Congratulations. You have made the decision, to grow weed on your own. Maybe you have done some research. Maybe you haven’t yet. Either way, you have decided that you will try your hand at growing on your own. It’s an exciting day for you. Now you have some decisions to make. One of these is where to grow your marijuana. This guide will explore if it is better to grow cannabis indoors or outdoors.
Which is better, growing weed indoors vs outdoors
Ever since people figured out how to grow cannabis indoors, there has been a disagreement over which is better. Is it better to grow your weed indoors, where you have total control over all aspects of the grow? Is it better to grow outdoors, where the sun and elements do much of the work for you? This is what we will explore in this article. Because the answer is that it isn’t as simple as saying indoors or outdoors. The truth is, there are many factors, that influence the decision about where to grow cannabis, whether it be indoors or outdoors.
Growing weed indoors
Pros
Multiple harvests; Growing cannabis indoors allows you to harvest more than one time a year. This is due to a shorter growing time. You are not constrained by the plant’s natural growth cycle, because you create the environment in which the plant lives. You have total control over the environment. This leads us to our next point.
Control over the environment; when you grow weed indoors, you control the environment. You control how much light the plants get. You control how much humidity. It allows you to create an environment that is consistent and produces consistent results.
Increased Security; If you are growing marijuana in an indoor area, you can also control access and ventilation. This allows you to create multiple levels of security and discretion. You can have alarms and cameras on the property. You can have high-quality filters in a place where you do air exchange. Basically, you can lock your property down as much as possible.
Quality of cannabis; Many people believe that the highest quality of weed is grown indoors. The ability to control all aspects of the grow, would definitely, support this belief. If you control everything, you can eventually tweak your methods to produce better and better buds. This also makes your outcomes repeatable.
Ability to minimize pests; Compared to growing outdoors, growing marijuana indoors allows you to better control pests. If you have your indoor grow site under control, you should be able to control the presence of pests. This will increase the chances of a successful harvest. However, keep in mind that no grow space is completely immune to pests. If you are not careful and vigilant, they can get in.
Cons
Costs – Growing marijuana costs money. There is no getting around that. Growing indoors produces the highest cost of growing cannabis. You have to pay for everything: fans, air filters, water, electricity for your lights, your lights, soil, pots, etc. Basically, anything that is needed to run your grow area, will have a cost associated with it.
Ventilation; in order, to have healthy marijuana plants, you need to have air movement. You need the air around your plants to move and also you need to exchange old air with new air. This requires a lot of material and work. You also need to make sure that it stays up and running. You do not want mildew and mold growing on your weed plants.
Maintenance; an indoor cannabis grow requires constant upkeep and maintenance. This can take up a lot of time and effort on your part. If you wish to keep your grow space immaculate and at peak levels to produce, you will need to dedicate a lot of time to make sure that your space is in that condition. This will require cleaning, monitoring the plants, and monitoring the systems (air exchange, water, lighting). An indoor grow can take up a lot of time.
Space; an indoor grow site requires space. It is true, you will need space for your plants. You will also need room for all of the other materials necessary for a proper grow. You will need some way to water your plants. You will need to store nutrients. You will need space for your lighting. You will definitely need to research growing and decide how best to set everything up. You will also need to calculate how much space you will need.
Lighting; you will need to try to produce the best lighting conditions possible to have a successful indoor cannabis grow. Unfortunately, that can be difficult when you are growing indoors, especially if you are a new grower. The sun produces the best conditions to grow marijuana. LED lights can come close, but even they do not replace the sun. You will need to do a good amount of research and talk to experienced growers. They may be able to give you tips on how to produce the best environment for light.
Growing weed outdoors
Pros
Sunlight; When you grow weed outside you have access to the largest grow light in our solar system, the sun. The sun will allow your plants to grow without the need for a lighting system. It also gives the best amount of energy to your plants.
Minimum maintenance; Growing outdoors allows your plants to grow naturally. This means that nature takes care of a lot of things that you would normally have to take care of. Air circulation is provided by nature. Growing outdoors provides an easier alternative to indoor growing.
Costs; the startup cost of growing outdoors can be as little as the cost of seeds. You can buy more equipment in order, to try to elevate the quality of your grow. Overall the costs of growing outdoors are lower than the cost of growing indoors.
Ease of growth; the cannabis plants are in their natural environment. Growing weed outdoors should be easier than indoors. If you do some work and put some good fertilizer in your soil ahead of time, your crops should be able to grow well. Other than an infestation or disease, you should be OK.
Yield size; it is mostly thought that outdoor weed grows produce higher yields than indoor cannabis grows. This is not always the case, but it can be. If you have enough land, then you can grow very large plants. Those plants will be able to produce more buds per yield.
Flavor; this one is a bit contentious. Many people feel that because the plants are outdoors, you will get a better flavor to the buds. The theory is that because it is pulling nutrients out of the ground and getting better ventilation, that the plant produces better flavors.
Cons
Limited harvest; Depending on your climate, you will have just one harvest. This is because your plant will react to the environment around you. If you live in a cold area with long winters, you will only have one harvest. This can impact your yield.
Access; do you have access to the land you will need, in order, to grow outdoors? Indoor grows require a lot of space, but so do outdoor grows. Do you have that sort of land? You will need to have a relatively large amount of land set aside for growing your cannabis.
Unpredictable nature; yes, you will not need to buy all sorts of lamps and fans, but you will be at the mercy of nature. Rain will come when it comes. Sometimes that rain will come like a flood. You may get droughts. You could also get pests that attack just your weed plants. You may get larger pests that eat everything, like deer. There are a lot of factors involved when your grow site is exposed, in nature. They can range from annoying to losing your entire crop.
Water; yes it can rain. What if it doesn’t rain for a while? What if your area has a drought? Getting water for your marijuana can be very difficult. This can create a real problem if you do not have a water source nearby. At the very least you will need to carry water from someplace nearby. The worst scenario is that you will need to somehow transport water to your plants. This can be either very difficult or very expensive. Getting water to your outdoor cannabis grow site can be problematic.
Security; You do not have control over access to your outdoor grow area. You can put it in the middle of nowhere. It doesn’t matter. Someone can still find it. Someone can follow you to the site and steal your buds. Security is a real issue with outdoor grows.
Out in the open; this one goes hand and hand with security. When you are outside, you are in the open. In order for you to have access to sunlight, you need exposure. Outdoor weed grows are exposed to anyone who happens upon them. This exposure is great for rain, airflow, and light, but not so much for remaining discreet. If you live in a place where growing marijuana is legal, this isn’t such a problem. You still have to watch out for thieves and wildlife. But if you live in a place like the US, then you also have to worry about the police. In many states, it is legal to grow some marijuana. Unfortunately, those laws can change from town to town. Also, growing marijuana remains against the law on a federal level. Being out in the open is a problem.
Conclusion
Growing indoors has its benefits, as does growing outdoors. Which one is better is a matter of your situation. It is also a matter of opinion. The best way to grow weed is the way that allows you to grow it safely, well, and effectively. Check out our indoor and outdoor seeds for some Happy Growing!
