Indoor versus Outdoor
Many people prefer growing cannabis indoors, while others like outdoors. Some believe that you only grow indoors because you don’t have a choice. But, is that true? Indoor versus outdoor, what are the differences?
Let’s find out.
Cost
Growing cannabis indoors will definitely be more expensive than outdoors. The reason is very simple: you have to pay extra for indoor equipment and electricity bills. Your grow setup indoors may require expensive yet necessary equipment and electronic devices working 24/7, such as lighting or ventilation.
On the other hand, growing outdoors, you have sunlight and wind for free. Not only that, if you have good soil, then you may even have to spend less on nutrients and fertilizers. Outdoors plants can be more susceptible to common pests though, so there may be a need for more pesticides.
Growing Time
Indoor growing allows you to grow whenever you want, regardless of seasons and weather. You also gain full control over the whole growing process, so you can optimize it to make your plant grow the fastest possible. But, keep in mind, the time it takes from seeds to harvest will also depend on strains, or genetics, or whether your seeds are auto or regular. Many strains have shorter growing time than others. Autoflowering plants tend to have a shorter growing cycle than regular plants.
Effort
Growing plants indoors will need more effort. This is because you will have to control and monitor everything, from lighting, air flow, temperature, and humidity. Not to mention the time and effort it takes to set up your equipment and change pots. This will require you to fully commit yourself, if you want to get the best results possible.
Meanwhile, growing plants outdoors, you can get natural sunlight, wind and even some rain. However, that doesn’t mean you don’t have to do any work. You will have to spend some time pruning and trimming everyday. You will also need to check the plants frequently for pests and molds, especially when growing outdoors.
Discretion
Growing indoors is generally more discreet, because you are hiding your plants inside your house, or basement. But, make sure to control the smells and odors of your plants as well if you don’t want anyone to find out. Cannabis has a pungent, unique smell that is instantly recognizable and can cause you lots of trouble. If you only grow 1 or 2 plants, then you may be able to get away easily. But if you want to grow more, or just want to be extra careful, then you may want to invest in some fans and filters.
Meanwhile, you may believe that growing outdoors means that you are exposing your plants to the outside world, hence it will be easier for others to discover your growing operation. However, this is not always the case. Many people are growing cannabis alongside other garden plants for disguise. There is even this famous particular strain, Frisian Duck, that produces leaves that are in unique shapes and can be grown without being recognizable as cannabis for large parts of its life.
Environmental Impact
Lastly, this is a very important thing to consider. The act of growing cannabis indoors requires far more energy, soil, water and produces more waste, therefore it can impact our environment more heavily.
So, if you have the choice, and really care about our environment, then growing outdoors will be a better choice. Or, you can also choose the option which is about to be mentioned next.
Greenhouse
Many large cannabis producers are now using this method. This can be seen as the best of both worlds. You can get free sunlight, soil, while still being able to control other environmental factors for the best, optimal growth. A greenhouse can also help increase the cultivation window by more than a few months compared to outdoors alone, meaning that you can do more growing cycles and harvest more each year!
Indoor buds versus Outdoor buds
So, when it comes to the final products, there are a few noticeable differences.
The plant will grow slightly bigger and taller outside. This is because the growing space isn’t restricted. The plants are naturally designed to be grown this way.
About the buds, cannabis grown outdoors is typically darker. This is because of numerous factors that affect outdoor grows like rain, pests, sunlight, wind, and temperature swings. Outdoor flowers will also be chunkier than indoor ones, but indoor ones will be more tightly packed and usually have more trichomes.
Lastly, indoor flowers tend to have a more distinct smell according to their genetics, while outdoor flowers’ smell will vary depending on the environment they were grown in. This also makes a great impact on another important aspect, which is shelf appeal. As mentioned, indoor flowers are more tightly packed and have more of a distinct smell, therefore they may be more appealing to customers than outdoor flowers.
Conclusion
Indoors versus outdoors, which one is the better one?
If you are a grower, well, both have their pros and cons. But the true answer is only for you to decide. This is because only you can know your own financial resources and growing conditions. Whether you need to grow cannabis in discretion, or maybe the weather where you live does not allow for easy outdoor cannabis growing.
But no matter the choice, you can still produce really high quality cannabis if you put enough time and effort into it. And, if you are able to, why not try and experiment with both? This way, you can gain tons of experience, while figuring out which method is best for you.
On the other hand, if you are a customer, then we already provided the comparison for you. You may want to try different products to find out which are your favorites. But regardless of what method used, both indoors and outdoors are capable of growing flavorful, trichome-packed, high quality buds.
