Growing Cannabis in an Outdoor Garden
Growing cannabis outdoors in Calgary is nearly impossible given our short and unpredictable seasons.
Our seasons complicate the vegetative and flowering stages; typically, our spring and summer seasons are too short and the winter season is too long. One solution that’s popular in the southern Alberta area is using auto-flowering seeds and a green house.
Auto-flowering seeds have been bread with Cannabis ruderalis; a cannabis species that grows in harsh climates- perfect for the Calgary climate and increasing the likelihood of a successful outdoor crop.
Benefits of growing cannabis outdoor
- Energy costs are 0
- Setup costs are reduced
- Potential to be completely organic
- High yield potential
- Safer
- Better for the environment
Cons of growing cannabis outdoor
- Harder to control the atmosphere for quality results
- A rabbit might eat your pot
- Pests and mite control
- No control of seasons / lighting / temperature
- Impossible in Calgary
Growing Cannabis in a Green House
Greenhouses allow some areas of Alberta to grow cannabis functionally, typically on an industrial scale. Home-based greenhouses allow additional environmental control in comparison to an outdoor crop which is highly uncontrolled.
The beauty of a greenhouse is the additional control to manipulate the temperature and humidity, light cycles and environment as a whole. Trapping infrared radiation within the transparent walls of the greenhouse gives owners the ability to use heat over an extended period without adding costly features,
Of course the more you invest, the more flexibility you will find when it comes to customization and added features and functions such as more precise temperature, light and humidity control.
Benefits of growing cannabis in a greenhouse
- Lighting control
- Temperature and atmosphere control
- Conserve energy
- Less expensive no electrical costs
- Slightly reduced setup costs
Cons of growing cannabis in a greenhouse
- Highly involved
- Time consuming to monitor environment
- Less responsive environment
- Risk of disease and mites higher than completely controlled environment
Growing Cannabis in a Grow Tent
Grow tents are great for entry-level licensed producers looking for a simple alternative to control the atmosphere.
A well-equipped tent comes with space to attach a carbon filter- perfect for reducing the smell in multi residence living situations.
Grow tents come in all shapes and sizes to accommodate whatever your growing space may be limited to. We recommend getting a high quality tent with thick seams and zippers. Many cheaper tents available come with thin seams and weak zippers.
Benefits of using a grow tent to grow cannabis
- Enclosed environment, easier control of humidity, wind flow, temperature etc.
- Great for a discrete setup
- Reflective material makes sure you get the most of your lumens
- Easy to add carbon filter and contain smell
- Setup for easy light hanging and attachment addition
- Multiple sizes for any environment
Cons of growing cannabis in a grow tent
- Limited to the size of the tent
- Not scalable for larger grows
- Limited customizability for multiple plants
- Limited in size for quick adjustments
- Expensive after all additions
- Cheaper tents may use materials harmful to plants
Growing Cannabis In an Automated Grow Box
A grow box offers entry level and small scale grow setup a completely automated alternative.
Today’s technology has made grow boxes by far the most convenient way to grow. The good thing about automating your grow is the saved time and energy compared to that of a traditional grow.
An automated grow from start to finish can be run by programming the essentials, monitoring and adapting for your local climate and strain choice. Some alternatives similar to Cloudponics offer applications to monitor your crop while you’re on holidays or in class.
What a time to be alive.
Benefits of growing cannabis in an automated grow box
- Convenient, control from an app on your mobile phone
- Less time consuming, freedom to be away from the house
- Environment completely controlled, no smell!
- Perfect for entry level grows
- Can look great in your room
- Good on energy
Cons of growing cannabis in an automated grow box
- Pricey
- Limited number of plants
- Not available locally in most cases, not quick to setup
- Not always customizable for the space
- Can’t always upgrade / limited to certain brand products
- No customizability in regards to attachments or setup
- Not scalable
Canadian Laws Regarding Growing Cannabis
- Canadians are permitted to grow a maximum of 4 plants per household
- Cannabis is permitted to be processed with organic solvents / processes
- Cannabis edible are legal to make, not to purchase or sell
- As of Decemeber 5, 2018 there is still no legal outlet for Albertans to purchase seeds or cloned cannabis plants for recreational growth purposes
