Indoor-Grown Hemp vs. Outdoor-Grown Hemp—Pros & Cons

For thousands of years, Cannabis sativa flourished in Central Asia as a common weed growing under the sun. It’s only recently that humanity has applied its vast botanical knowledge toward hemp flower production, but the results we’ve achieved in so short a time have been nothing short of incredible.

It’s now possible to tailor indoor hemp cultivation environments so perfectly that this lanky weed has transformed into one of the most beautiful, fragrant flowers the human race has ever encountered.

There’s truly nothing more fascinating than the relationship that has blossomed between hemp and humans. Let’s explore why Secret Nature places such an emphasis on the importance of growing hemp indoors.

Why does Secret Nature prefer indoor hemp production?

As previous California cannabis entrepreneurs, we founded Secret Nature in 2017. CBD flower wasn’t much of a thing back then, and what companies there were focused on high-yield, low-quality outdoor crops.

Going against the grain, we applied the same top-shelf ethos to growing CBD flower that delivered us success in the California THC industry. By cultivating CBD-rich hemp flower indoors using connoisseur equipment and methods, Secret Nature offers hemp flower quality that meets the exacting demands of CBD consumers.

Outdoor-grown CBD flower always delivers disappointing results. Secret Nature is the solution to common quality concerns and the ray of hope rekindling faith in the hemp flower industry.

Indoor-grown vs. outdoor-grown hemp

Take a look at some of our competitors. Now, compare their flower to the CBD buds we offer at Secret Nature.

You’re excused for scratching your head in puzzlement. Why does Secret Nature flower look so much better than anything other brands have to offer?

There are lots of reasons, actually, but it all starts with our firm belief in the benefits of indoor hemp.

Hemp producers usually grow their crops outdoors in giant fields. When mature, outdoor hemp is machine-harvested. Outdoor buds are also often auto-trimmed (or “auto-chopped” as we say).

It’s certainly less expensive to produce CBD flower this way. The results, however, are lamentably poor. Outdoor-grown (or “sun-grown”) CBD bud is fluffier and has less trichomes. It neither tastes nor smells as good, and it’s more prone to contamination.

Want to know a secret? We use extract from sun-grown hemp in our tinctures.

In this application, outdoor hemp is appropriate since the CBD it contains is purified during extraction. Outdoor-grown hemp bud isn’t good for smoking, however. 

Benefits of growing CBD indoors

Total control is ideal when you’re growing hemp. The more variables you can control and adjust during the cannabis growth cycle, the better your results will be. Here are a couple of examples of the factors you can control perfectly when you grow hemp inside:

Light spectrum control

When you cultivate hemp outdoors, you’re dependent on the sun for all the energy your plants need to grow. During the early portion of the cannabis growth cycle (from around May to July), a certain duration and angle of daylight is available. Light availability changes, however, later in the growth cycle (July to September).

It’s practically impossible to provide hemp plants with ideal lighting duration and angles outdoors. In most areas, you’re also limited to a single hemp growing season per year.

When you grow hemp indoors, however, you can easily control the exact angle of light your plants receive and how long they’re illuminated. That’s only the beginning of the light control that’s available with indoor hemp cultivation.

Hemp responds better to higher levels of UVA and UVB light. With the advent of LED grow lights, it’s now possible to provide illumination at the exact frequencies in which hemp thrives. High-pressure sodium (HPS) and metal halide (MH) indoor hemp grow lights can still provide supplementary illumination, delivering incredibly high yields.

Climate control

In addition to providing consistent, targeted lighting at each stage of the growth process, it’s also necessary to control the climate where your hemp is grown to deliver impeccable results. Hemp only achieves its true potential when it’s grown in the right temperature and humidity ranges. Growing hemp indoors also allows you to control CO2 levels, which optimizes vegetative growth speed.

Outdoor conditions in the USA are usually dry for hemp, which thrives in more humid environments. Dryness, however, is only the beginning of the issues that can occur when you don’t grow hemp in climate-controlled, indoor conditions.

When you grow hemp outdoors, it’s also more likely to be exposed to toxins like pesticides and heavy metals. What’s more, pests are prevalent in large-scale, outdoor cannabis cultivation operations.

Why indoor-grown hemp flower is superior

Increased quality control naturally leads to better results in any industry. Nowhere is this more clearly the case than in the case hemp cultivation.

Here are some of the benefits that climate control and improved lighting provide when growing hemp:

— Higher cannabinoid concentrations —

You can grow hemp indoors hydroponically or in soil. Either way, indoor-grown hemp almost always contains higher concentrations of cannabinoids than outdoor-grown bud.

With outdoor-grown hemp flower, it’s rare to see yields higher than 10% CBD. At Secret Nature, however, we consistently see harvests with CBD concentrations between 20% and 25%.

Cannabinoid concentrations this high can only be delivered with indoor-grown hemp. It certainly doesn’t hurt that we’re cannabis experts as well.

— Better terpene expression —

Outdoor hemp plants receive less love and they’re under more stress. It’s the seemingly little things, like terpenes, that disappear the most notably with this lackluster treatment.

Even if outdoor-grown hemp yields relatively high concentrations of cannabinoids, it doesn’t express very many terpenes. Either that, or the terpenes it expresses become damaged during processing.

There’s a reason that Secret Nature bud smells and tastes so amazing. It’s cultivated with care in climate-controlled, perfectly lit indoor environments that are like paradise for hemp plants.

— Denser flower —

It doesn’t receive the energy it needs to grow effectively. As a result, outdoor-grown hemp flower is consistently low-density.

Density in hemp flower isn’t everything. If you can see straight through a bud you’re holding, however, something’s wrong.

Secret Nature buds are dense and juicy partially because we grow them indoors. We also use the best nutrients and substrates on the market to make sure our non-intoxicating bud is especially dank.

— Fewer contaminants —

Growing hemp in soil can deliver great results when you use the right type of soil and nutrients. Hemp that’s grown outdoors, however, is usually just unceremoniously planted in the dirt.

Many hemp fields are located in areas where other crops were grown previously. Modern agricultural practices strip soil of nutrients. Soil in fields that have recently been repurposed doesn’t have what hemp plants need to thrive.

Even worse, hemp fields are often located within larger agricultural sectors. As an outdoor hemp farmer, even if you don’t spray your crops with pesticides, that’s no guarantee your neighbor won’t.

Agricultural runoff carries pesticides, fertilizers, and heavy metals along with it. It’s almost impossible to prevent agricultural contamination in outdoor environments, but indoor hemp cultivation has the potential to be completely contamination-free.

— Better-looking buds —

Indoor-grown hemp buds just look better. They’re denser and frostier, and they express more of the delicate orange hairs that make Cannabis sativa such a beautiful plant.

Especially when you hand-trim your buds like we do at Secret Nature, indoor-grown hemp nugs become such a sight to behold that it almost seems a shame to break them up and smoke them.

— Smoother smoke —

They express more terpenes and cannabinoids while remaining free of contaminants. So, hemp buds that were grown indoors taste better and produce milder smoke or vapor.

Maximizing and retaining the terpenes that flowering hemp expresses is a big part of helping hemp smoke stay smooth. Trimming away excess leaves and ensuring that no pesticides or fertilizers made their way into your bud also plays a big role.

Get the best indoor CBD flower with Secret Nature

As Secret Nature lab results demonstrate, our indoor-grown CBD flower is free of contaminants. Our cannabinoid concentrations are also significantly higher than what’s achievable with even the highest-quality outdoor hemp.

That’s the difference industry experience and top equipment make. We’re always pushing the limits of what’s possible to provide even higher cannabinoid concentrations and progressively danker CBD hemp bud.

We’re standing by to assist you in your quest to find the perfect CBD flower solution for your needs. Take a look through our top-shelf, indoor hemp flower catalog to find a strain that suits your fancy.

Remember to use the code “Secret 15” to save 15% at checkout. If you have any lingering questions, check out the following FAQ. 

Indoor vs. outdoor hemp FAQ

What else are you interested in knowing about the best places to grow smokable hemp?

1. Can hemp be grown anywhere?

Cannabis is called a weed for a good reason. Even a dandelion, however, can reach artisanal beauty when grown in the right conditions.

Hemp that’s grown indoors in a climate-controlled environment reaches the peak potential of its genetics. Uninterrupted by changes in weather or fluctuations in lighting, hemp is free to reach its maturation sealed away from pesticides and other harmful contaminants.

Can hemp be grown pretty much anywhere you can throw a seed onto soil? Sure.

Should you grow hemp intended for CBD production in a dirty urban alleyway and spray it with RoundUp thrice daily? Definitely not.

2. Is it better to grow hemp indoors or outdoors?

It’s definitely better to grow hemp indoors. In a climate-controlled indoor environment, hemp can reach its full potential and deliver higher cannabinoid concentrations.

Indoor-grown hemp is also more terpene-rich, making it taste and smell better. The future of hemp is indoor-grown — some are just a little slow to see it.

3. Which is better — CBD oil or CBD flower?

I think you already know our answer to that question — CBD flower by a mile. CBD oil tinctures certainly have their place, and we aren’t talking about CBD concentrates here (that’s another story).

CBD flower, however, is the versatile origin point from which all other types of CBD products emerge. Treated gently, this virginal wellspring of cannabinoid glory will express the cannabinoid molecule’s ideal form more clearly than any other CBD product.