Indoor cannabis growth largely takes two forms: warehouse or greenhouse.
When deciding where to grow their crops, growers take a number of factors into account such as local laws, budget, and strain variety.
While greenhouses have long been a popular and efficient method for growing all types of plants, warehouses became recently necessary in the cannabis industry due to laws against growing, regulations on odor control, and the potential for theft.
So what’s the best fit for your grow? Let’s start by defining our two options and looking at some of the benefits:
Greenhouse
A growing structure made mostly of glass or other transparent materials, allowing plants to grow in natural sunlight while limiting exposure to outdoor elements.
Benefits:
- Limits impact of outdoor conditions
- Minimizes energy costs, more environmentally friendly
- Fewer restrictions on plant height and yield
- Allows for year-round cultivation without the costs of warehouse growth
Warehouse
A completely enclosed structure that protects plants from all external elements. The growth environment is closely controlled, allowing most cannabis varieties to flourish in almost any region.
Benefits:
- Total control of growth environment for year-round cultivation
- Protects plants from pests and cross-pollination
- Allows for privacy and protects plants from theft
What’s Right For You?
When deciding what type of grow operation will work best for your region and your needs, here are a few things to consider:
Climate
A warehouse provides nearly complete separation from the outdoor environment. This makes it a good option in places with extreme weather and temperature changes throughout the year like Canada or Colorado.
While greenhouses protect against heavy rains and winds, they can be susceptible to long periods of overcast skies. Keep in mind that you can always supplement the sunlight with indoor lighting.
Regardless of the climate you’re in, both warehouses and greenhouses use indoor climate controls like humidifiers, dehumidifiers, heaters, air conditioners, and fans.
Budget
Simply put, warehouses are more expensive to rent/build and to operate than a greenhouse. If your budget prevents a warehouse setup, (which can cost nearly $1 million in initial investment1), a greenhouse can give you a quicker and more economical start.
In the long-run, a greenhouse will cost significantly less to operate than a warehouse.
Strain Type
Most experienced growers will tell you that different strains react differently to various growth environments. When you decide what you’re going to grow, look into where those specific strains thrive.
In general, “sun-grown” plants will do well in a greenhouse, while plants that are a bit more sensitive to conditions will fare better in a warehouse.
Local Laws
Check with local laws to find any restrictions on the growing process like odor emissions or crop security. In those cases, the advantage goes to warehouses, where you can more closely control what comes in to and goes out of the growth environment.
Also check to see if there are any benefits or subsidies provided to growers using eco-friendly greenhouse operations.
Controlling The Indoor Environment
For both warehouse and greenhouse operations, the indoor environment needs to be closely monitored for optimal temperature and humidity conditions.
Anden has solutions for both of these indoor growth settings, with multiple options based on your budget, square footage, and plant type.
You can explore all Anden products here.
Sources:
1Cannabis Business Plan – https://cannabusinessplans.com/much-cost-grow-cannabis-indoor/