Which is the best method to grow cannabis - indoor or outdoor?

It’s an age-old debate with equally stubborn proponents on both sides: do indoor or outdoor growing methods yield better cannabis results? Every cannabis grower has their own preferences and practice – and there’s a good chance they’ll have conflicting opinions on this particular topic.

Today, growers are often given an option between choosing to plant their crop outdoors or cultivate indoors. What should a grower take into consideration when deciding between these options? Here, we explore three categories – environment, cost and quality – to compare and contrast indoor and outdoor growing. Hopefully this blog helps clarify what approach may yield more benefits for you and your business.

Environment

Outdoor: There are plenty of growers who have made their living growing cannabis outdoors. Take for instance the “Emerald Triangle” in northern California. This renowned trio of counties – Mendocino, Humboldt and Trinity – have seen some of the most skilled cultivators and enviable flower. Outdoor cannabis crops are bathed in the sun’s natural full-spectrum, and they can pull nutrients from the rich soil. Natural predators like ladybugs naturally stave off pests like mites. The endless supply of glorious natural sunlight supports vibrant crops.

Disadvantages

• Your cannabis is at the mercy of the elements, and could be destroyed by a storm, strong winds or heavy rain. This can be avoided by growing outdoors in pots, so they can be brought indoors during bad periods, but this negates the advantage of having room for your plant to expand.
• Outdoor growing is less likely to be practical for someone who lives in a city or particularly built up area.
• If your grow is not close to a water source, then you have to manually transport water to the site during dry periods.
• If the grow site is not planned out well enough, there is a risk of discovery by people passing by, or worse, thieves.
• In addition to the elements and thieves, cannabis grown outdoors is also more prone to damage from disease, pests, and animals.
• As there is no control over hours of light, grow times tend to be longer (but you do get bigger plants).
• Depending on where you live, outdoor growing only tends to produce one crop a year, unless you use an autoflowering strain.

Indoor: Growing cannabis indoors comes with a whole host of clear advantages. For one, growers can plant their crops during any time of the year, regardless of season. They have ultimate control over the indoor environment, meaning they can adjust the temperature, humidity and light levels. Even the light spectrum can be tuned to elicit certain plant responses. Further, crops are protected from inclement weather and other outdoor threats. Indoors, individual plants can be cradled by a skilled grower from the time they’re seedlings to full-fledged adult plants with an ideal amount of water, humidity and light.

Disadvantages

• Growing in your marijuana grow tent usually has expensive start-up costs, as you have to buy all the equipment required (marijuana grow kit).
• You have to pay ongoing electricity bills.
• Indoor grows require a lot more care and maintenance than an outdoor grow, as moisture and nutrients are not naturally replenished; however, for some, this level of control may be seen as an advantage.
• Ventilation and filtering must be maintained to ensure discretion.

Cost / Price

Indoor is much more expensive, especially when you're first getting started. It costs $500+ initially for most setups for 4-6 plants. Learn more about different indoor growing setups. When growing indoors, at the very least you will need to pay for cannabis grow light (full spectrum led grow lights )and containers to grow your plants in. Most serious indoor growers also invest in a grow tent or convert a closet/wardrobe/cupboard into a suitable growing environment.

Outdoor can be as cheap as getting seeds or clones and sticking them in the ground. In most cases, it will cost at least a bit more than that, especially for those who want to get high yields and dense buds, because you will also be paying for nutrients, soil, fencing and/or other supplies. Still, even serious outdoor growers get to skip on paying for grow lights or grow tents.

Quality

Grow Cannabis with CO2There’s a long-held notion that indoor product is far more superior to anything grown outside. Remember, growing indoors allows for complete control of the environment and often results in immaculate marijuana plants. There’s no rain, hail, snow, or wind that can possibly do any damage to cannabis plants when they’re grown inside. This results in gorgeous ganja plants that are visually pleasing with strong flavor and aroma profiles.

Because of this, indoor cannabis is typically believed to be of higher quality than bud grown outside. Outdoor plants must contend with the natural environment, compensating for the elements that are uncontrollable. This can cause plants not to look as “pretty” as their indoor counterparts. The effects, however, should be very much the same if plants are given the nutrients and attention they need. Flavor and aroma should also remain similar to indoor plants, especially when growers take the time to properly cure their final product.

Something else to consider with indoor growing quality is the industrial pesticides and fertilizers that are required to keep pests at bay. While indoor growing does offer a pristine environment for plants to flourish, it also allows for unwanted pests to flourish. Without the natural predators of ants, ladybugs, and wasps you’d find in an outdoor environment that keep mites away, these pests can flourish in an indoor space. With many consumers looking for organic products cultivated without the use of harmful pesticides, several growers choose to grow outside and let nature do its thing.

Final thoughts

No matter where you grow it, indoors under lights or outside with plenty of fresh sunshine, weed is still weed. There are some major differences regarding an indoor and outdoor product, but what works for one grower won’t always work for the next. Not everyone who wants to grow weed has the outdoor space to do so. And not everyone has the means to invest in an indoor setup.

Each style of cultivation has its pros and cons. As a producer of cannabis, it’s important to keep yourself educated and informed. Knowing the difference between indoor and outdoor cannabis is a step towards understanding what works for you personally, whether growing for commercial production or cultivating for personal use.

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