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In some states, consumers are beginning to expand their options for marijuana. Not only with different strains or consumption methods, but also from different growing environments.

Indoor, outdoor, and greenhouse marijuana are becoming different options, leaving many consumers wondering what the difference is and what will work best for them.

But the truth is, there is no “best” option. Every environment has its strengths and weaknesses.

This article provides an overview of the differences between indoor and outdoor cannabis, the strengths and weaknesses, the impact on the end product, and the recommended strains for each environment.

Cannabis grown outdoors

When it comes to size, the outdoor pot is king. But while marijuana grown outdoors tends to produce larger buds, this doesn’t always mean higher THC levels. Yields of cannabinoids are typically comparable to cannabis grown indoors, with the trichomes just being spread over a larger surface area. No grow light compares to the sun in cost or effectiveness. Plants grown in full-spectrum sunlight tend to display fuller, more complete terpene distributions and richer cannabinoids than their indoor counterparts.

Unfortunately, they don’t always look good. As weed grown outdoors is exposed to the elements, it usually develops a darker color, so green buds can appear muddy green and more brown on the stem. Weed grown outdoors also has thicker stems to withstand conditions like wind, rain, and pests.

This is not unique to cannabis, just simple botany. Even herbs like rosemary, chives, basil, etc. become more resilient and hardy when grown outdoors.

Anyone who has ever brought a houseplant outside can attest that houseplants are relatively soft and not as hardy as their outdoor counterparts.

As a result, marijuana grown outdoors is a little rough around the edges, but it’s also the cheapest to produce, with no lighting or ventilation costs. And these savings are often passed on to customers. That is, if plants can survive the season. Not all areas are suitable for outdoor growing, but outdoor weed can thrive in milder climates with plenty of sunlight. Strains like Sour Diesel and Critical Mass are known to grow very well outdoors due to their high yield potential and heat resistance.

Indoor weeds

Indoor farming began primarily as a clandestine solution to the illicit trade, but bringing marijuana into a controlled environment has resulted in a large number of hybrid strains that are now available at most dispensaries.

Indoor growing amounts to a “manual process” where any decision or process dictated by nature is placed in the hands of the grower. It’s more work, but for those with the resources and skills, this growing method allows for fine-tuning of taste, potency, and even yield to deliver a top-of-the-line product for the consumer that stays consistently good, rather than seasonally or seasonally varies outdoor climate changes.

The result is a beautiful product with high trichome density. Cannabis grown indoors under less harsh LEDs or high-intensity discharge lights will typically maintain a fresh green hue and will not fade or darken over time. The denser buds also seem to be more covered in trichomes. Indoor buds are generally more efficient per ounce than outdoor buds because the trichome density is greater.

However, the cost of growing indoors is much higher. While weed grown outdoors is nourished by sun and rain, marijuana grown indoors requires lights, fans, and water pumps that can run 24/7. Also, construction costs and maintenance can be high.

This energy cost is usually expressed as grams harvested per watt of crop energy (g/W). These are business costs that must be passed on to the consumer in order to keep said business going. In some states, such as Pennsylvania, where all medicinal cannabis must be grown in the lab, without this limitation, we can see higher costs in dispensaries than in other states. Strains that produce large, heavy-yielding, densely-budded harvests tend to be preferable for indoor growing in order to increase cannabis yield per watt consumed.

weeds in the greenhouse

Indoor cannabis can benefit from controlled environments with controlled lighting, but cannabis will always prefer sunlight. Therefore, greenhouse growing can take advantage of outdoor resources but provide protection from the harsher elements that outdoor grown weed is exposed to.

The main downside is that growth is still limited by the sun’s annual cycle, but some growers circumvent this hurdle using a strategy called light deprivation to maximize seasonal yields.

Unless you’re growing autoflowering strains, cannabis is a photoperiod plant, meaning its life cycle is dependent on the sun. As the days get shorter in nature well into fall, plants perceive fewer hours of sunshine and know they need to flower to reproduce.

Indoor growers simulate this feeling by manually changing light cycles or switching from blue to red light wavelengths.

Greenhouse growers can’t alter the sun, of course, but they can block it with tarpaulins or awnings. This lack of light allows growers to accommodate two or more growth cycles in a season and still take advantage of the sun.

Harnessing these free resources from nature can significantly reduce the environmental (and financial) cost of growing cannabis. The lights and fans are running for hours a day for months, and the final number of grams per watt harvested is increasing rapidly. Marijuana grown in the sun is almost always cheaper to buy.

Conclusion

As more consumers are exposed to marijuana grown in different environments, debates about indoor versus outdoor cannabis, or indoor versus greenhouse quality, have become widespread.

In addition, the increase in electricity costs and the environmental impact of growing weed are becoming a hot topic lately.

There is no best or better option, but all three have different strengths and weaknesses. Much of this will also depend on the climate.

Marijuana grown outdoors often grows taller, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a higher THC percentage. However, cannabis grown in the sun will adopt a more pronounced terpene profile for a “fuller” flavor. It’s also cheaper to produce and sell outdoor grown marijuana since light, ventilation, and even some nutrients are free in nature.

In contrast, indoor marijuana is often more expensive due to the higher cost of electricity needed to run lights, fans, and pumps, not to mention nutrients and fertilizers.

The benefit of this precise process, however, is that breeders and growers can fine-tune every step of the growing process, resulting in compelling new strains that are also more resistant to pests and mold than their ancestors.

Greenhouses combine the cheap resources of outdoor farming with the environmental controls of indoor farming. The greenhouse can be opened up for free ventilation and still benefit from cheap, full-spectrum sunlight.

The only downside is that greenhouses are usually limited by the solar cycle with only one harvest per season. Light deprivation, where tarpaulins or shade are placed over plants, can be used to get more of the growing season into the greenhouse, but often results in lower yields from each crop.