Both Sea of Green (SOG) and Screen of Green (SCROG) got their name because they resemble both Sea and Screen filled with green foliage and buds. Visually, in filled tent or area, both methods looks very similar with multiple, same sized buds covering and filling up the entire area. The only difference between the two methods is that Screen of Green can be done with one plant – training and manipulating her to create multiple tops while Sea of Green involves many small plants, with all having just one or two tops but because of the higher plant count the results look very similar.
Both Screen of Green and Sea of green will provide you with bigger harvest, both per plant and per square area than when growing the usual, “normal” way, respectively. Both methods are easy to use, don’t require any complicated or expensive equipment are are easy to master.
Screen of Green (SCROG)
The goal of Screen of Green is to train your plant in order to have her growing more horizontally, providing for more new tops, that will become flowers or buds, instead of having one main cola. By using low stress training, topping and fimming, growers create more new tops and form the plant to be more of a bush rather than the standard “Christmas Tree” shaped one. By placing the screen or netting above the plant and stretching the plant’s canopy below the netting you provide for a nice and even canopy with many new tops that are equally and optimally exposed to light.
Although any strain can be used in SCROG method, strains that branch more and grow more vigorously are more suitable for this method. Indica dominant plants tend to be short and stocky with not much branching going on, so Sativa dominant strains and hybrids are more suitable to be grown in SCROG, as they tend to branch out more and exhibit more vigorous growth. Because of their short vegetative phase, autoflowering strains aren’t very suitable to be used in this method but some of the bigger, longer flowering, fourth generation autoflowers could be used with nice results.
How to use Screen of Green
When using SCROG method, you should start topping or fimming your plants as soon as possible while applying low stress training at the same time. The goal is to get more bushier plant with good branching, providing for multiple tops.
After your plants have grown to the desired height and size, growers place a netting or a screen a couple of centimeters from the plant’s top and just weave the tops under the net, tying them down and guiding them to fill the empty net or screen space. As new tops start to grow vertically and upwards, you again weave them under the net and tie them, if needed.
By forcing the plant to grow more horizontally, every internode will provide for at least 2 new tops and with the help of the netting or a screen it will make sure that they are all on the same level and that they receive equal amounts of light, making them same or very similar in size.
Because your plants will grow more horizontally, leaves can easily fill up the space, blocking the light to get to your new tops. Constant maintaining and pruning of bigger leaves and exposing your new growth to the light will speed up a process and provide for better and numerous bud site development.
Taking into account the stretch that will happen, you should switch your plants to flowering once ¾ of the screen or grow area is covered. Sativa dominant strains usually tend to stretch more than Indica dominant ones but that’s more strain and phenotype related.
Because the goal of SCROG is to have your canopy even, in one line, growth that’s under it will receive none or very little light. To deal with that, growers tend to place additional lights under the main canopy level, providing additional light to the previously unexposed growth assuring for nice bud formation and development.
If you don’t want to place additional lights, you can always lollipop your plant(s). Lollipopping is just removing the bottom parts of the plants. Usually about bottom third or a quarter but when growing using SCROG method, you remove all the growth that’s under the main canopy level. Removing growth that wouldn’t receive enough light to properly develop and so called ‘popcorn buds’, your plant(s) will focus its energy to the remaining growth and in return, make your existing flowers bigger and denser.
Advantages and disadvantages of SCROG
Biggest advantage is that you can use this method on just one plant. If plant count is applied, every plant counts and you want to use every plant to its maximum. Providing for bigger yields, compared to usual grow methods, SCROG will provide for a maximum yield per plant and can be applied to both indoor and outdoor grows.
Second biggest advantage is use of space when growing multiple plants. When growing using SCROG method, you even the canopy and with some training you can shape your plants to look very similar. Because they form an even canopy, all the plants will form similar buds, as they are all exposed to the light evenly and they are all on the same distance from the main branch.
Having even canopies will ensure that all of the plants and plant parts develop evenly, which often isn’t the case if you’re growing them normally. Often, one or more plants will be taller or wider and will take up more or less space. Because of their uneven shapes and sizes, they will have different sized buds, which will make some plants better and some worse. Using SCROG all plants and buds are more uniformed and equally developed.
Biggest disadvantage of SCROG method is constant maintenance, at least during vegetation and while you’re filling up the screen. Cannabis plants are aggressive growers and under strong lights and optimal conditions, certain strains can grow a couple of centimeters a day, so constant adjusting and weaving and tucking and filling up the screen is needed.
Second disadvantage, although technically not an disadvantage rather just another condition that need to be fulfilled, is the fact that it takes more time to veg your plants, in order to fill the screen properly and to train your plants right. Depending on the size of your area and the number of plants you’re growing, it can take from a couple of weeks up to a couple of months to properly fill the screen.
Other disadvantage when using SCROG method is, that because your plants are tied and weaved into the screen or netting, you can’t move them or manipulate them that much, which isn’t an issue if your encounter no problems during your grow but if the need to move your plants occurs, you’ll have some problems figuring out what to do.
Sea of Green (SOG)
Visually very similar to SCROG, Sea of green uses a number of small plants, grown closely together, usually with just one main cola to create the same even canopy of same or similar sized buds. Usually done with clones but it can be done with seeds too, if you have larger number of seeds available.
How to use Sea of green
Rather than training and weaving your plants under the screen, by using larger number of plants put closely together you will achieve the same result. No special equipment is needed to grow using this method, just a larger number of plants and containers.
Start your seeds or clones in smaller containers as they will be going to flower at two weeks of vegetation tops. Many growers start the plants in SOG on 12/12 light schedule from the beginning because reaching bigger plant size isn’t needed, long or any vegetation time isn’t needed, especially with strains that stretch a lot.
Because your plants will be in smaller containers, they will require more frequent watering and you should be more careful when using nutrients. As a result of smaller containers, nutrient lock and root bound issues could arise. Generally containers around 2-3L in size will be enough for your plants to finish nicely using this method.
Unlike, when using SCROG, when using Sea of Green, you can use any type of strain and genetics. It doesn’t matter if it’s a Sativa, Indica or a hybrid because you’re in just for the main kola, which every strain is possible of growing. Obviously, strains that genetically have bigger, denser and heavier buds will provide for a better yield and because other characteristics like size, branching, internode space and others aren’t that important, literally any strain can be used in this method. Using autoflowers with this method can be a bit tricky because you don’t control the flowering phase but allowing them a bit more space and by doing a bit of maintenance. you can achieve the same thing.
Advantages and disadvantages of Sea of Green
The biggest advantage of using the Sea of Green method is quick turnaround or quick harvest. Because the plants don’t need and don’t go through the vegetative phase, you can harvest them in time it takes them to finish flowering.
With early or fast flowering strains, you can harvest every 6-7 weeks which is half the time usually needed for some plants to go through the full life cycle of vegetation and flowering. With increased, or at least the same yield as growing regularly, with two harvests in time you’d normally finish one – SOG method provides for most yield and is especially suited for smaller areas.
The biggest disadvantage is the price of seeds, if you choose to start from seeds but usually, growers that use this method start with clones. Using clones means that you need a mother plant, otherwise buying clones will be as expensive as using seeds.
Using clones for this method will additionally ensure that all your genetics are same, as clones are exact genetic copies of the mother plant. When using seeds, you can exhibit different phenotypes or just different characteristics, as well as a occasional male, that if left with the bunch, could jeopardise the whole crop.
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