Cannabis growing: Sea Of Green

Author: Elena Experience expert (psychedelics and psychoactive & medicinal plants), blogger, passion for healthy food

As a beginning cannabis grower you can be overwhelmed by the many ways you can take care of your plants. The process of choosing seeds, setting up a growing space and buying the right nutrition takes some study time. If you're lucky, you may know someone who can teach you the tricks of the trade and help you get on with your growing project.

However, if you're the only one in your circle of friends who wants to take control and don't want to spend a lot of money on weed from the coffee shop all the time, it's a good idea to dig deeper and read up on the subject before starting the adventure. 

Anyone can grow weed 

Let me reassure you right away: if you want to enjoy weed of your own making, that is absolutely possible, even if you don't have green fingers. With a little interest and daring, you can grow a seed into a beautiful plant without much effort. All you need is seed, light, water and some flower pots. It's not for nothing that cannabis is also called 'weed'. In other words, it is a strong plant that thrives easily and can handle different circumstances well. In principle, not much can go wrong. As long as you have a piece of garden with enough sunlight per day and you are able to give it some water and attention on a regular basis, you have everything you need.

For people who like to grow weed indoors, it's a slightly different story: Because you don't use the natural energy of the sun and (rain)water and seasons, you have to imitate everything yourself. The advantages of growing indoors are numerous: 

• It is possible to continue growing all year round.
• You can choose any type of weed 
• It is much cheaper than weed from the coffeeshop (about 10 times less expensive!).
• You have full control over your plants and don't depend on the weather conditions

Are you going to grow weed indoors?

It takes some preparation: preparing the growing space for your cannabis plants. First of all, you have to choose a suitable spot. This can be a specially designated room, but also a cupboard or place in the attic. Do you use a tent? If so, make sure that your space is large enough to meet your growing requirements. The convenience of a grow tent is preferable to making your own grow box, but if you don't have two left hands, this is also an option! After you have chosen this space, the layout can begin. 

LED lighting or HPS?

Let's start with the light: what you need is a suitable grow light that suits your space and wishes. Know that 'more light, more output' means, but you also need to pay attention to the size of your room and the type of lamp you use. Depending on the money you want to spend on equipment, you can go for the fluorescent home garden and kitchen lamps, which are cheap but also offer fewer possibilities. Another option is to go for example for special LED lighting, which of course costs more, but also generates more yield and is more economical with your electricity. If you really want to do it professionally you can go for the LED lighting of California Lightworks. Using a digital controller you can mimic the sun to the extent that the light spectrum changes from red light to blue and white light. Just like outdoors, your cannabis plants will have the combination of grow light, which alternates with the flowering phase in which the plants start to form their buds. It is also possible to adjust the intensity of the light to the growing surface. This is useful when you do not have the same surface area every year and therefore do not need more or fewer lamps, but only need to adjust the SolarSystem's power. It is also an advantage in the growing cycle of your plants: when they are small they need less light than when they grow bigger. In this way you save energy by increasing the power to 100%. 
HPS is also still a widely used way to light up your green girlfriends. Some experienced cannabis lovers swear by it. In terms of results, they are still unrivalled and relatively cheap. However, it is important that you can keep the lights at a sufficient distance from your plants. You cannot, as with the SolarSystem, adjust the intensity of the light to the size of your growing space. HPS lamps also become much warmer than LED lamps. 

Different growing methods: more yield

As an inexperienced indoor grower, it is wise to take a small approach during the first rounds of cultivation. If you have wild plans for the future, you can already set up your equipment to do so, but without the necessary experience it is good to keep it simple at first. The following growing method is suitable for growers who have gained some experience and are ready to make the best use of their space. 

When you have set up your grow space and are ready for the adventure, people sometimes find out that growing indoors is really about making the best use of your space. Fortunately, transient cannabis enthusiasts have been resourceful and keep coming up with new ideas. One day, someone in the Netherlands came up with the idea of a different approach to indoor growing. Instead of filling his space with a few weed plants, he changed tack. 

If you want a lot of yield in as small an area as possible, then the Sea Of Green method is for you. This way of growing is interesting because you get the most out of your plants and can harvest as much as possible. The bottom line is that you grow several small cannabis plants close together (hence the name: you get a 'sea of green' look) and harvest them early. This way you will have a maximum harvest in the shortest possible time. Experienced indoor growers know that it is difficult to illuminate the lower parts of your plant properly. As a result, they often develop poorly and you benefit less from the long duration of the vegetative phase. At Sea Of Green, the focus is entirely on the upper foliage, which is best exposed and therefore develops very quickly. 

Sea Of Green: short growth phase

The growth phase of the plants takes a lot less time. If you use autoflowers or cuttings, it will take about 1 to 2 weeks before your plants are ready for the flowering phase, for regular feminized plants it will take about 3 to 4 weeks.
After this it is already time for the flowering phase. Here it is normal for plants to stretch a bit in height. At Sea Of Green it is desirable that the plants remain as low as possible. That is why the plants should emerge from their vegetative phase as soon as possible and start the flowering period. As an indoor grower, you switch on the flowering phase by adjusting the light scheme from 18 hours of light (growth phase or vegetative phase) to 12 hours of light (flowering phase).

Tip: Grow Stop by DrFertigo is a cell pulling inhibitor that consists only of organic components and plant hormones. Grow Stop ensures that your plants stretch less and remain short and compact.

Lots of weed plants on a small area

The intention is to get rid of as many weed plants as possible on your growing surface. Instead of two to four large marijuana plants per square meter, you go for more small ones. More than sixteen plants per square meter is possible. 

Choose Autoflowering cannabis seeds

It's easiest if you use autoflowers. These autoflowering plants go through a rapid growth and flowering phase and will therefore provide better results when you want to use the Sea Of Green growing method. 

Indica or Sativa?

You make it easier for yourself by using the same type of weed, or at least one that has the same properties. Indica's generally stay smaller and more compact by nature, and Sativa's go much higher. Keep this in mind when switching from the growth phase to the flowering phase. Be on time with switching and remember that Sativas can grow three times their size during the flowering phase. Up to ten days is usually enough for Haze strains to grow and then switch to the flowering phase.
 

Elena Experience expert (psychedelics and psychoactive & medicinal plants), blogger, passion for healthy food

Elena studies Organic and Biodynamic agriculture because, besides psychedelics and psychoactive & medicinal plants, she also has a passion for healthy food. Learning about the endocannabinoid system, different cannabinoids and terpenes is super interesting.

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