Growing Cannabis in Greenhouse

Growing cannabis in a greenhouse provides indoor and outdoor growing benefits. Greenhouses are protected structures covered by a transparent roof. The transparent covering allows sunlight to enter the greenhouse, feeding plants while protecting them from frosts, storms, pests, and disease infections. Greenhouses are simpler and safer for cultivation than grow rooms and offer more control than open-air gardens. Growing cannabis plants in a greenhouse is becoming highly popular among experienced growers.

If you are a grower and are considering using a greenhouse to grow cannabis, you should read the complete guide to learn how to do it correctly. Our experts provide tips and advice on successfully growing cannabis in a greenhouse.

Why Should You Grow Cannabis in a Greenhouse?

Growing cannabis in a greenhouse is easier and less expensive than other methods. A greenhouse allows cannabis plants to produce the most potent flower with the highest yield. Although successful greenhouse cultivation takes time and effort, the rewards are worthwhile.

So, if you're wondering why, you should grow marijuana in a greenhouse instead of growing it outdoors, let's look at the benefits of greenhouse weed cultivation. Here is why growing cannabis in a greenhouse creates optimal conditions and why you should grow your marijuana plants in a greenhouse.

Longer Growing Season

The growing season is usually between April and October. During this period, there is no frost, so plants can safely remain outdoors. Growing cannabis in a suitable greenhouse allows you to extend the growing season into autumn and winter.

You can bring seedlings to the greenhouse in March and keep them warm using artificial lighting and heaters. Additional light during cloudy days and heat can compensate for the loss of daylight hours in colder months. Similarly, if you want to start new growth before the winter's end, you can use a low-powered light to supplement natural sunlight.

Higher and Consistent Yields

Potential yield relies on seed genetics, growing conditions, climate, and plant health. A greenhouse provides environmental stability and reduces the risk of pests and disease, promoting high and consistent yields in both quality and quantity.

On the other hand, cannabis grown outdoors or in unsealed grow rooms may have poor growing conditions. Therefore, the majority of medicinal cannabis is now grown in greenhouses.

Provides an Ideal Microclimate for Cannabis Cultivation

Cannabis crops are subjected to significant temperature fluctuations when they're outside in the garden. Rain can damage crops because it promotes fungi growth. A greenhouse protects the plants from rain and provides an ideal climate for marijuana plants. You can adjust the heating and cooling needs by adding fans, heaters, or air conditioners.

If your plants need extra light on cloudy days, you can add lighting to the greenhouse. Even without a cooling or heating system, a greenhouse maintains an optimal temperature range to support cannabis plant growth. A stable microclimate means healthy plants and greater harvests.

Cultivate Year-round

Since you can control the climate within a greenhouse by installing fans, heaters, and lights, it allows for year-round cannabis production. The greenhouse walls keep heat and humidity inside, so year-round cultivation is cheaper. You can create your cannabis garden even if it is cold, dark, and gloomy weather outside.

You do not have to rely on seasons to plan harvest. Climate control enables cannabis crops to flower at any time of the year. So, you can grow cannabis whenever it works for you.

Protects Your Cannabis Crops from External Elements

Growing cannabis in a greenhouse protects your plants by keeping them in a closed system. Outdoor growing methods are vulnerable to rain, frost, wind, poor soil quality, and crawly creatures. Greenhouse prevents all these outside forces from affecting your plants' growth.

Pests like aphids and slugs can eat cannabis plants, and fresh cannabis leaves can be in danger from rabbits in rural areas. Growing cannabis in a greenhouse can keep all these unwanted guests away. Moreover, a grower looking for privacy can use a tinted glass greenhouse to conceal their cannabis project from neighbors.

Related Post: Common Cannabis Pests and Diseases

Inexpensive

One of the huge benefits of growing cannabis in a greenhouse is that it is much cheaper than indoor growing. Cannabis growers don't need to spend much to set up a greenhouse. Initially, it is a small investment, but it will save you money in the long run. You can either purchase a walk-in greenhouse or a DIY greenhouse. Both are inexpensive options. Also, greenhouse growing doesn't require expensive equipment.

Growing Cannabis in Pots vs. directly in the Soil

When growing cannabis plants in a greenhouse, you can keep them in pots or grow them in Soil. Both approaches can be successful and provide quality yields. Let's compare both ways.

Growing Cannabis in Pots

Plants in pots can be easily moved around, which is useful when harsh weather and other problems emerge. Cannabis plants in pots require more nutrients and frequent watering in the summer. A large plant in a container will need daily watering in hot weather, which can be an issue if you do not have irrigation with a timer.

The C-Frame Down Sprayer from DripWorks is the most effective option for watering cannabis plants in containers. C-Frame sprayers distribute water in a downward full-circle spray pattern that deeply waters the plant's root zone. Furthermore, growing cannabis in containers will reduce humidity issues.

Related Post: Growing Cannabis in Containers

Growing Cannabis in Soil

Cannabis plants grown in the ground can't be moved like ones grown in pots, but they offer a lot of freedom to growers. When you plant cannabis in open soil, the root systems of plants can grow stronger and larger than those of potted plants, which will support healthy plants with greater yield potential. The extensive root network also allows plants to absorb water easily, so there's no need to worry about watering daily.

However, the greenhouse must contain rich, natural soil. Before growing plants, replace poor-quality soil with good-quality soil. Mix the soil with compost and fertilizer each growing season to amend it. Cannabis plants grown in the soil can be watered and fertilized using an automated feeding system, such as drip irrigation.

How to Grow Cannabis in a Greenhouse

Cannabis has unique growing needs, which require some thought and careful planning. Growing methods used in outdoor gardens and indoor grow rooms might not work well in a greenhouse. You can grow the cannabis strain at any time of year. However, if you rely only on sunlight, planning a growing window around the seasons is recommended. Mid to late spring is the ideal time to start cannabis growth.

Here is the step-by-step method to grow cannabis in a greenhouse for a bountiful harvest.

Pick the Right Location

Choosing a suitable location for your greenhouse is key to getting the best results. Pick a flat area with 10-12 hours of direct sunlight daily. Light is a crucial component of the cannabis growth process. Cannabis plants need plenty of light in every growing phase. It is recommended that the greenhouse should be set up away from tall trees or structures and towards the direction of sunrise.

Choose a Suitable Strain

There are a variety of cannabis strains available, and each has unique growth requirements. The best cannabis strain for a greenhouse depends on available space and your local climate. The cannabis should be able to fit the space at its maximum height.

Additionally, choose cannabis strains that can tolerate high humidity levels because the greenhouse air can get moist, so another important factor in deciding whether you plan to use artificial growth light.

Autoflower Seeds in a Greenhouse

Autoflower seeds are ideal if you plan to grow them using only natural sunlight. They don't need a regular light schedule to bud and are less sensitive to light variations. A key advantage of these seeds is that they don't require a specific period to bloom, so you can grow them anytime.

Also, they are smaller and can fit in confined spaces, allowing you to maximize your growing space. Autoflower plants usually reach from seed to harvest within 100 days in a greenhouse. Greenhouse growers enjoy abundant yields of over 100g from each autoflower plant.

Feminized Seeds in a Greenhouse

Photoperiod feminized seed types grow best in greenhouses. However, using only natural sunlight comes with some constraints. These cannabis strains flower according to the hours of light they receive, so you must depend on the seasons to move plants from vegetation to flowering. Moreover, you can set up artificial lighting on a timer to control the plant's growth.

Many growers of feminized seeds harvest several hundred grams of dried buds from only a single plant. Plants usually reach 2-3 meters tall and wide. Depending on weather conditions, you can germinate and plant feminized seeds in March or April in a heated greenhouse.

Start Seeds Indoors

Germination is a primary step in greenhouse weed cultivation. You can start your cannabis seeds indoors using low-powered grow lights to start nurturing your plants. Keep them under lights until the seedlings have two nodes.

Keep the Greenhouse Growing Conditions Optimal

When seedlings are moved to the greenhouse, it is crucial to maintain the ideal climate for vegetative growth. Although strains have different environmental preferences, most varieties prefer humidity levels of 55% and temperatures around 80°F.

If the weather is still cold in mid-spring, install a heating device to keep plants warm. Additionally, on cloudy days, you can use fluorescent lamps to provide at least 18 hours of light exposure.

Transplant Seedlings to Greenhouse

Once the seeds have germinated and the plants get bigger, transfer the seedlings to the greenhouse. Temperature shock causes plant stress, which can damage crops.

Therefore, make sure to introduce your seedlings to the greenhouse for a couple of hours for a few weeks before fully transplanting them. This way, stress will be reduced, and your cannabis plants can develop smoothly. Don't suddenly move them from cozy indoors to a greenhouse environment.

Provide Plant Care

When cannabis plants are in the vegetative stage, they enjoy high nitrogen doses each week and regular watering every other day. Moreover, you should inspect plants for pests and other issues.

Cannabis plants can become tall and spindly while reaching for sunlight. Therefore, you need to train or prune them to keep them at a reasonable height and prevent them from getting out of control.

Add Supplemental Lighting if Needed

One of the best things about greenhouses is that they do not have to rely only on sunlight to provide sufficient lighting. You can give your cannabis the additional light they require by installing energy-efficient LED grow lights in a greenhouse.

This way, you won't have to worry about smaller harvests during cloudy weather. However, if you are growing cannabis in an optimal climate with lots of sunlight, an extra light might not be necessary.

Related Post: Growing Marijuana in a High Tunnel or Greenhouse

Tips for Growing High-quality Cannabis in a Greenhouse

Now that you have learned how to grow cannabis in a greenhouse, check out these helpful tips that will help you achieve a high-quality and bountiful harvest.

• Keep your greenhouse clean always because dirt will attract diseases and pests. Collect debris, such as fallen leaves, regularly to prevent mold and fungus growth.
• Get the best quality cannabis seeds from a reputable company. Remember that poor-quality seeds cannot produce strong, quality crops.
• Plan space in your greenhouse to determine how many you can grow and ensure the space accommodates all your plants. Check strain descriptions to find out the expected height of specimens. Growing many small plants instead of a few giant ones is wise.
• The temperatures in greenhouses can change significantly, so it is essential to monitor them. Install a thermometer to watch them, and you can determine whether the setup needs more heating or cooling.
• Ensure your cannabis plants receive enough water and fertilizer for strong growth all season. A drip irrigation system is recommended to irrigate cannabis plants. This is the most efficient and economical irrigation method. DripWorks has a huge stock of high-quality cannabis irrigation products, including drip tape, timers, and ½ emitter tubing to grow healthy and strong crops.

Conclusion

Greenhouses are the cheapest, most environmentally friendly, and most efficient way to produce high-quality cannabis. Growing greenhouse cannabis allows you to control the growing environment, use natural sunlight to grow plants, protect your cannabis plants from pests and extreme weather, and save a good amount of money. Additionally, greenhouse cultivation can produce enormous yields of buds and extend the growing season.

Luckily, greenhouses are inexpensive and easy to set up. Whether you are DIY-ing or buying, the price is affordable. They are available in multiple sizes and shapes.

At DripWorks, we carry affordable Solexx greenhouses in a wide range of shapes and sizes suitable for gardeners and farm operations. Our greenhouses will provide years of premium service with no maintenance. Just put your greenhouse up and grow your cannabis. Explore our high-quality greenhouses and greenhouse accessories collection!