plants produce 'better' buds when allowed to mature. they build up Terpenes and other essentials. it is ALWAYS best to let a plant mature fully. doesn't mean other ways don't work.
p.s. I do SOG with veg time too.... or tsunami of green. i kinda like the tsunami of green. seperates us from you single cola SOG guys. i prefer it. keeps plant count lower, and is easier to water/take care of. rather then doing 25 single colas.
you know i agree with the first idea 100%. on point. & batman noted it also... almost never too ripe.
SOG though... is different.
& as far as your second idea... hard to water?
i mean, homie, my shits on autopilot. rezzies. pumps. timers. ebb & flow on backyard senitnels (ie timers) does its own thing.
and i still spend mad hours doing this , that, or the other.
sog also means keeping moms. no doubt about it. a shit yielder is not a sog mom.
which means you also need phenotyping skillz. or buddies with dank cuts.
& why you pay dues , show & grow , & bless a few here & there.
this is how dank gets to you ==> & why peeps send me pork chops from the grill.
real sog is like earning every pull taking cuts, keeping moms, cleaning, rotating, different rezzie mixes.
its no pop a seed, drop some tap water, & sit back.
& sea of green is really about perpetual harvest. continual like i do. or the way you do.
& when dudes talk about 3 months of veg & another 9 weeks flower... i've already pulled down 5-6 elbows of dry product.
i always think hydro... but i started out in one gallon containers and dirty dirt from walmart.
fine tuning skillz before doing it like i do now.
shit i've thought about sog a scrog in 27 gal tuff totes on a perpetual... every month throw one down under 800w.
i could be rocking 4 or 5 like that now. make the coco like karmas_a_bitch does. just use water.
boom bip... elbow+ on only 800w every 3 weeks easy.
big ass root ball though.
think i can leave that out in the city near the curb?