Marijuana is consumed these days by people all around the world. Due to the high demand for marijuana, many people started cultivating it in their place. In countries where the cultivation of marijuana is legal, the main question of concern is whether to cultivate marijuana indoors or outdoors. Well, here in this post, we will be covering the list of differences between indoor marijuana cultivation and outdoor marijuana cultivation.
The content below will help you decide which one will be best for you considering the different factors including cost, quality, time, and others. Therefore, keep on reading the post further for your reference and clarity over the same so that you get the best product within your means.
- Size
At the outset, there is a difference in the size of the plant when you are growing marijuana indoors and outdoors. The bud size in several ways is the 1st visual cue that tells if buds were planted outdoor or indoors. However, as a general rule, everything grows bigger when they are grown outdoors. The growing of marijuana is no different from the same.
When you grow your buds outdoor they become Chunky or bigger. However, if you still get confused to differentiate between both with the method mentioned above then, there is another full-proof method through which you can easily differentiate the plant. You can understand the difference when you look at the stem of this plan.
This is primarily because when you grow your plant indoors the stem will become smaller and denser. In the opposite case, when you grow your marijuana plant outdoor the stems grow significantly big, thick, with clunky NUGS. Size is one of the best visual ways through which you can easily differentiate when you go to purchase marijuana from the vendor. So, when you see the size is smaller then, you can easily say without any second thoughts that it was grown indoors.
- Color
The size of the plant is indeed the key indicator to identify if the plant was grown indoor or outdoor but there is another method through which you can identify the difference. The visual characteristics would also include the colour differences between indoor-grown marijuana and sun-grown marijuana. Outdoor marijuana generally has as compared to indoor marijuana a darker hue. In case, the cultivar that is the plant produces the flowers of green color then, the outdoor NUGS would as well appear dark greenish or even turn brown if not taken proper care of.
However, this is not the case when you grow your marijuana indoors. When you are growing marijuana indoors, the buds would become vivid green and brighter if you are growing marijuana outdoor and the cultivar produces flowers of purple colour then your buds would turn into a deep color that is striking purple.
In the opposite case, the indoor NUGS would have a lighter shade of color. This was about the colour of the buds however similar situation happens in the case of the marijuana flowers as well. The colour of the marijuana flowers is based on the environment in which you grow your marijuana. Therefore, next time you visit the vendor for marijuana, we hope you will be able to distinguish between the marijuana cultivated indoors and the crop that is cultivated outdoor. If you are still confused, then the next point will clear all your queries.
- Trichome Density
In addition to the above methods of differentiation, the Trichome density is the key indicator of the difference between outdoor cultivation and indoor cultivation. This is particularly because when you grow your plant indoors, close to the light source in a controlled environment the buds are quite small.
Since the size is very small the Trichome density in them ranks quite high. However, in the opposite case when you are growing your marijuana in the outer environment the scale of Trichome density will be much lesser compared to the indoor buds. The outdoor NUGS seem like glimmering crystals and only a little of the plant material gets visible.
One thing to always bear in mind is that when you grow your marijuana in an outdoor environment, there will be multiple elements or factors which can disrupt the Trichome development. When we consider Trichome development, it is best when you grow marijuana in a controlled environment with a close and focused light. This is because if you grow marijuana outdoor then, due to the larger size of the flower the Trichome will have to do many struggles to spread evenly.
- Quality
Well, when it comes to quality there is no ideal way of cultivation. Since the quality is mostly based on the personal preference of the individual hence it is quite difficult to come to a standpoint. Both indoor and outdoor cultivation produces good quality marijuana.
If the question is about whether you get stoned after the consumption then, the answer is yes you do but in different ways. Generally, indoor marijuana that has a higher Trichome count produces dense NUGS. As per experts, this indoor marijuana is more potent as compared to outdoor.
Outdoor marijuana on the other hand produces buds that are less dense and has only a few Trichomes. However, this statement should not be taken on a face value because this is not the case always. Some marijuana also grows extremely potent in the outdoor environment.
The quality of marijuana will be determined by several factors including soil, fertilizers, chemicals, and strains. Whether you should cultivate marijuana indoors or outdoors is left to you to decide as per your preference and requirement. Different individuals will have different tastes hence; based on the different factors you can decide which one will be better for you.
- Terpenes
As already stated above in the post, there exist multiple factors through which you can easily identify whether it was indoor cultivation or outdoor cultivation. Terpene is also another important factor through which you will know the difference. When you are growing your marijuana in the outer environment with the sunlight, your marijuana will have a high percentage of terpenes.
On another way round will have less the percentage of terpenes when you grow them indoors. Hence, outdoor marijuana will provide a much more aromatic and flavourful experience to smokers. For your information, terpenes are quite volatile and hence they evaporate without the curing process or proper drying.
If you consider that high terpenes are needed then, the best would be when you grow it outdoor, as that is when the percentage of the terpenes will be higher. However, if you like to consume the marijuana strains without going through the much-complicated process of curing and drying the same then, you should without any kind of confusion grow the marijuana in the outer environment rather than the controlled close focused light area. The profiles of the terpenes get intensified when grown directly under the sunlight.
- Cannabinoid
Similar to the terpenes, the cannabinoid also has a higher potency and higher percentage of cannabinoids. The cannabinoid is higher when the marijuana is grown outdoor has been discovered by a case study.
Here, the same strain of marijuana was grown both indoors and outdoors and it was found that the percentage is quite high when the marijuana was grown outdoor. This applies not just to a particular strain but rather an experiment was carried out one by one of all the strains. In every experiment, it was found that a higher cannabinoid was found in the marijuana strain that was grown in the outer environment under the direct heat of the sun.
Well, if you are still wondering then, just to make you clearer, the experiment was conducted for the THC which is tetrahydrocannabinol, CBD which is Cannabidiol, and THCv which is tetrahydrocannabivarin.
This experiment proved that the true potential of the plant was reached only when the plant received direct sunlight. The medical powers as well heightened when the marijuana was grown in an outdoor environment. Now the next important point of differentiation will be discussed in the next point.
- Cost
Moreover, the amount you will have to incur also is a key factor in the decision-making. When we talk about the expenses then, you should know that the expenses are high when you cultivate marijuana indoors; it is going to cost you a lot. This is because, when marijuana is grown indoors, you would have to prepare for the indoor types of equipment, which are going to cost you a lot.
To provide light to the plants indoors without the natural source of sunlight, you need to have evolving indoor technologies. Henceforth, if you are planning to have cost-effective marijuana cultivation then, outdoor is the best option.
Outdoor cultivation of marijuana is going to come with multiple benefits. This is primarily because when you grow your marijuana in the outer environment, there will be multiple natural benefits. This will include sunlight, a larger area for cultivation and also other benefits. The best suggestion for the cultivation of marijuana will be outdoor if the cost is your concern. However, if you can spend the amount then, indoors also comes with multiple benefits. Let us now look at the next point of differentiation between indoor and outdoor marijuana cultivation.
- Environmental impact
When it comes to the environmental impact, the indoor cultivation of the marijuana plant requires much more resources than what you require when you cultivate outdoor. When an individual is cultivating marijuana outdoor then, it requires less of the resource as compared to indoors.
This is primarily because, in the case of indoors, the individual is required to have more soil, water, and energy. After every cultivation, when the individual plans to have a new crop then, the older soil has been disregarded. They take new soil to grow the marijuana.
However, this is not the case when we talk about outdoor cultivation. In case of the outdoor cultivation, the environmental impact is not negative. The soil required for the cultivation is what is already present. They do not require additional soil for the growth of marijuana. When one cultivates marijuana outdoor, one would receive multiple natural benefits. Hence, it is always suggested to grow marijuana outdoor if one is concerned with the environmental impacts.
- Climate
In the final words, climate as well plays a critical role. When you grow marijuana indoors and outdoors, you will find a difference. A change in the quality can be discovered when one compares the final product that was from indoors and outdoors.
When we talk about the indoor cultivation of marijuana, the special cost to provide the right temperature to the buds is critical. To provide the right temperature, light sources have to be arranged. Hence, the individuals have to take care of the plants are receiving the right amount of water, temperature, humidity, light, and CO2 levels.
Therefore, in the opposite situation, when the individual cultivates marijuana outdoor, the individual will not be required to pay as much attention as the individual has to while cultivating indoors. The sunlight is available in abundance and so is the soil. The individual will not have to be worried consistently about the climatic conditions including the temperature, humidity, and others.
So, if you are planning to cultivate marijuana for medicinal purposes then, make sure that you do it outdoor as that provides multiple natural benefits, it will also be cost-effective, and will provide other benefits.
Final Thoughts
If you are planning to grow marijuana all by yourself at your place then, do make sure to have complete knowledge on the same. Hopefully, we were able to provide you with a clear understanding of how indoor or outdoor cultivation can be both advantageous and disadvantageous. The post did not come to a conclusion regarding which is the best method of cultivation because it wants its reader to make the final call based on their preferences.
