What is Indoor Growing?
Indoor growing is the process of growing indoors so that environments can be manipulated to the perfect growing conditions year round. The upside is that you have complete control of the environment. Some downsides are the costs associated with electricity and a large building.
The Pros and Cons of Indoor Growing
If you’re growing cannabis (or other plants) in large quantities, you want to make sure that you get the maximum yields of high-quality plants possible for the highest profitability. Indoor growing offers many benefits that allow you full control over your grow.
The Pros of Growing Cannabis Indoors
Indoor growing offers a lot of upside and opportunities to ensure your plants are healthy and you maximize your profits. The plants themselves are able to receive exactly what they need to grow well, without a lot of the potential risks. Here are some of the top benefits of indoor growing:
- Allows plants to be grown in any location, regardless of outside climate.
- Cultivation can occur year-round.
- Environmental factors, such as heat, humidity, soil, ventilation, and lighting can be manipulated and perfected.
- Indoor growing can limit exposure to potential diseases and other harmful situations (although doesn’t eliminate them entirely).
- Plants can possibly be harvested and processed within the same facilities.
For these reasons, most commercial cannabis growers prefer indoor growing operations.
The Cons of Indoor Cannabis Cultivation
By far, the biggest challenge for indoor cannabis growing is the upfront cost. Setting up a properly outfitted grow operation takes a significant amount of effort and upfront investment. But, once you get your operation up and running, you’re in business!
One other potential challenge for indoor growing is the need for constant oversight. One mistake made by a grower or an employee could potentially compromise an entire harvest. In addition, if disease does happen to creep in, the enclosed space can make it difficult to eliminate the threat before it affects a large portion of your grow. However, these risks are much easier to manage in an indoor space than in an outdoor environment, open to all types of threats.
The Components of an Indoor Cannabis Grow Operation
In order to get a successful indoor growing operation up and running, you have to cover all your bases. Here is a rundown of the different components you’ll need to successfully manage an indoor cannabis growing operation.
Indoor Grow Room Setup and Design
This may seem obvious, but your operation hinges on how well you’ve outfitted your actual grow room. A properly configured grow room has quite a few moving parts and each is a vital part of maximizing your cannabis yields.
The first thing you should consider, even before thinking about what equipment you need, is how you will set up your grow room. All factors should be taken into account, including the size of the room, how the electricity will be organized, where you’ll put your shelves or benches, how the plumbing will be configured, and how your lighting and ventilation will work.
Read more about Grow Room Setup and Design >>
Grow Shelves or Benches
What will you actually grow your plants on? There are a variety of options, including grow benches, flood tables, static grow racks, and our recommendation: mobile vertical grow racks. Where will your grow shelves be placed? Will they be able to move to make use of the space? How does that then affect your lighting, watering, and other components?
Read more about Grow Shelves for Commercial Growing >>
Indoor Grow Lighting
All plants need the proper light to provide maximum yields. To go along with the grow shelves you’ve chosen, you’ll need to determine what the best way is to provide light to your plants.
Check out some of our Indoor LED Grow Light Solutions >>
Humidity and Airflow
Humidity management is a major part of any indoor grow operation. If the air is too dry or too wet, your plants will definitely object. To really be able to control the humidity in your grow room, you’ll need to have top-notch humidifiers and dehumidifiers. You’ll also want to make sure the ventilation system is properly built so that there are no “dead spots” in your grow room.
See our recommended Grow Room Humidifiers and Grow Room Dehumidifiers
Proper Plumbing and Watering System
In addition to light and air, of course your plants also need water. The way your watering system is configured could determine how much you can grow. A misconfigured plumbing system can be a big barrier to maximum cannabis yields. We advise working with a professional to determine the best setup for your grow room configuration.
Indoor Growing Dry and Cure Rooms – Setup and Design
For the best results, you’ll want to also configure dry and cure rooms that are separate from your grow room to process your harvest. Each of these must have their own environmental control. All of the other factors listed above for consideration in your grow room must also be considered for your dry and cure rooms.
Read more about Dry and Cure Room Setup >>
Related Glossary Terms for Indoor Growing
Continue learning with these related glossary terms:
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