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Outdoor vs. Indoor vs. Greenhouse Marijuana Cultivation
Medical Marijuana Cultivation Methods
If you use cannabis regularly, you may have noticed that it’s a treatment that can get expensive. One way to seriously reduce the cost of your medical marijuana use is to grow your own.
If you’re thinking about venturing into your first grow, you probably have some questions right off the bat.
One of the first decisions to make when you start growing medical marijuana is whether it is going to be an indoor, greenhouse, or outdoor grow.
There are advantages and disadvantages to each, so it's important to think about your commitment and resources before making a decision.
Read on for more information on each type of grow setup.
Indoor Cannabis Grows
With an indoor grow, you can easily control all aspects of the environment. Unlike outdoors, you have full control over temperature, humidity, light levels, and CO2.
More grow options, like hydroponic systems, are available to you indoors.
You also have security and stealth advantages inside.
Indoor grows are also less susceptible to bugs and fungus, and if you do get them, they’re easier to eradicate in an indoor grow.
Indoor growing is the most costly way to grow, though. Running lights is a big expense, which seriously cuts into the value of your grow.
Moreover, the startup costs are relatively steep. Indoor growing requires an initial investment in lights, monitoring systems, climate control options, irrigation systems, and more.
Outdoor Cannabis Grows
The best thing about an outdoor grow is that it is relatively inexpensive to start up and low maintenance. With extra space, you can allow your plants to grow as big as possible to get a bigger harvest.
Some growers simply prefer a natural environment rather than trying to mimic one indoors.
Famed cannabis activist Ed Rosenthal is often quoted as saying that the best cannabis is grown outdoors.
If you have the space and privacy to grow outdoors, this could be a great option for first-timers.
However, outdoor growing also has its downsides. You are restricted to growing by your location and climate.
Due to the time it takes for cannabis plants to mature, many growers in the United States and Canada have just enough time for one harvest.
You also can’t control the outdoor environment; it could rain too much, get too hot or too humid. A crazy storm with hail could batter your crop.
You are also more vulnerable to pests including grazing animals and a host of destructive bugs. Security could also be an issue, as grows that are spotted could be stolen or reported.
Greenhouse Cannabis Grows
If you have a small outdoor space, you might consider growing in a greenhouse. Greenhouses take advantage of free light and extend your potential growing season.
You are also able to control more aspects of the environment with blackout systems, extra lights, cooling, or heating.
It’s a happy medium as it’s cheaper than growing indoors, but provides similar advantages in controlling the environment.
If you do grow in a greenhouse, however, keep in mind that they can be prone to high humidity. This can encourage mold, and bugs that you have to keep a careful eye out for.
Growing in a greenhouse isn’t as cheap as growing outdoors; it requires some initial investment in the greenhouse infrastructure and any accessories for customization.
Do you have any further questions about your first grow? We’d be happy to answer them if you contact us today!
