I have grown plants for a few years. All of my growing has been outdoors. I typically produce large plants, with over a pound and a half of bud per plant. However it seems that my bud is always weak. When I pick up bud from a pharmacy, it is always very strong. I have bought seeds from online seed banks, and I have bought clones from a local pharmacy, in both cases it seems that my buds are weak.
Does anyone have any thoughts?
Ive done both and find my outdoor to usually be quite airy. Get a lot of mold during the summer. Did some autos outdoor this fall and they did well. Indoor just allows more environment control and capabilities to maximize quality.
I found the same thing as @SausageMahoney, my outside buds would be airy and I’d be fighting mold the whole grow. As far as bud strength I’m thinking more a harvest timing thing? I know when I chopped a touch too early, my bud wasn’t even buzz worthy. I choose inside every time now.
I agree with the others. There’s nothing wrong with growing weed outside but it’s not typically competitive with well grown indoor buds from a dialed in and controlled environment. You’ll see a lot of people try to draw conclusions that naturally grown is somehow superior but I’ve never seen it. Perhaps more comparable in geographical locations with ideal climate but definitely not here.
I truly want to believe that organic outdoor grows should produce a better bud. However reality seems to be against my beliefs.
I’m curious about that too. In 2021 a nice summer we had buds big as beer cans and sticky and flavorful. Potent but didn’t hit like dispo buds’ buzz. I’m sure our THC is lower. We mighta had a better or worse spectrum of cannabanoids, that’s subjective. Keep trying more strains and harvest timing perfect? You grown probably more seasons than I did but that’s my thoughts, just what I’d do if not satisfied. I’d like to try Tropicana Poison outdoor here. Like @dbrn32 sez the consistency of indoor. In 70 days of flowering outdoor 20 of them days are dim or cold or damp. Still it’s nice seeing nature take over
As soon as you get away from the “natural is better” mindset everything will be fine 
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I grew organically in soil for years, not so much outdoors but my dad and a close friend do. It’s not good here organic or synthetic. You can get huge plants or small plants but doesn’t really matter the buds are always spindly and fluffy.
Thank you.
That says it all. Not here either. The temps and humidity make for loose bud structure.
I like growing outdoors, but it helps to have good soil and a good location. Indoors you definitely can grow better looking weed but outdoors under the sun can produce killer weed thats better than anything your gonna get from a dispensary. It might not be as pretty but if done right and harvested at the proper time no dispensary weed that I’ve ever had, can compare. Nearly all dispensary weed is harvested early because their main focus is on production and turn around time. It gets me high for 10-15 minutes then a headache for a half hour or so. There’s two big grow operations near me. The guy that works for me has worked at both of them. He says they usually harvest around week 6 or 7 of flower and rarely let them go longer than 7 weeks.
My thoughts outside is a cheaper way to grow, But you end up with what mother nature throws at you a lot of times you’ll have to chop early too much rain fall of the year. Leaving buds not fully mature. Not always but it does happen. I pulled one last fall about three weeks early. Looking at about a week of rain, and plant already starting to show a little Bud Rot.
Good luck
I’ve grown outdoors for many years .Its a lot of work with bugs/mold /critters/etc. An outdoor grower needs to be on top of their garden every day(my experience) where an indoor grower can be away from the lung room for a few days unless they grow in coco.
I’ve been learning the indoor garden for about 5 grows.Always something to learn.
After growing in both indoors/outdoors .They both have their advantages/disadvantages.Outdoors I would average a lb per plant. Maybe the strains(mostly indica leaning) I grow have big tight buds. Always some bud rot but I’m extremely vigilant with daily maintenance.
I have been growing photos indoors .I haven’t passed the pound threshold yet but getting close.Buds indoors are pretty much rock hard.And the control aspect of controlling the environment is hard to beat.
As far as quality,I’ve had great success with both indoors/outdoors.
