Growing your cannabis cultivation hobby into a full fledged business comes with a lot of questions. Not only do you have to consider what strains to grow, and for what purpose they’ll be used, but also the biggest consideration to any grower: whether to grow indoors, outdoors or in a greenhouse. Producing cannabis in large quantities is a challenge, and when designing a new environment in which to do so, choosing the right space will provide a clear path towards the desired result.

Some Things to Consider:

Location

The main factor for deciding whether to adopt a greenhouse, indoor, or outdoor growing method is location. What’s available naturally around you? If growing in higher latitudes, half of the year will have little to no sun, so growers looking to take advantage of natural light will have to compensate for that by growing indoors, under supplemental greenhouse lighting, or only grow one crop a year, outdoors, when sun is plentiful.

Outdoor farming also provides an abundance of free resources that can cost indoor and greenhouse growers a pretty penny, but exposes plants to environmental factors that could lower quality. Neighboring plots could expose crops intended for consumption to unwanted pesticides, in which case a greenhouse can take advantage of the natural sun, while protecting the crop from outside agitators. It also has the added benefit of providing more climate control, which can be necessary in areas prone to cold snaps, like in Eastern and Central Canada.

Cultivators who do not have access to an abundance of natural resources may be best suited for an indoor growing operation, which provides the most control, and is perfect for growers looking to make a final product with incredible quality. It all just depends on where you are!

Budget

Each environment has its own budgetary concerns, whether it’s the initial set-up of a greenhouse, the cost of air conditioning, CO2, and water in an indoor environment, or the constant tending and labor of outdoor operations. As mentioned above, when planning a new grow environment, looking at what is already naturally available to you is the key to saving some money during the initial start-up. However, the day to day costs are also something to consider, and why we try to steer new growers towards LED lighting. Indoor and greenhouse grows are only improved under high intensity LEDs.

Final Product

When deciding what environment to grow in, it’s important to keep the final result in mind. Will this cannabis be smoked? Is it for making edibles? Or will it be made into resin? Each

environment has a host of factors that can directly impact the quality and quantity of the crop.

Growers trying to make high THC buds may want to steer clear of outdoor growing, as environmental factors can lower cannabinoid and terpene profiles by shaking trichomes loose. While natural sunlight, especially at high elevations, sends an abundant amount of light that no bulb could match, sunlight is incredibly unreliable, especially as climate change introduces more weather extremes. Periods of prolonged rain or drought can severely impact both quality and yield, and without shelter, crops will be exposed to the worsening volatility of the weather.

Though, the lack of shelter is not without benefits. Without a roof, crops can grow tall and wide, providing higher yields to farmers who may only be able to grow once a year. With a high yield in mind for use in concentrate or cooking, low THC profile isn’t necessarily the goal, and this quantity over quality mindset may be the key in offsetting the parts of the year where crops can’t grow.

There are plenty of pros and cons to each set up. With location, budget, and final product in mind, take a look at what each environment can provide, how they shape the final product, and whether you can afford the benefits and drawbacks of each.

OUTDOORS

For a grower on a budget, outdoor farms require less investment. A cheap plot of land can offset the lower yield of a small, yearly crop. And with ample, free sunlight and grow-ready soil, more resources are provided without extra cost. However, environmental factors can have serious impact on the quality of the crop.

Wind and rain can jostle crops, knocking fragile trichomes from the leaves and lowering the overall aroma and profile of the crop. Too much rain can turn fertile land into muddy moisture filled puddles that block oxygen absorption. Pests are prevalent outdoors, and can attack healthy plants quickly and effectively. Pesticides can ruin crop quality, and make the product harmful for human consumption, whether added intentionally, or through drifting winds from neighboring plots.

There’s also the worry that bountiful crops can bring about seedy buds. Male plants can pop up at any time and throw off the quality of flowering female plants, causing them to produce buds filled with seeds, and throw off the cannabinoid profile of the entire crop. Careful monitoring can mitigate this threat, however, plots must be small enough to be monitored by the available farmhands.

A big problem outdoor growers run into is trying to grow at a size they can’t sustain or monitor. It’s not hard for things to go wrong outdoors in a world where the climate is growing more inhospitable by the day, leading to hazardous weather events. Having a small, dedicated plot provides some level of ease and control in the face of such extremes, and is recommended for those seeking to grow outdoors.

GREENHOUSE

The initial cost for building a greenhouse facility can be steep. While indoor operations have the benefit of existing with pre-existing buildings, greenhouses must be designed and created from scratch. Once built, however, they quickly recoup initial costs by providing an environment that has ample natural lighting, can maintain heat and moisture, and provides easy options for ventilation.

Adding supplemental lighting to your greenhouse can provide plants with light when natural sunlight is low. LED grow lights like Fohse O6i, Pleiades, and Cobra models come equipped with light harvesting technology that can recognize the light levels within your greenhouse, and adjust their output to provide more or less light depending on the need. Supplemental lighting also adds heat, which keeps plants performing photosynthesis efficiently, especially in colder months.

Greenhouses are a great intermediary between outdoor and indoor growing, taking advantage of natural resources while providing more control and stability. However, there are drawbacks.

In naturally humid environments, greenhouses can become tropical nightmares, thick with moisture that can harm plants, provide growing opportunities for mold and fungus, and keep plants from transpiring, which will impede them from taking on more mass. Greenhouses are also poor for year-round growing in high latitudes due to the lack of sun in colder months. Quality supplemental LED grow lighting can help greenhouses in high latitudes bridge this gap and remain competitive.

INDOOR

There’s a reason cannabis scientists perform experiments and tests in indoor facilities. No growing environment provides more control, stability, or quality like an indoor environment can. Growers have the option to regulate everything from the moisture in the air to daily light integrals plants receive, in order to create a custom plan specifically for their strains.

With a proper ventilation system, air conditioning, humidifier, and lights, every aspect of the grow can be tweaked and prodded to find the most optimal way to grow high quality, high THC, high terpene, and high cannabinoid strains. Without environmental factors shaking trichomes loose, or heavy humidity mucking up fertile flowerbeds, cannabis plants are able to flower with flavor and potency profiles that are unattainable in any other set up.

Cultivators can grow flower year round in indoor environments, and propagate high potency strains to be distributed on the top shelves of local dispensaries, making it the perfect method for growing high quality, smokable bud. Initial costs are expensive for indoor grow facilities, but financial strain can be avoided through smart purchases. High intensity LED lights are a match made in heaven for indoor grow facilities, as they produce more light per watt, lower the cost of air conditioning, and provide greater yields with a more flavorful terpene profile and higher potency with insane cannabinoid levels.

If indoor or Greenhouse growing is the right fit for you, contact Fohse to receive a free lighting plan, and see how high intensity LEDs can help you achieve higher yields, and a quicker ROI.