There are three primary methods of cultivation – outdoor, greenhouse and indoor – which have different production profiles. Outdoor cultivators produce one harvest per year in the fall, whereas indoor cultivators produce year-round and can generate 4, 6 or 12 harvests per year.  Greenhouse cannabis cultivation combines elements of both – exploiting natural light, while leveraging infrastructure and technology – to produce between 1 and 4 harvests per year, though sophisticated, well-equipped greenhouses can run year-round on schedules analogous to indoor production.  The result of this mix of cultivation methods is that growers approach the market differently at different times of the year.

Since outdoor cultivators produce one large harvest in the fall, which drives prices down, they tend to release product into the market in a controlled manner – selling enough in the fall to generate cash flow to cover expenses, but holding back inventory to release later in the year as prices rise.  Thus, outdoor cultivators – in general – are price setters in the fall and price takers in late spring and early summer.  In June and July, large quantities of greenhouse grown flower from the first light deprived harvests are coming to market, potentially creating an oversupply situation. The average deal size for indoor growers reflects the conventional experience of reduced yields in the late spring and summer, as cooling and humidity control costs increase and growers shutter portions of their operations until conditions for 100% capacity utilization return, generally in September.

The cons of outdoor growing include:

  • Growing location is government regulated
  • Dry season requires more effort in watering
  • Deer like to eat and destroy if not tended

Main indoor cons include:

  • Maintaining proper ventilation is difficult
  • Higher household energy costs
  • Pumped with fertilizers

Greenhouses cultivation combine the latest technology in HVAC, light deprivation, environmental controls, irrigation, insect exclusion, benching systems, hybrid techniques, and much more to create a systematic and efficient growing approach:

  1. The biggest advantage greenhouse cannabis cultivation method has is the abundance of natural light coming into the greenhouse.
  2. While cannabis likes long daylight during the vegetative stage, a good blackout system is required for the best flowering production.
  3. Heating and cooling systems are an important component of the cannabis greenhouse.
  4. CO2 is essential for maximizing the quality and production of cannabis.
  5. Ventilation is essential as with all greenhouse crops, however cannabis legislation, and local municipality requirements may also impose strict requirements for eliminating exhaust odors.
  6. A nutrient management system is essential for maximizing the production yield of the cannabis plants and ensuring consistent and reliable quality.
  7. The brains of the complete cannabis growing system whether a greenhouse production facility or a warehouse grow up is our environmental computer. The computer control systems for a cannabis greenhouse controls and monitor all the nutrients, lights, blackout, air circulation, CO2 and irrigation needs of the plants, it is designed to maintain the exact environment needed for as many different growing zones as you want and can handle different environments for propagation, cloning, flowering and for as many different varieties as you want to control.

Due to the high energy costs and difficulties with water supplying many businesses now develop their marijuana growing business in greenhouses. Those structures are showing an average cost savings of 33% – electric costs for growing cannabis for that way can drop to about $700 a kg.



'70% ready to go' business plan templates

Our cannabis cultivation financial models and cannabis cultivation business plan templates will help you estimate how much does it cost to start and operate your own cannabis growing business, build all revenue and cost line-items monthly over a flexible seven year period, and then sums the monthly results into quarters and years for an easy view into the various time periods.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us


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