It depends on how detailed you want to get. You can use sculpting, but you can also use instancing. Either default or thru geometry nodes. Basically you model out a scale then use instancing to place a scale at every vertex on your cylinder/mesh. Another option is to use particle system.
Basic instancing: select scale then shift+select mesh. Ctrl+p->object. Then select mesh, in properties editor in the object tab under instancing change from none to vertex.
