There’s always a marijuana strain for nearly every taste and purpose: from earthy, mild, pungent, fruity, medical, to recreational. But when it comes to growing, one incessant tug of war runs into most gardeners’ minds—the popular SOG vs SCROG battle.
If you’re a seasoned gardener, chances are you’ve sworn to any of the two advanced techniques. But if you’re a newbie, choosing between SOG and SCROG is a basic decision you will have to make. Knowing what this article reveals is half the battle.
To understand both techniques, we began our research by asking seasoned growers what works. We then set two gardens aside—one for SOG and another for SCROG— and planted different varieties of marijuana on the respective gardens, and applied the farming best practices.
Finally, we managed to compile this cheat sheet detailing the benefits, disadvantages, and limitations of each technique with a solid aim to help you choose the best.
SCROG vs SOG: Which One Is Best for You?
Sea of Green (SOG): How it works
SOG thrives on the idea that if you force your crops to be tiny as they near their flowering stage, you can squeeze them in the tightest place possible and harvest a few weeks earlier. It’s your one-stone-for-two-birds ploy that lets you cut both space and time without having to stretch your budget to the brink.
Screen of Green (SCROG): How it works
SCROG technique leverages the power of a wire screen to spread the branches of a few crops along a uniform plane. The trick here is to lower the upper branches and force the lower branches up. You don’t need numerous plants like in SOG. Instead, you weave the branches of a few crops into the 1m2 mesh and allow them to flower.
SOG vs SCROG: Vegetation Phase
The vegetative phase marks the beginning of numerous differences in the cannabis SOG vs SCROG race. Using the SOG technique, you can only nurture your seedlings from either cannabis seeds or cuts. You’re required to place the cuttings in small containers and allow them to grow. 4-6 liter containers are popular due to their efficiency.
In the first week, you will place your seeds or cutting under 12/12 light conditions. Then, you can advance to the 12/12 boom in the second week. This way, you won’t have to lag too long in the veggie stage. You’ll notice that the plants triple in size as you place them in a 12/12 switch.
We recommend getting cuttings from a mother plant as opposed to buying seedlings from the local store. This way, you will effortlessly manage to raise the highest number of seedlings without having to spend too much.
Conversely, in SCROG technique, you’re going to raise a few plants and nourish them in large containers that support a high web of roots. For each plant, make sure to raise the maximum number of buds so that when you weave them you can easily achieve a uniform table. 50-100 liters containers are very efficient.
The veggie stage can span up to 2 months compared to 2 weeks in SOG. Also, the amount of nutrients used is higher since you want to maximize the yields and bud count of each plant.
SOG vs SCROG: Flowering Phase
The flowering stage in SOG technique begins a few weeks to one month. Even if the plants didn’t get very big in the vegetative stage, they will all start making numerous buds that can completely take up your entire growing space. Also, you’ll notice that the plants stretch too much during the flowering stage to support the development of a fat main Kolla for each plant.
With scrogging, you need to time your crops and tame their vertical growth before and after they hit the screen. Just when the top of the plant is almost hitting the screen, cut all the small branches. Don’t leave the side shoots at the bottom too. This trick helps to minimize the development of fluffy buds, unrewarding side shoots, and also ensures the nutrients are aptly used to create strong Kollas.
Then, tuck the branches carefully into the eyes of the screen and tie them in knots. Each branch should fit into the eye of the screen located farthest from the mother plant. Leave the plants to grow for another one week. At the same time, keep watchful of the vertical growth, making sure to cut any branch growing 2-3 inches higher than your screen.
Stretching the branches vertically will make them look wilty. Make sure to water them 2-3 times a day to help them bounce back. In a couple of weeks, they will have formed a uniform table and start developing buds.
SOG vs SCROG: Yields and Potency
Whether you’re sogging or scrogging, the yield and potency do not fluctuate. You can achieve 60g/m2 with any method above should you keep the branches healthy, with adequate room for growth.
However, the quality of your yield is highly dependent on the type of seedling or cutting you use. Go for the best seed or cutting since only this way will you be able to raise yields with good potency. Also, make sure to water your plants regularly and provide adequate nutrients for growth.
Your room is not adequately spaced like the natural environment. Using any of these methods means you’re forcing your plants to grow under a bit of stress. Only adequate watering and nutrients will enable them to strive and achieve the desired yield.
| Advantages of SOG | Disadvantages of SOG |
| You can shift the positions of your plants easily | Requires high, strenuous maintenance than SCROG |
| Quick and effortless harvesting | The light source must be strong for the plants to thrive |
| Shorter vegetative period | Requires lots of cuttings and seeds to achieve the required yield |
| The plants require less light consumption | Controlling the heights of an individual plant is a bit daunting hence impacting canopying |
| Ideal when looking to squeeze more seeds in a small space | With a higher number of plants, pests and diseases can spread ultrafast and become tricky to manage |
| A negative growth from one seedling doesn’t impact the growth and yield of other seedlings | Keeping different strains with different heights is exhausting compared to SCROG |
| Ideal for Indica strains |
| Advantages of SCROG | Disadvantages of SCROG |
| Lower maintenance budget for individual plants | The vegetation and flowering stage takes too long hence lengthening the duration of harvesting |
| You can easily control pests and diseases before they spread to a worrying stage | Maintaining your plants during the vegetation period requires that you tie the branches to the mesh screen at least twice a day. |
| Plants are easier to swap and maintain | Since you have a few plants in your grow space, should one fail, it will greatly reduce the size of your harvest bucket |
| You can effortlessly control the heights of individual plants and even create a uniform canopy | The screen makes moving the plants outside nearly impossible in case of emergency |
| Requires less water and nutrients compared to SOG | Setting the screen wire during the foundation stage is daunting, especially if you’re a newbie. |
| Easier to work with both feminized seeds and cuttings compared to SOG | |
| Ideal for growing Sativa strains | |
| Works well if you intend to mix up different varieties of Sativa strains | |
| Only a few plants are enough to generate buds required to reach an optimal harvest |
Final Verdict
Both scrogging and sogging are advanced styles that will realize almost the same yield depending on the space you use. While sogging aims at supporting vertical development, scrogging enhances horizontal development.
That said, sogging will help you keep a good yield bucket under a tight space whereas scrogging is ideal for large growing spaces. If your federal government only allows for raising five plants or less, scrogging is your ideal option. But, should you be dealing with a tight indoor space, sogging will help. We hope this has helped you solve the hurdles of choosing between SCROG vs SOG techniques.
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