What is the difference between indoor and outdoor growing?
The difference between indoor and outdoor growing is where the plant gets its light: indoors, it grows under a lamp in an enclosed space that you control; outdoors, it grows in the open air, with sunlight and the weather of each season. Each way of growing has its advantages.
Indoor growing usually happens in a grow tent (a kind of tent made of reflective fabric) or in a room set up for it. You decide how many hours of light the plant gets, the temperature and the ventilation.
Outdoor growing happens in a garden, on a terrace or on a balcony, in the ground or in pots. The plant follows its natural rhythm: it grows in spring and summer and flowers when the days get shorter, at the end of summer.
It's a bit like growing tomatoes in a vegetable patch or in a heated greenhouse: in the patch, the sun and the weather are in charge; inside, you are.
Pros of each option
- Indoor: you can grow at any time of year, harvest several times in a row and control the environment. In return, you need equipment (lamp, extractor fan, tent) and you pay for the electricity.
- Outdoor: sunlight is free and very powerful, and plants can grow big and yield a lot. In return, you depend on the weather and on pests and, with photoperiod plants, you usually harvest once a year.
Which strain should you choose for each case?
On the product pages you'll see separate figures for indoor and outdoor: yield, height or harvest month. Look at the ones that match the way you grow.
For outdoor growing, think about your climate. In areas with rainy or cold autumns, it's a good idea to choose strains that are harvested early, or autoflowering ones, which finish sooner. For indoor growing, compact strains, indica or hybrid types, are usually easier to handle in a small space.
In between the two options there's the greenhouse, which combines sunlight with some protection.
Related terms
- What is greenhouse growing?
- What does yield in g/m² mean?
- What are autoflowering seeds?
- What is flowering?
Before you grow, check the laws in your country: growing cannabis is not allowed everywhere.
