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Which Is Better: Growing Cannabis Indoors Or Outdoors?
Should you consider growing your cannabis strain indoor or simply cultivating it outdoor? You might have to consider many things. The debate of whether indoor cannabis or outdoor cannabis cultivation is better has raged on for many years. The plant in itself is considered one of the oldest plants in human history. For much of cannabis cultivation history, the breeding processes were completed outdoors. So, essentially, the open space is considered the natural habitat of the cannabis plant. Although this is true, cannabis can also be cultivated indoor using a small space.
There is a long history about why breeders started growing their cannabis strain indoors, secretly in closed spaces. Historical records suggest that indoor cannabis cultivation began in the year 1911. That year, the state of Massachusetts placed a legislative ban on the cultivation of cannabis. In subsequent years, many defaulters continued to plant cannabis in remote open spaces far away from the prying eyes of the authorities. The anti-cannabis law spread beyond Massachusetts as other states soon began to clamp down on marijuana cultivation using the law.
In 1937, the federal government passed controversial legislation criminalizing the cultivation of marijuana.
The Marijuana Tax Act designated marijuana as a schedule 1 substance with ‘no beneficial medical use and a high tendency for abuse.' This law was strictly implemented, forcing marijuana farmers to consider new methods of farming. These new methods of forming completely changed how marijuana enthusiasts grow their favorite plant. To avoid state prosecution, cannabis farmers developed different methods of cultivating cannabis indoor. This movement gave birth to indoor cannabis farming tips and helped keep the seeds in circulation until favorable laws were passed.
Factors to Consider Before Selecting a Growing Method
Regardless of the method you've selected, there are many factors you need to consider. Not only will these factors guide your choice, but they will also help you consider making the necessary changes along the way.
1. Price
Both outdoor and indoor cultivation require that you incur a staging price. For indoor cultivation, it starts with securing a growing space. There are a few indoor enclosures you can purchase online. Since the equipment you need for both types of setup are a bit different, you should consider the price before selecting one. Indoor lighting and humidity control systems might also be needed. You might also need to erect a support shed as your plants transition into the flowering stage in outdoor cultivation. A good price estimate consideration will go a long way in helping you arrive at the best decision.
2. Climate Conditions
Get a better understanding of the climate in your city before you choose a method of cultivation. Indoor cultivation might be appropriate if the prevailing climate conditions can severely affect the productivity of your plant. You will want to consider this if you live in arid regions or areas with a long period of winter in a year. However, it is possible to grow your cannabis strain outdoor in the winter if you know a few tips on growing cannabis in cold temperatures. You might need the expertise of a plant scientist to help you review the influence of climate on plants grown in your region.
3. Quality
How well does your selected cannabis strain perform under both indoor and outdoor growing conditions? How tall can it grow? Answering this question will help you understand if your plant will be better outside or in an enclosed space. There are many cannabis strains that give better harvest returns when planted outdoor. However, many others also flourish in enclosed spaces. You should make inquiries about how the cultivation method affects your cannabis strain before making a purchase.
If you have considered these three factors but are still unsure whether to plant your cannabis outside or in an enclosed space, then you need to compare the pros and cons of both methods. We have carefully compared both methods, presenting to you an indoor versus outdoor cannabis cultivation comparison.
1. Cultivation Cost for Both Outdoor and Indoor Methods
The cost analysis is different for both methods. However, much of the cost involved with cannabis farming is indeed incurred in the early phase of cultivation.
a. Cost of Growing Cannabis Indoors
If you desire to maintain a steady harvest through the year with indoor cannabis cultivation, you must be ready to spend large. Indoor cultivation requires more equipment, and some of this equipment is not exactly cheap. Lightning alone can consume a huge part of your budget. In countries where energy is considered expensive, your lightning expenses might run into a few thousand dollars. If you are also growing your strain indoors with a non-soil growing medium, you have to get nutrients as your plant develops.
Some of the equipment you will need to purchase is not needed in outdoor cannabis farms. Some of the expensive equipment required indoors include;
- A good lighting system
- A sensitive hygrometer for humidity measurement
- Humidifiers and dehumidifiers
- Ventilation set up
- Thermometer for temperature control
b. Cost of Growing Cannabis Outdoor
The first thing you notice with outdoor cannabis cultivation is that the equipment needed for an operational start-up is few. Compared to indoor cultivation, you spend less money procuring equipment. For example, a ventilation setup and lightning system are not required in outdoor farming if live in an area with ideal climatic conditions. There is also no need for a growth medium if you have access to fertile soil. Although, procuring fertilizers might be necessary if your plant requires supplemental nutrients. To protect your investment, you might need to install proper fencing or construct a plant shed. The point is; you spend less if you grow your cannabis outdoor.
2. Quality Comparison for both Outdoor and Indoor Cannabis Cultivation
If your strain can be grown both outdoor and indoor, the chances are that the quality of yield produced under both conditions is different.
a. Cannabis Quality Indoor
Growing cannabis indoor helps the farmer regulate growing conditions and set priorities for plant monitoring. As it stands, cross-breeding operations are better conducted indoors as the farmer can regularly monitor for yield and plant performance. In addition to all these, cannabis growing in enclosed indoor spaces is secured from outdoor unstable weather conditions. They are protected away from sandstorms, frost, excessive rainfall, and crushing heat.
Logically, you will expect that these plants grow better. This is exactly the case. The quality of cannabis plants grown indoors has significantly improved over the years. The buds are preserved in perfect condition until harvest, and the leaf is properly tendered. The stems are protected from the wind strains, and the flowers are protected from pests. Since fertilizer application is required, these plants get the right nutrients at the right proportion throughout the growing season. Proper tendering improved the quality of these plants.
b. Cannabis Quality Outdoor
Cultivating your preferred cannabis strain outdoor exposes you to a lot of risks. The natural weather conditions are unpredictable, leaving your plant at the mercy of wind, rain, snow, and heat. As it stands, only plants resistant to these harsh conditions can survive outdoor. They are also exposed to pests, including cannabis aphids and big rodents. However, if your planting soil is rich enough, your cannabis might come out with a good bud and flavor profile.
Hybrid Cannabis Cultivation; Combining Both Methods
Hybrid farming is fast becoming popular in the modern history of cannabis cultivation. This method combines the best of both indoor and outdoor farming methods. Many cannabis production companies are currently experimenting with growing different cannabis strains, partly indoor and partly outdoor. The cannabis plants are first planted outdoors using proven cannabis growing strategies. After the plants have been exposed to their natural habitat, they are subsequently transferred into specialized pots. The young cannabis plants are then transferred and tendered in state-of-the-art greenhouses. Here, the vegetative stage continues. On transitioning into the flowering stage, the plants are monitored regularly and supplied with nutrients if necessary. By combining the growing conditions from both outdoor and indoor cultivation, the hybrid cannabis cultivation method is tipped as the future of cannabis farming.
The Bottom Line
Frankly speaking, there is no definite answer to the question of whether cannabis should be planted indoor or outdoor. There are a lot of factors you need to consider before you select a method. If you live in a well-secured area and the weather conditions are fairly stable, you can consider outdoor farming. This also comes with the responsibility of regularly monitoring your plant. If not, you can simply opt for the indoor method. The debate might rage on, but there exists no definite answer.
Type Of Seed to Buy? Feminized or Auto-flowering
Starting a cannabis farm requires a lot of planning. Not only do you have to plan, but you also require a great deal of determination to see your plant through the seedling, vegetative and flowering stages. Well, don't be scared. You can get your desired plant yield on your first trial if you have just the right information. Over the last few years, many people have started cannabis cultivation. In 2019 alone, the global cannabis cultivation market was estimated to be worth about $123.9 billion. From 2020 to 2027, this value is expected to grow consistently at a compound annual growth rate of 14.3%. This translates to more cannabis cultivation operations and the commercialization of weed products.
Regardless of your purpose for cannabis cultivation, there are steps to follow in cannabis farming. It all starts with selecting the right seed to grow. As one of the oldest plants ever cultivated by man, cannabis has survived centuries of history. Today, there are over 700 strains of cannabis developed through several years of plant study and in-breeding projects. However, all these strains belong to one of the three different types of cannabis seeds categories –regular, auto-flowering, and feminized. Therefore, your first decision as a new cannabis farmer will be to select the right type of seed for you. Making this decision requires a lot of consideration and comparison.
This review has compiled a guide explaining the different cannabis available today and why you should consider planting them.
1. Regular Cannabis Seeds
Regular cannabis seeds are the standard, non-engineered seeds. These seeds have equal chances if emerging into a female or a male cannabis plant. They are not optimized in any way or modified to influence the yield or character of the plant they develop into. Since they can produce male cannabis plants, regular seeds are popular among cannabis farmers who develop new cannabis strains. Pollen produced from the male seeds fertilizes a predetermined female flower, giving birth to a new generation of seeds.
With regular seeds, anything goes. The plant yield and character may be very different across a similar family. They can also exist as Indica-dominant types, Sativa-dominant types, or in high CBD and high THC variants. The regular cannabis seed has genetics traced back to landrace ancestors first cultivated in the mountains of India to the beaches of Jamaica. Many experienced cannabis farmers have also attempted to get improved regular strains from two other regular strains. When these attempts succeed, the new strain expresses the qualities of the parent strains.
Compatibility Profile
Do you think regular cannabis seeds will be perfect for your planting operation? It all depends on what you want. If you desire to have a farm full of both male and female cannabis seeds, then planting regular cannabis seeds is your best bet. With your garden full of both sexes, you can experiment and create your strains. But, of course, farming cannabis doesn't have to be boring, even as a novice.
Combining these plants can give you customized varieties with unique traits. You can then proceed to develop only the strain with the trait you desire. Many commercial cannabis formers take cuttings from their plant. Suppose your plan to do this; growing out regular cannabis seeds is also your best bet. By cloning your plants, you skip the germination phase to produce fully viable clones of your regular cannabis plant. You might require help with this, though.
Should You Plant Regular Cannabis Seeds?
There exist no definite answers to this single question. It all depends on your target for planting the seeds and their compatibility for your planting operation. One of the biggest advantages of planting regular cannabis seeds is that you can produce many strains without specialized experience in cannabis farming. The processes involved in regular cannabis seeds cultivation are relatively compared with feminized and auto-flowering seeds. Since there is also an equal chance of producing both male and female plants, you can have a large repository of different strains, with both modern and classic genetics on the same piece of land. Ever heard of a pollen bank? You can also create on using your male plant population.
As you might expect, there are also many cons to growing regular seeds. These include misidentifying the sexes. The planting operation can also be very unpredictable as your seeds do not carry any genetic engineering to help through the different growth stages. The yield ratio and plant output rate can also be very unpredictable. You might also have to construct separate grow tents for both sexes. Accidental addition of a male plant in the female grows room might result in fertilization of the female flowers.
2. Feminized Cannabis Seeds
As the name suggests, feminized cannabis seeds were created to increase the chances of growing only females. By planting feminized seeds, you get a female plant 99.9 percent of the time. The possibility of germinating a male plant is almost eliminated. That means no pollen sacs but many flowers. To start with, feminized genetics is made by crossing one female plant with another. The fertilized female produces a generation of feminized seeds. How is that even possible? How can female cannabis plants produce pollen sacs needed to fertilize another female plant? The answer lies in plant genetic engineering.
To force a female plant to produce pollen, breeders use many methods. One involves stopping the production of ethylene in the plant tissues, forcing the female plant to produce pollen sacs. Various chemical agents, including colloidal silver, are used as catalysts for the process. Occasionally, female plants can also flip, relying on nature's undying desire to procreate and produce oddly-shaped pollen sacs.
Compatibility Profile
Although genetically engineered, feminized seeds also require adequate care during the different stages of growth. So, you need to learn a few proven growth strategies to help you through the growing stages. You should know that female cannabis plants prevented from fertilization will also produce flowers without seeds. Many marijuana users prefer a seedless cannabis flower.
If you prefer to see flowers on your cannabis plant and not pollen sacs, then feminized cannabis seeds are for you. Many farmers commercially grow cannabis strains for their flowers too. You will also have to learn how to deal with cannabis odor since you will have a room full of flowers. If you like to grow cannabis as a hobby, feminized seeds will help you save time too. You will save yourself the energy and time needed to sift males out of your growing space.
Why Should You Grow Feminized Cannabis Seeds?
For starters, the equal chance of producing both sexes as with regular seeds is eliminated. You are guaranteed a grow room full of genetically engineered female cannabis plants. In addition to being cost-effective, you will also get big resinous buds and save time on many tendering processes. However, it is not always exactly smooth for farmers to plant only feminized seeds. Although the yield and output can be predictable, the plants can sometimes into hermaphrodites as a result of bad genetics or environmental stress. Feminized plants are also not suitable for breeding purposes. You get less viable clones, so in most cases, you can only start from the seed.
3. Auto-flowering Cannabis Seeds
These types of cannabis seeds can automatically transition into the flowering stage without any changes to their light cycle. Compared to other cannabis seeds, auto-flowering seeds can properly move from germination to harvest with little or no external assistance. They are easy to grow, tend, and do not require the same level of complexity as in regular or feminized seeds. Auto-flowering cannabis seeds are produced by using Cannabis ruderalis genetics.
This subspecies has the auto-flowering trait and adapt perfectly to the shorter growing seasons and extreme weather conditions of Central Asia and Russia. Instead of waiting on a change in light exposure to flowers, plants with the ruderalis genetics simply depend on age and time. Breeders find it exciting to work with auto-flowering strains, combining these genetics with other subspecies to create a new generation with desired qualities.
Compatibility Profile
Auto-flowering seeds grow within a short period, making it possible to harvest a cache of cannabis in a very short time. If you are experimenting with cannabis cultivation and don't mind spending extra cash on getting seeds, then auto-flowering seeds are made for you. You can set a grow room in no time and take down your growing operation within a small window. If you only have a small growing space, auto-flowering seeds produce a short plant that fits right into small enclosures. This explains why discreet cannabis farmers choose to plant auto-flowering seeds. They grow fast into short plants and can be concealed outdoors with other regular plants.
Why Should You Grow Auto-flowering Cannabis Seeds?
There are many reasons you should consider growing auto-flowering seeds. They are compact, require little space, and smoothly transition into the flowering stage. These qualities make auto-flowering seeds suitable for guerilla growing and beginner-friendly. In addition to all these, they are also higher in CBD. If you grow a room full of high CBD plants, you are sure to get more investment returns as they are heavily in demand for medical CBD. However, the auto-flowering plant produces less THC and is not as potent as other seeds. They are difficult to clone and can sometimes give a lower yield.
So, What Do You Think?
There are many pros and cons to growing the three types of cannabis seeds. You have to consider their compatibility profile and check if they fit right into your growing operations. You can get an improved yield on these seeds if you understand how to fertilize cannabis plants and the growth requirements needed. You can also check our seed bank for improved cannabis seeds that are easy to grow and give a high harvest yield.
How to Control Cannabis Odor in Your Grow Room
Cannabis odor is one of the many things you have to deal with if you have a grow room. Since cannabis cultivation became legal in many countries, environmentalists and anti-cannabis campaigners have consistently complained about the effects of cannabis odor on humans and the ecosystem. These complaints have increased significantly over the years. Some stats records an 87 percent increase since cannabis cultivation became mainstream. In Denver, about 30% of odor complaints are reportedly cannabis-related.
Cannabis is a flower. Essentially the odor is expected. It takes special growing skills to manage this odor Many complaints have described this odor as skunky, flowery, fruity, or pungent. Cannabis grows with different features that produce this odor. During the flowering stage, cannabis produces lush, large, and crystal-like resin-covered buds. In the last six weeks of growth, the terpenes concentration of the plant significantly increases as the trichome becomes more active.
Essential oils from the terpenes are released into the air, giving off a distinct cannabis odor. If you had lived around a growth room with no filtration system, you might know how potent and strong the smell of cannabis buds can be.
Factors that Influence How Cannabis Smells
Although marijuana smell increases during the flowering stage, but your plants do not just start smelling the day, it starts budding. During the growth cycle, the level of smell you get from the plants differs. Many factors and growing conditions are directly responsible for the level of odor you get from your grow room. If you can control these factors, you probably might be able to regulate how your plant smells. The factors include:
1. Temperature
Just as with other plants, marijuana grows better under specified conditions. Many marijuana strains grow better at an ideal temperature range of 21 to 27 degrees Celsius. The prevailing atmospheric conditions and your choice of grow light might affect how hot or how cold your grow room becomes. If the temperature is high, the essential oils vaporize quickly from the plant and are distributed around the grow room. You will want to keep the prevailing conditions in the normal range to avoid this. While doing this, you also must make sure they grow room temperature does not fall below 15 degrees Celsius. This low-temperature range may negatively affect your plant yield and harvest quality.
2. Humidity
Regulating the relative humidity in your grow room also affects the smell of marijuana. Therefore, you will want to keep the humidity level at the ideal range at every stage of the plant's life. This is especially important during the flowering stage when the plants give off more essential oil. As a rough guide, the recommended humidity range and the corresponding growth stage are highlighted below:
- Cloning Phase = 70% to 80% humidity
- Vegetative Phase = 40% to 60% humidity
- Flowering Phase = 40% to 50% humidity
- Final Weeks of Flowering Phase = less than 40% humidity
At high humidity levels, marijuana odor can be retained much longer in the grow room. This is why you will want to keep humidity low during the vegetative and flowering phases.
3. Rate and Direction of Airflow
Air circulation is important for optimum growth rate. In addition to this, the rate and direction of air circulation affect how your grow room smells. Controlling these parameters might help you. If you have more hot and stale air retained in your grow room, the odor of cannabis is reinforced. Your plant might even smell more than you would normally expect. If air direction is poor, such that the entry path of air is the same as the exit path, your marijuana plants will also definitely smell more. Controlling the rate and direction of airflow can also help you with humidity and temperature.
Ways to Control Cannabis Odor in your Grow Room
Controlling cannabis odor is the best way to keep your growing operation secret and not get a complaint from your intrusive neighbors. So, let's face it. How do you better control the odor without compromising your yield?
In this review, we have compiled the best methods that can probably serve you. Then, all you have to do is consider the cost efficiency and select a method that better fits your growing space.
1. Select a Low-odor Strain
How about you simply avoid the odor through the growth cycle of your plant? Selecting the strains is probably one of the first things you would consider before setting up a cannabis grow room. Your choice of cannabis strains might greatly influence the cost of odor control. Depending on their genetics, different cannabis strains give off different odors. By choosing a strain naturally low in odor, you can easily save money on odor control.
Cannabis strains in this category include Durban Poison, Northern Lights, Shark's Breath, Poison Express, and Polar Express. These strains give off little or no smell. Durban Poison is especially popular for its odor-free character. Northern Lights is another low-odor cannabis strain developed specifically for indoor breeding. If you grow one of these varieties, you will get an odor-free environment in your grow space and environment. If you are not limited to a particular cannabis strain, this is the easiest method to solve the odor puzzle.
2. Consider Odor Neutralizers
If the growing operation is small and restricted to only a few cannabis stands, you might consider odor neutralizers. These products are cheap solutions formulated to suppress the aromas given from the cannabis buds. Odor neutralizers are easy to use and are readily available in agrochemical stores. You will want to better understand the components of these solutions before you select one. Odor neutralizers are so effective that long-term use can change the taste and smell of your cannabis harvest. Making inquiries from the store attendants can help you select a product with little or no effect on your plant taste and smell.
Your best selection should contain components that are biodegradable, non-carcinogenic, and skin-friendly. Some odor neutralizers are formulated as gels and presented in wide-mouthed jars. You can simply open these jars and leave them in the grow room for many weeks. However, you will probably be more successful with odor control during the flowering stage. If you are using a very powerful neutralizer, you might have to leave far away from the grow house. You can also consider odor-neutralizer sprays. They are easy to apply with a fast, almost immediate odor-control action.
3. Carbon Filters
Judging from its popular use, carbon filters are considered the most effective method of controlling cannabis odor. If your grow room is bigger or cultivate many stands in the same space, carbon filters are your choice. It is common to find carbon filters installed as part of the ventilation systems of large cannabis greenhouses. Although carbon filters are expensive, many cannabis farmers still prefer to use them. Also called carbon scrubbers, these equipment contain isolated units of activated charcoal. Carbon filters are installed such that the smell of the budding marijuana is forced through it. In addition, a powerful fan can be used to create a unidirectional airflow, removing the airstream from the growing area through the carbon filters.
One of the smartest ways of creating this flow is by installing the carbon filters in the exhaust system of your grow area. Hot air from the area containing diffused essential oils is forced upwards into the exhaust system. As the air enters the filter and interacts with the activated charcoal units, the filter scrubs the air of marijuana odor. The stream of air released into the atmosphere is clean and free from marijuana odor. Carbon filters continuously help clean and are durable –you only get to replace them after about 12 months.
4. Setting Up Negative Air Pressure
This trick works perfectly for greenhouses and small space grows areas. All you have to do is control the input and output rate of air in your growing area. To create negative pressure, you should have more air entering the growth space and less air leaving it. So, you draw out the odor-laden air, replacing it with clean, fresh air. One of the best ways of setting up a negative pressure is by using a powerful outtake fan, forcing the air out through the exhaust. You will combine this with a less powerful intake face. This setup makes more air leave your grow room and less air entering it. This method is only effective if you have a few marijuana plants in the growing area.
What You Should Not Use
To control cannabis smell, you will want to avoid ozone generators. In addition to constituting serious health hazards, there are many problems with using ozone generators for cannabis cultivation. They are not as effective as the methods listed here, and they are notoriously terrible for the environment. Fragrance sprays, plug-ins, and air purifiers are also not recommended. These options might serve domestic purposes, but they are useless in controlling cannabis odor.
Final Thought
Marijuana smells are normal and are part of the plant's biology. However, except in naturally low-odor strains, marijuana gives off more smell during the flowering and vegetative stages; installing a carbon filter is considered the most effective and durable method of controlling marijuana odor. Depending on your grow room size, you can also consider other methods detailed in this review. All you have to do is get the equipment and get them properly.
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