A 2023 Hemp Flower Debate: Indoor vs. Outdoor Grown Hemp Flower

As the cannabis industry evolves, there are all kinds of new methods applied to cultivation of the hemp plant that allow for higher-quality yields of cannabinoid-rich hemp flower. The debate at the moment is whether indoor grown or outdoor grown hemp is superior. Now, as you’re about to find out, the answer depends on a surprising number of variables, and both indoor and outdoor hemp farmers can deliver top-shelf, exceptionally flavorful flower buds depending on their resources.

What is Outdoor Hemp Flower?

Historically, of course, cannabis has been a plant that grows outdoors. It grows very easily outdoors, in fact, as long as it’s grown in the right climate. It grows all around the world, and each strain of the plant has its own distinctive growing needs in order to become a successful crop, based on factors like humidity, sunlight, temperature and soil quality.

Whether or not you can grow hemp outdoors depends on your unique environment. If you live in an area prone to cold winters, like the Midwest, then you’ll only be able to grow outdoors during the warm months of the year. If you’re growing commercially, that’s not really feasible as your business will struggle if your cultivation window is limited.

Growing hemp outdoors comes with plenty of pros and cons, as you might imagine. If you are lucky enough to live in the ideal climate, such as the sunny and mild region of SoCal, where many cultivars thrive, then you’re lucky. Growing will take minimal effort, as the conditions provide the plant with everything that it needs to deliver an impressive yield. If you’re growing in a more temperamental environment, then you may end up with a lot of wasted flower due to stressed out plants that can’t handle variations in temperature, rainfall, sunlight and so on.

Another thing to consider is the soil quality. If you live in an area with polluted soil, then your hemp flower can absorb those toxins and leave you with low-quality product, since hemp is particularly good at absorbing surrounding compounds in the earth.

An advantage to outdoor growing is that if you live in the perfect climate, you may enjoy a higher yield than you would if you grew indoors.

Pros:

• Easy to grow under the right climate conditions.
• Potential for a very large yield.
• No indoor storage space required.
• No special equipment required.

Cons:

• No control over weather variables.
• Harder to control pests and disease.
• More potential for waste.
• Hard to grow year-round if you live in a cold area.

What is Indoor Hemp Flower?

This is a pretty recent industry, because the technology we have now allows us to grow successful yields in ways that weren’t possible before. Today’s indoor growers have equipment that gives them total control over indoor conditions like humidity, light cycle and temperature, so that they don’t need to rely on having the ideal outdoor environment to grow successfully. And, hemp grown indoors is less likely to be affected by pests and diseases which the plant is exposed to more in outdoor environments.

Growing hemp indoors gives you the ability to enjoy complete control, which is its main advantage. You won’t have to worry about problems that can destroy an entire harvest, such as drought, freak storms and pest invasions.

Most hemp that we consume these days has been cultivated in an indoor environment, because commercial growers like having total control over their yields. They can make subtle changes to light cycles to create plants that yield more terpenes, for instance, as the trichomes that coat the plant are highly dependent on light exposure. Growing indoors can be more cost-effective as well, since there’s less risk of waste, and growers can cultivate all year long regardless of the changing seasons.

Pros:

• Easy to control growing conditions.
• Lower likelihood of pests and disease.
• Less risk of waste.
• Can grow year-round.

Cons:

• Requires lots of space inside the home.
• Investment required to obtain equipment like grow lamps, etc.

Final Hemp Flower Growing Thoughts

Indoor growing has become a much more common approach to cultivating hemp flower lately, and it’s easy to see why. It offers the ability to maintain the perfect environment for flower to grow without any major threats caused by unstable weather patterns or common outdoor pests. But, the reality is that if you live in a climate that is perfect for specific cultivars, then you may actually find that growing outdoors gives you a more satisfactory yield. It all comes down to where you live, and your unique resources in order to enjoy your hemp flower.