By Max Sargent


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.

Close-up of healthy cannabis plants growing indoors, with vibrant green leaves and budding flowers under controlled lighting.

Close-up of healthy cannabis plants growing indoors, with vibrant green leaves and budding flowers under controlled lighting.

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
23_genetic background_1 Afghani x Mendocino Purps x Skunk 1
33_Yield indoors_1 16 to 19 oz/m²
31_plant height outdoor_1 2 to 3 feet
25_flowering time_1 7 - 9 weeks
29_THC_1 THC: 20%
28_Type Blend_1 Sativa 10% Indica 90%
34_yield outdoor_1 18 to 21 oz/plant
32_plant height outdoors_1 5 to 6 feet
27_harvest period_1 Late September
22_Effect_1 Calming, Physically Relaxing, Sleepy

Buy Grape Ape

Critical Kush

Close-up of a healthy Critical Kush cannabis plant in a grow tent, featuring vibrant green leaves and resinous buds.

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
23_genetic background_1 Critical x OG Kush
33_Yield indoors_1 18 to 19 oz/m²
31_plant height outdoor_1 2 to 3 feet
25_flowering time_1 8 - 10 weeks
29_THC_1 THC: 20%
28_Type Blend_1 Sativa 20% Indica 80%
34_yield outdoor_1 18 to 19 oz/plant
32_plant height outdoors_1 3 to 5 feet
27_harvest period_1 Late September
22_Effect_1 Long Lasting , Physically Relaxing, Powerful

Buy Critical Kush

Wedding Cake

A vibrant Wedding Cake cannabis plant thrives indoors under artificial lights. In the flowering stage, it boasts dense, resinous buds and rich green hues, showcasing its renowned quality and appeal.

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
23_genetic background_1 Girl Scout Cookies x Cherry Pie
33_Yield indoors_1 16 to 19 oz/m²
31_plant height outdoor_1 2 to 4 feet
25_flowering time_1 8 - 10 weeks
29_THC_1 THC: 20%
28_Type Blend_1 Sativa 20% Indica 80%
34_yield outdoor_1 19 to 21 oz/plant
32_plant height outdoors_1 4 to 5 feet
27_harvest period_1 Early October
22_Effect_1 Laughter, Physically Relaxing, Uplifting

Buy Wedding Cake

Gelato 44

A collage showing the growth stages of a Gelato 44 cannabis plant, from seedling to mature, healthy green plant in a grow tent.

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
23_genetic background_1 Sunset Sherbet X Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies
33_Yield indoors_1 14 to 16 oz/m²
31_plant height outdoor_1 3 to 4 feet
25_flowering time_1 8 - 9 weeks
29_THC_1 THC: 22%
28_Type Blend_1 Sativa 25% Indica 75%
34_yield outdoor_1 19 to 21 oz/plant
32_plant height outdoors_1 5 to 6 feet
27_harvest period_1 Late September
22_Effect_1 Creative, Euphoric, Long Lasting , Physically Relaxing

Buy Gelato 44

Candy Kush Express

Candy Kush Express cannabis plant growing indoors under artificial lights during the flowering stage, showcasing healthy green foliage and vibrant buds

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)
23_genetic background_1 Sweet Special x O.G. Kush
33_Yield indoors_1 17 to 18 oz/m²
31_plant height outdoor_1 2 to 3 feet
25_flowering time_1 7 - 9 weeks
29_THC_1 THC: 18%
28_Type Blend_1 Sativa 40% Indica 60%
34_yield outdoor_1 16 to 18 oz/plant
32_plant height outdoors_1 3 to 6 feet
27_harvest period_1 Early September
22_Effect_1 Physically Relaxing, Stoned

Buy Candy Kush Express (Fast Flowering)

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