Dear Dan,
I’m looking to maximize the small space I have available for growing, and after a lot of reading, I’ve come to the conclusion that the “Sea of Green” method might make the most sense for me. My grow space is a closet that is 56″ wide by 26″ deep, and I will be using soil as my grow medium.
My questions are: 1) What size pots should I use? and 2) How many plants should I attempt to squeeze into the the space? — Rick P
Dear Rick,
The “Sea of Green” method is a style of growing that crams many plants together in smaller containers and with a short vegetative time in order to fill up the space quickly. The advantages are that your plants live shorter lives, so there’s less room for mistakes and problems, and you harvest quicker because of the short veg time. The disadvantages are that your plant counts are higher which can be a problem in states where cultivation is illegal. And by growing more plants, you need to purchase more seeds or take more clones.
I wouldn’t go any smaller than one-gallon pots with a week or two of vegetative time before you switch the lighting cycle to a 12 hour on/12 hour off one to induce flowering. If you go smaller, you may end up with root-bound plants and bigger pots would just be a waste of space. Your 4 1/2 foot by 2 foot plus space will fit about 18 6 x 6-inch one-gallon pots.
Don’t miss our previous Grow Q&A: How Do I Grow Huge Outdoor Pot Plants Next Season?
Wrong. Start by asking George/Jorge who originated the method. Sea of Green is single spear plants grown from clones at 6-8″ centers in immediately adjacent, staggered, rows. The clones are transplanted into the one gallon pots when roots are @ 1-2 inches long, from the stem. They are given no more than 10 days of veg, then put into flower.