s one of the best strains in the world for those who love succulent dessert varieties.
And it’s well suited to SOG too! Wedding Cake naturally stays compact, even without intervention. As usual, flip it to bloom at around two or three weeks after emerging from the soil, and then let it go as it has its final growth spurt before flowering. From here, it will take between 8–10 weeks to each harvest. During this time, expect to see fairly bushy growth followed by the development of large, crystalline buds.
The calyxes of these plants start to take on their true shape at around week five, from which point they’ll darken and become more plump. Starting at around week seven, keep an eye on them as they’ll be approaching optimal maturity. They might be ready by week eight, though some phenos may require an extra 1–2 weeks.
Wedding Cake
Girl Scout Cookies x Cherry Pie | |
16 to 19 oz/m² | |
2 to 4 feet | |
8 - 10 weeks | |
THC: 20% |
Sativa 20% Indica 80% | |
19 to 21 oz/plant | |
4 to 5 feet | |
Early October | |
Laughter, Physically Relaxing, Uplifting |
Gelato 44
Gelato 44 is part of our Tyson 2.0 collection—a selection of Mike Tyson’s favorite strains made available in seed form. This strain grows a little larger than the others on our list, and it doesn’t offer quite as big of a yield. Nevertheless, it more than makes up for this with its effects. Led by a 22% THC content, this strain is at once stoning and relaxing, but also induces a mental clarity. For this reason, it’s perfect for rest and recovery but doesn’t render users completely couch-locked.
Regarding the grow, Gelato 44 will require some care, especially in the first couple weeks of flowering when it goes through its final growth spurt. What’s more, this strain likes to be well hydrated and fed, and therefore is perhaps best suited to growers with a little experience who know how to read their plants and respond to their needs.
The flowering phase is short; around eight weeks. You can expect to see rapid flower development in the first couple of weeks after the flowering stretch; the buds are quick to fill out and develop plenty of crystalline trichomes, signalling that harvest is near!
Gelato 44
Sunset Sherbet X Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies | |
14 to 16 oz/m² | |
3 to 4 feet | |
8 - 9 weeks | |
THC: 22% |
Sativa 25% Indica 75% | |
19 to 21 oz/plant | |
5 to 6 feet | |
Late September | |
Creative, Euphoric, Long Lasting , Physically Relaxing |
Candy Kush Express
This strain gets part of its name from its exceptionally fast flowering stage. Not only is it fast, but it’s very forgiving to grow, and as such is very suitable for beginner growers who need room to make some mistakes. What’s more, this strain simultaneously offers uplifting and relaxing effects, satisfying all manner of smokers. This means that if you only have space to grow one strain in your SOG, this might tick all the boxes.
Expect to see a rapid burst of growth in the first week after you flip this strain to flowering. From that point onward, plants will quickly amass a ton of glittering buds that will intensify in scent and color until harvest comes around at the end of week seven. Fortunately, these plants only require the basic maintenance and care to deliver great results.
Still, this is not an overwhelmingly pungent strain, so it shouldn’t stink out the surrounding area too bad. Expect to harvest at around 49 days, which, in cannabis terms, is in the blink of an eye! A great all-rounder for growers of all levels.
Candy Kush Express (Fast Flowering)
Sweet Special x O.G. Kush | |
17 to 18 oz/m² | |
2 to 3 feet | |
7 - 9 weeks | |
THC: 18% |
Sativa 40% Indica 60% | |
16 to 18 oz/plant | |
3 to 6 feet | |
Early September | |
Physically Relaxing, Stoned |
Buy Candy Kush Express (Fast Flowering)