If you want to really get a room of cultivators talking and taking sides, there’s one question to rule them all. Indoor vs. outdoor cannabis? Knowing which methods to choose and why can be difficult when starting out. While both methods can produce quality cannabis, there’s really no best way to do it.
There are, however, key differences and constraints to keep in mind when selecting your ideal cultivation style. When growing indoor vs. outdoor plants, indoor tends to be easier; however, sun-grown weed also has benefits.
Indoor vs. outdoor cannabis growing
The first thing that comes into play when deciding between indoor and outdoor cultivation is outdoor viability and space. Some climates are not ideal for cannabis cultivation. It needs temperatures of 75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit (24 to 30 degrees Celsius) throughout the plant’s life cycle. The space and security to grow outdoors may also be hard to obtain for many home growers.
Indoor vs outdoor weed plant differences
If the climate is right and space isn’t an issue, then outdoor can be considered against indoor. Both will lead you to quality cannabis with the right methods and setup but with slightly different results and varying levels of effort.
The debate between indoor vs. outdoor cannabis cultivation has been ongoing since indoor cultivation became so prevalent. Illegalization drove growers indoors for obvious reasons and changed how we grow cannabis, but outdoor flower is undoubtedly unique and stands up against it.
Buy Indoor Cannabis Seeds
Easy to grow
Beginner friendly
Guaranteed germination
Grow guide available
A recent scientific publication attempts to lay the issue to rest but cannot do so. Rather than finding one method was better than the other, they found that growing weed outside vs. inside from the same genetics produced differing compositions of cannabinoids and terpenes.
There’s also a completely different take on this argument in favor of outdoor cannabis due to the lower carbon footprint. Indoor cannabis grows take a lot of energy and materials. In the long term, outdoor and greenhouse cultivation will be the most sustainable option, barring new discoveries.
As a consumer and cultivator, I enjoy cultivars rich in terpenes and other cannabinoids. I’ve found cannabis worthy of connoisseurship created by each method. I do recognize the environmental impact of indoor cannabis, though; it’s something the industry and community is working to improve.
Growing marijuana both indoor and outdoor is easy provided you know the proper technique. Download my FREE marijuana grow bible to get an easy step by step guide.
Overview of indoor cannabis cultivation
Indoor cultivation can be quick and simple or done to rigorous scientific standards. This ease of entry for indoor cultivation makes it a viable option for beginners with a small space or a lower budget.
With indoor-grown cannabis, the grower plays the role of mother nature, which is a blessing and a curse. It is great to control the light, temperature, water, and humidity, but it can require a high degree of precision to get it done right.
It can be hard and repetitive work for indoor growers to maintain their garden. Along with this level of control comes administrative overhead – work! I would best describe indoor growing like doing construction in a closet. The main constraint for indoor growing is the space, as plants must be kept to a certain size.
Growing marijuana indoors
Along with this labor comes the cost. That light, temperature, water, and humidity are not free indoors. Nutrients, tents, or a dedicated room/closet, along with needed equipment, can add up and impact monthly bills. That being said, you can start with a smaller level of control and settle on some tradeoffs for quality when getting started.
In general, indoor cultivation requires at least 1 room to see plants through their vegetative and flowering phases before harvest. This would include providing necessary light, nutrients, support structures, and air quality for the plant. Depending on your setup, there may be times when the plants need repotting into larger containers.
A major benefit to indoor growing is the perpetual harvest; you don’t have to rely on seasons. This, along with the ability to create more “vibrant” looking flower and better control of the indoor environment to improve terpene content and create diverse and powerful aromas and flavors, is why indoor growing is perhaps the most common method of cannabis cultivation.
Features of indoor-grown marijuana plants
Indoor plants are smaller than those grown outdoors and often manicured heavily to fit the space. Growers may top them to reduce height and encourage more colas or train them with a screen of green to maximize indoor space.
While the goal is to reduce stretching indoors, the length between nodes on the plant may be longer on indoor plants, and the leaf color may look lighter in color depending on the cultivar.
Indoor plants are pruned heavily before flowering to reduce foliage and chances of pests. The plants also may be weaker in structure without a deep root system or be completely rootbound in their containers.
Overview of growing weed outdoors
Growing outdoors is a great option if you have the space and security to do so. The micromanagement of indoor environments is traded for the natural outdoors. This is also a blessing and a curse for growers. Less labor, lower costs, and lower environmental impact come with less control over the plant life cycle, more risk for pests or adverse weather, and typically more space required.
With outdoor-grown cannabis, soil can be natural or supplemented with methods like Korean Natural Farming and other living soil techniques. The soil will be more forgiving of ph and micronutrient issues that can occur quickly indoors for potted plants but can still go awry if mismanaged.
Growing marijuana outdoors
Outdoor growing is extremely vulnerable to poor weather and other natural phenomena that would not occur indoors and is typically only useful for part of the year. Sometimes as an outdoor grower, you’ve got to make the best of it where an indoor grower could make adjustments in their setup and avoid issues like cloudy days.
An outdoor marijuana grow
Cannabis grown outdoors creates larger plants, in general, with larger yields. Outdoor cannabis plants can be huge if left on their own, especially sativa-leaning cultivars in the right climate. Cannabis plants grown outdoors also tends to produce more terpenes. More terpenes, of course, mean a richer, more complex aroma and taste, along with a more nuanced effect.
Features of outdoor-grown marijuana plants
Outdoor-grown weed with optimal weather conditions will be hearty and bulkier than its indoor counterparts. They can still be manicured and trained to fit the desired methods of the grower but will benefit from the full natural sunlight and temperature variations.
Depending on the cultivar, the coloration may be darker, and the final product may not be as flashy as certain indoor strains. There can be a “waxy” appearance and feel to sun-grown cannabis due to exposure and the plant’s responses to natural stress.
If growing from seeds outdoors like those available on ILGM, the plants will have a long central tap root instead of the indoor “root ball” to keep them healthy and stable.
What is greenhouse cannabis growing?
Greenhouses shake up the outdoor vs. indoor bud growing debate. They can be an option for some or all of the plant life cycle, allowing for hybrid approaches to cultivation. For example, cultivators can start seeds and clones inside and veg them for a few weeks in a greenhouse before putting them into the ground outdoors.
Many commercial growers take advantage of the cheaper construction costs of greenhouses to create massive facilities. Home growers can set up low-tech greenhouses of any size if desired; these can mitigate extreme weather and allow for some degree of climate control.
Growing marijuana in a greenhouse
Greenhouses are a true mix of indoor and outdoor cultivation in that you get some of the natural light without other aspects of the environment that can be hard to control, like wind and pests. Greenhouses are generally much cheaper than growing indoors; run them for a single season, or pull the shades and get multiple harvests a year.
Greenhouses will almost always need a little bit of light supplementation, especially if growing late in the season when temperatures may swing. For beginners, I’d recommend trying a few harvests indoors or outdoors, but there’s no reason you can’t start with greenhouses if you have the materials, budget, and space.
The difference between indoor vs. outdoor cannabis
Differences in bud structure and size of weed flowers
The bud structure differs for outdoor and indoor. Outdoor flowers are typically bulkier than indoors thanks to fully developed root systems and natural beneficial microorganisms. The bud structure of outdoor flower is often not as dense (fluffier) as cannabis grown indoors.
Indoor vs outdoor marijuana bud structure differences
Differences in color of the marijuana plant and flower: Flavonoids
The color is a quick way to distinguish indoor vs. outdoor cannabis. Outdoor will be darker in color and tone with some brown even near the stems. Indoor, on the other hand, is often a brighter palette of color.
This distinction of color between indoor and outdoor is still up for debate and depends on cultivar selection and environmental factors. The flavonoids in cannabis contribute to coloration. Some research suggests they can influence the flavoraroma profile. Studies are still being done to see which metabolites contribute the most. Optimized cultivars or stress methods during cultivation can create deep blue, red, purple, and yellow cannabis rich in anthoxanthins and whiteyellow in those with anthocyanins.
Flavor and smell differences between indoor and outdoor cannabis plants: Terpenes
The Flavonoids mentioned above are small building blocks in the complex flavor profiles of cannabis. The main contributors to flavor and aroma are the terpenes. Cannabis contains more than 150 different terpenes, with many unique to cannabis only.
The combination and concentration of these create our wildly diverse selection of cultivars and give insight into indoor vs. outdoor weed price variation. Outdoor weed has been proven to be higher in terpenes, and the flavor and aroma produced are the ideal quality. That being said, indoor cannabis is no joke; growers can create wonderful aromas and high-quality cannabis indoors as well.
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Beginner friendly
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Grow guide available
Trichome density for indoor vs. outdoor cannabis plants
Trichomes are typically more concentrated in indoor-grown cannabis due to their optimized environment. The grower can harvest at just the right time, whereas outdoor marijuana is typically on a tight seasonal schedule that can be affected by different weather. This may be one reason why indoor cannabis was found to have higher levels of THCA than outdoor.
The difference in trichome density for outdoor vs indoor grown weed plants
The previously mentioned study on outdoor vs. indoor cannabis potency found that the outdoor test had higher concentrations of terpenes and all other cannabinoids except for CBCA and THCA when compared to genetically identical plants grown indoors.
Yield differences between indoor and outdoor cannabis plants
Due to outdoor plants being bigger and having full sun and more developed root structures, the yields are often larger with outdoor. Indoor plants can be high yielding with the right setups and training methods but are typically grown smaller than outdoor plants.
Potency difference with indoor and outdoor cannabis plants: Cannabinoids
This is the interesting topic the Molecules study outlines. The study mentioned that indoor cannabis had higher THCA and CBCA and lower terpenes and other cannabinoids. This means genetically similar plants grown indoors were slightly more “potent” in THC than their counterparts grown outdoors but lacking in other cannabinoids that may contribute to the complete experience or entourage effect of cannabis. Outdoor-grown plants also had THCA derivatives that create less anxiety than the standard type found in very high concentrations indoors.
In general, the potency of indoor cannabis is often higher from a THC perspective. Where outdoor flower is lacking in THC, it makes up for it in other cannabinoids. Outdoor flower can have higher levels of terpenes, CBD, CBGA, and more.
Growing marijuana indoor vs outdoor comparison
Is there a real difference in quality with indoor and outdoor cannabis?
At the end of the day, the quality argument is not over. There’s no “better” way to do it. Each cultivation method has its merits, and each can produce excellent top-shelf bud. There are downsides to both; in general, indoor cannabis is more accessible. It is easier to pull off than outdoor cannabis, which can take up a lot of space and rely on the weather.
If the climate is perfect for outdoor cannabis, then it will likely beat indoor cultivars in the same area; sun-grown cannabis is true craftsmanship when done right. But if the climate is not reliable or optimal, then indoor or greenhouse cannabis will be the best that can be had.
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The best indoor and outdoor cultivars at ILGM
Cultivar selection is always a fun part of growing. ILGM has a wide range of seeds available. The smaller cultivars, or those that grow shorter like indica-leaning varieties or autoflowers, are a good place to start for indoor setups. For the outdoor growers, you’ll want to select cultivars that can thrive in your environment based on where you grow geographically. Although there can be some difference between indoor and outdoor strains, ILGM seeds are selected and sold because they can thrive indoors and outdoors.
Best ILGM marijuana strains for outdoor grows
California Dream Strain
California Dream, with its ability to flourish in multiple climates and its good yields and potency profile, is always a great choice.
Plant type
70% indica 30% sativa
THC
Up to 24%
CBD
Insignificant amount
Climate
Indoors | Steppe | Mediterranean | Mold Resistant
Plant size
Tall
Vegetative stage
4 to 8 weeks
Flowering time
9 weeks
Yields
21 oz per plant
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70% indica 30% sativa
Extreme THC levels up to 24%
Good yield indoors, even better outdoors
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Amnesia Haze Strain
Amnesia Haze is another solid outdoor option to take advantage of the outdoor space. This high yielder has awards on the shelf as it is a previous winner of several Cannabis Cups.
Purple Haze can pack a similar flavor profile to Amnesia Haze but in a smaller package. The cultivar is very popular thanks to its ability to live healthily in multiple environments.
Super Skunk is easy to grow and delicious to smell. It has a smaller stature. While the yields are high, it requires careful attention to its indoor environment.
Big Bud is another hearty cultivar that can put up with a lot indoors. It’s an average-sized cultivar that also has multiple cannabis cup wins in its past.
Critical Mass brings a higher CBD level than the previous two, along with a potent yield. It won’t be too difficult to tame in indoor setups.
Plant type
80% indica 20% sativa
THC
Up to 22%
CBD
5%
Difficulty
Easy
Climate
Indoors | Mediterranean
Plant size
Average
Vegetative stage
4 to 8 weeks
Flowering time
8 to 9 weeks
Yields
14 to 17 oz per plant
Taste and Smell
Earthy | Pungent | Sweet
Effects
Happy | Relaxed
Buy Critical MassSeeds
80% indica 20% sativa
High CBD and High THC levels
Easy to grow
Eases your mind and physical aches
Indoor, outdoor, greenhouses, or combinations of the three can all produce wonderful quality flowers. The different methods bring out different characteristics in cannabis. Growers and consumers should decide which they like best.
The skill of the grower and the optimization of their setup and workflows will determine quality more than whether or not it was sun-grown. Along with those skills, good genetics are necessary for creating fine cannabis. Legacy strains with a proven track record help to take some stress out of the process. Find the right cultivar for you at ILGM.
FAQs About deciding between growing indoor vs. outdoor cannabis
How much of a difference in quality is outdoor vs. indoor weed?
This question will always vary based on the growers’ methods and the cultivars they are growing. Certain cultivars, climates, and processes create quality. Good cannabis can be made indoors, outdoors, or in greenhouses.
Is indoor cannabis stronger than outdoor?
Some studies show indoor cannabis has a higher concentration of THCA, which is one way to consider cannabis’s “strength.” This is not always great, as it can drown out the complex flavor and effect profiles that outdoor cannabis brings to the table.
Can outdoor weed be top shelf?
One hundred percent. Outdoor cannabis grown in the right climate by an experienced grower can be exquisite top-shelf quality, especially when done so with good curing methods.
Spring has sprung and with it fresh veggies in the garden. High season has also kicked in for cannabis gardeners: clone and seed sellers are doing brisk business as growers big and small ramp up for the 2024 full-sun outdoor run.
You can grow a pound of AAA-grade buds off a single outdoor plant if you get started today. Here’s how from Leafly’s weed grower’s guide to 2024.
Where to start
Start with Leafly’s first-ever Weed Gardener’s Almanac for 2024. Learn the right thing to do at the right time to stay synced with the seasons and maximize your investment in seeds, soil, water and time.
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The official Leafly Weed Gardener’s Almanac 2024
You can also start with Leafly’s Learn/Growing section—our evergreen guide to the basics of weed gardening.
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Leafly’s guide to growing marijuana
Can’t grow? No problemo
How to order weed delivery online with Leafly
What to grow
Man, do we have some options for you! Our affiliate link partners want you to start with “The best cannabis seed companies”. Featuring groups like:
Beyond that, we published our biggest, independently reported, 100% organic, 100% AI-free guide to the best seeds and clones to grow in 2024. Part 1 has the hot-hot new-new from the top dogs. Part 2 digs into strains related to Sour Diesel and Chemdog and such. Part 3 focuses on strains perfect for making extracts (aka hash) both old-school and new.
Modern cannabis too strong for you? No sweat, we have some excellent picks for strains with a balanced amount of THC (which causes euphoria) and CBD (which can moderate THC’s effects).
How to grow it
So you figured our where to start and what you want to grow—now you need to know how to grow it!
For that we got a fresh story on the ‘living soil’ wave sweeping cultivation. What is living soil? Read about it and start that compost pile today!
Get pest management tips from Kannabia Seed Company.
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How to keep your grow pest-free with Kannabia Seed Company
Leafly Strain of the Year 2023 is Permanent Marker—Here’s how to grow that strain and catch that wave.
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How to grow the Permanent Marker strain
How to harvest it
Growing is only half the battle. So much good pot is destroyed in the drying and curing phase where you got to keep temps low, humidity balanced, and avoid mold.
Here’s some fresh drying tips for an experienced master.
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Expert interview: The science of saving those terps at harvest
Then check out our evergreen guides to drying and curing:
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The ultimate guide to drying and curing cannabis for the best results
Troubleshooting your garden
If you want to make God laugh, tell Her your plans. When things go off the rail, practice a positive, solution-oriented mindset and enjoy the chance to learn something new from our troubleshooting guides.
The best part about growing weed is the friends you make along the way. You’ll be stronger and happier when you grow in community with your fellow gardeners and cannabis culture. Plug into your new network by attending these amazing cannabis events, all across the country.
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Ultimate weed contest calendar of 2024
Are you excited about growing a pound yet? You should be. The golden era of ganja shines even brighter when every garden has a seven-leafed tree poking out of it. Remember: She who is not busy growing is busy buying!
These recommendations on the best cannabis seed companies are made by Leafly Product Picks after extensive research, internal debate, and expert consultation. If you make a purchase through links on this page, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Updated for 2024.
A quick look at 2024’s best cannabis seed companies
Selecting seeds ahead of the planting season is one of the most exciting parts of growing your own cannabis for experts and novices alike. There are thousands of strains out there to try, with more dropping every season, so the only real question is where you want to start.
We’ve put together this list of the best places to buy seeds online to help you navigate where to find quality seeds you can count on. We’ve gone ahead and classified these into several categories like best genetics, best for beginners, etc, so read on until you find the right seed bank to fit your needs. Happy growing!
Top seed banks of 2024: Reviews and recommended products
The cannabis journey of a thousand harvests begins with a single seed, and tons of happy hobbyist growers get their start with I Love Growing Marijuana, affectionately known as ILGM. Founded in 2012 by the incomparable master breeder Robert Bergman, ILGM.com is our recommendation for the best seed bank to start your growing journey due to their extensive online resources for novices, as well as plug-and-play grow kits that are ideal for those just starting out. That’s not all—ILGM will also include a free download of Robert Bergman’s Grow Bible with every purchase.
ILGM is the perfect company to teach you how to stop worrying and learn to love growing marijuana, and even have it love you back.
Do-si-dos: Winner of one of the biggest prizes in cannabis, our very own 2021 Leafly Strain of the Year award, Do-si-dos may be a total champion, but it hasn’t let all that fame go to its head. Do-si-dos is still the easy-to-grow sensation that arrived on the scene nearly a decade ago and has been a friendly introduction to the world of cannabis growing ever since. Do-si-dos is a slightly indica-leaning hybrid that can hold up well in a variety of climates and growing conditions, although it slightly prefers an indoor environment. You can start your cultivation adventure with ten Dos-i-dos feminized seeds for just $149.
Many growers first take to the hobby because they get tired of giving so much of their paycheck to the local dispensary. If you’re one of those cannasseurs that got into growing green to save some green, then look no further than Seeds Supreme. They have a massive selection of strains both common and rare, expertly collated into an easy-to-use webpage. You’ll be hard-pressed to find seeds for a better price anywhere, and Seed Supreme even frequently slashes their own already low prices with heaps of special deals and promotions.
Seed Supreme goes the extra mile when it comes to taking care of their customers who primarily grow cannabis to ease the symptoms of their medical ailments. Not only do they have multiple strains popular in the medical community, Seed Supreme allows you to sort strains via the particular symptom you are hoping to relieve or condition you are suffering from. Customers are able to browse either by ailment, like multiple sclerosis or arthritis, or by symptoms, like nausea or insomnia. This means that Seed Supreme is one of the best spots around for finding the perfect strain to help with whatever ails you.
Seed Supreme’s low prices means you’ll never have to pick between two of your favorite strains again. Thanks to them, the answer will always be both.
Alien OG Feminized: A true 50/50 hybrid the likes of which are increasingly rare, Alien OG is the sort of strain that’ll have you questioning your place in the universe. Hailing from outer space by way of the San Francisco Bay, Alien OG gets its potent DNA from Alien Kush and Tahoe OG Kush, two parents who are no slouches in the THC department either. You can expect your Alien OG buds to reach up to 28% THC in ideal conditions, enough to satisfy the strongest of tolerances and help anyone explore the farther reaches of the galaxy.
With twenty years of excellence under their belt, DNA Genetics are some of the elder statesmen of the cannabis world. They’ve migrated from California to the Netherlands and back again, breeding legendary strains and filling their trophy case with prestigious awards. There’s hardly a cannabis award in the twenty-first century they haven’t won by introducing the world to favorites like Tangie, Kosher Kush, and Lemon Skunk, magical strains that continue to loom large in cannabis culture to this day.
DNA Genetics has begun to license its precious genetics to home breeders, spreading the DNA to be shared and iterated upon, in the true spirit of cannabis culture. If you’re interested in growing weed that is one step short of mythical, then DNA Genetics has the storied genetic legacy you’ve been dreaming of.
A team that got so tired of winning every single award that they decided it was only fair to let everyone else have a turn with their genetics. We’re honored to add one more accolade to this legendary group.
Chocolope Fem: The delicious winner of over ten awards, Chocolope is descended from OG Chocolate Thai, a hard-to-find cultivar notable for its chocolate and coffee aroma, and Cannalope Haze. Chocolope is a mouthwatering sativa-like that produces huge, resin-coated buds, perfect for the hash-maker or anyone who appreciates a stronger smoke. This strain is beginner-friendly, resilient, and oh-so tasty; there’s no reason not to treat yourself with a seed or twenty.
Earning the crown for the most innovative purveyor of seeds is Royal Queen Seeds, a European seed bank that has had a British Invasion-level impact on American growers. Based in Amsterdam, a site of stoner pilgrimage for decades, Royal Queen Seeds has been the careful shepherd of cannabis DNA that goes back to the days of the coffeeshops. However, it’s Royal Queen’s ability to look towards the future that has earned them the spot on this list.
Royal Queen’s dedication to innovation extends to all levels of their business. Not only are they advancing the frontiers of cannabis genetics with their line of F1 Hybrids, but they’re also making sure growing weed is more accessible and fun than it ever has been before through tools like their online seedfinder. Touring Royal Queen’s incredible genetic library will surely have you seduced by a special strain that you can crown as your next fave.
Royal Queen Seeds has made monarchists out of us. With unrivaled respect for tradition combined with an innovative edge, RQS will have growers saying “Hail to the Queen.”
Titan F1: F1 strains are famed for their resilience and robust genetics, and Titan F1 is an exemplar even among the F1 crowd. A pioneering hybrid, Titan F1 is an inbred cross of princely genetics including stand-out strains like Blue Dream, Amnesia, and Sugar Magnolia. Cannabis inbreeding won’t result in your weed going pug-shaped—in fact, RQS uses the technique to reinforce beneficial traits like resilience to pests or high-THC content. Get Titan F1 growing in your garden today, and experience some truly titanic majesty.
The best growers in the business will tell you that there’s always more to learn about cannabis cultivation. Like an iceberg, most of the substance of cannabis growing is below the surface. Growers who are interested in learning from some of the best minds in the cannabis industry should find a home at Homegrown Cannabis Co, a seed bank that offers extensive seed options as well as all the resources you could ever need to take your growing game to the next level.
Homegrown Cannabis Co has a crew of cannabis-growing heavyweights bringing their knowledge to Homegrown customers by writing articles, producing videos, and recommending strains. These experts are a veritable Mount Rushmore of cannabis legends, including Parker Curtis, Victoria Rouland, Nikki Lasterto, Swami Chaitanya, and the incomparable Kyle Kushman. With combined decades of experience, you can’t go wrong consulting with these legends.
Homegrown’s team of experts is second to none. Talk about a blunt rotation!
Kyle’s Sweet Island Feminized: One of Homegrown’s Cultivars with Character (CWC), Kyle’s Sweet Island bears the stamp of approval from one of Homegrown’s biggest assets, the man himself, Kyle Kushman. Sweet Island has a robust pedigree featuring Sweet Pink Grapefruit and Big Skunk #1, two famous parents who always bring a tropical vibe.
After planting Sweet Island, prepare for it to grow to a formidable height — this hybrid leans sativa and will bear the growing hallmarks of those strains. On the smoke, Sweet Island is an energizing, mentally stimulating strain that Homegrown recommends for a wake’n’bake companion. And with a respectable 19% THC, Sweet Island will give you just the push you need without sidetracking your whole day.
If you’re a seasoned hand at cannabis cultivation, and you find yourself craving something new and exciting to grow to keep the hobby fresh, then Cookies Seed Bank would like a few words. Cookies are legendary in the business, creating multiple world-famous strains, like GSC, a strain whose name pays homage to both the brand itself and the girls in green sashes. While picking up strains you’ve heard of before is certainly an option, in our opinion, the real reason to check out Cookies is the strains you haven’t. The team at Cookies is constantly cooking up new, unique strains that push the boundaries of cannabis cultivation.
Cookies was founded by the dynamic duo of Gilbert Anthony Milam Jr, AKA Berner and the enigmatic growmaster known only as Jai. Berner is nothing short of a cannabis mogul in the mold of Jay-Z, hip-hop career included. His partner Jai is a pillar of the San Francisco Bay Area community and a foundational part of the broader cannabis culture. His creativity has influenced the makeup of American cannabis forever, and if you want to know which strain will take the country by storm next, there’s a decent chance Jai is dreaming it up right now. Get your seeds from Cookies and impress your friends with a harvest of the next big thing.
Want to know what the next five years of weed will look like? The last two at Cookies.
Fried Banana is the sensitive type; a skilled hand can be necessary to help this strain reach its full potential, but there’s no better investment to make. Fried Banana features a depth of flavor and aroma that’d have a sommelier stuttering, a true treat for the connoisseur of finer cannabis flower.
Fried Banana is a backcross of Cookies’ legendary Gelato #41, with additional genetics from Stardawg Guava, where Fried Banana gets its tropical flair. Make sure you keep an eye on Fried Banana plants when they reach maturity, they tend to grow spindly as they near harvest. The team at Cookies recommends providing Fried Banana a bit of support to make sure it becomes all it can be.
There’s nothing quite like word of mouth to inspire trust, and a company that isn’t afraid of letting their customers speak freely is usually one you can bank on. Such is the case with Premium Cultivars, our selection for the seed bank with the best user community. Each strain available on the Premium Cultivars storefront features insightful, relevant reviews from growers all over the United States. This creates a dedicated community of growers that customers have access to, without digging through a dozen Reddit threads to find a worthwhile review from a real person.
Premium Cultivars was able to cultivate this online community because of the undeniable quality of their genetics, and the care they take in preserving that legacy. Growers respect quality and hate a scam, and the fact that Premium Cultivars has been able to inspire such a loyal community speaks incredibly well to their product. See for yourself what these seeds can do in your garden, and then pay it forward and leave your own review!
If you’re a nerd like us and love talking about weed as much as smoking it, then you’ll find your kind online at Premium Cultivars.
Jealousy: Jealousy is currently having a moment, earning a slew of accolades including the big one; the coveted Leafly Strain of the Year award. All this popularity has made Jealousy a hard girl to find, with many dispensaries selling out as fast as breeders can grow. Now, thanks to Premium Cultivars, you can snag Jealousy for yourself with these autoflowering, feminized seeds. The word from the Premium Cultivars community is that Jealousy is an easy, low-maintenance strain to grow, so pick up a pack of twelve seeds for just $129.00 and get to planting.
Pros
Cons
Excellent user reviews
No information listed for strain effects
High-quality genetics
Fast delivery
Learn more about seeds & growing cannabis
Why you can trust Leafly Product Picks
Leafly is the world’s leading cannabis discovery platform and provides a vast library of content from some of the most respected voices in cannabis. Leafly Product Picks prioritizes accuracy and integrity in our selections, working through mountains of research, testimonials, and testing to source products you can trust.
Jake Rosendale: Lead Content Writer, Brands & Products
Jake Rosendale is Leafly’s Lead Content Writer, Brands & Products. He’s been with Leafly since 2022, where he spends his time researching the best products in the wide world of weed. Jake’s been writing about cannabis, food, and wine in the Seattle area for 5 years. In addition to Leafly, you can find his work in Seattle Met Magazine and High Times. He loves sci-fi novels, country music, and Super Lemon Haze.
Anna Elliott: Senior Content Editor, Brands & Products
Anna Elliott is Leafly’s Senior Content Editor, Brands & Products. She’s been with Leafly since 2021, managing and editing brand-related content and bringing the best stories on the industry’s top products to life. With a decade of experience reviewing products, covering brands, and editing stories, Anna loves talking up the people & products that make a real difference in readers’ every day. She’s found that Space Mints makes the perfect pairing for enjoying her frankly irresponsible vinyl collection.
Final thoughts
No matter the season, these seed banks are the best in the business. With options for every type of grower, from horticultural novices to captains of cannabis cultivation, our selections for the best cannabis seed companies are poised to kick off a renaissance in homegrowing. A greener world is a better world, so find the seed bank that’s right for you and get your hands in the dirt today!
RQS can help you decide on a seed in just seven questions
Finding the ideal strain for your home cannabis grow can be one of the most intimidating parts of starting a cannabis journey. Ph levels, light content, climate, indoor vs outdoor, all of these factors have a huge influence on your decision, and that’s not even to mention the most important part—that it’s gotta be fun to smoke as well.
This isn’t just a problem for greenhorns either. Experienced cannabis growers can also struggle to find an exciting new strain to grow, and some exciting strains that they would love may fly under their radar, a missed connection that can leave growers missing out on their possible new favorite. Searching for a strain can feel like endlessly scrolling through a streaming service, paralyzed by the overwhelming amount of choice.
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Royal Queen Seeds, one of the most forward-thinking and innovative seedbanks around, is out to help streamline the process and reduce analysis paralysis. They’ve developed an online seedfinder tool to help growers search Royal Queen Seeds’ huge library for the strain that best fits their needs and flavor preferences without the stress of doing painstaking research. No matter your situation, style, or location, Royal Queen Seeds has a strain that you’ll be satisfied with and a few more fun options besides.
Now, that may all sound well and good, but how does it look in practice? We asked one of our writers to use himself as a guinea pig and go through the Seedfinder process to see how Royal Queens’ process works when faced with some real-world conditions. How did our intrepid writer/grower fare? Read on to find out, or click the link below to head straight to the Seedfinder!
Our writer takes a pot quiz
Image courtesy of Royal Queen Seeds.
Autoflowering versus photo-dependent
When curious growers like our writer navigate to the Royal Queen Seeds Seedfinder, they first have to decide whether they’re looking for an autoflowering or photo-dependent strain. This is one of the biggest decisions any grower has to make, and it behooves new growers to research the difference between these two categories of seeds to decide which best suits their needs.
Our writer decided to go for the autoflowering strains. While the increased crop yield of the photo-dependent seeds was intriguing, our writer instead opted for the unrivaled speed and convenience of Royal Queen Seeds’ premium autoflowers. While our writer has significant experience consuming cannabis, he’s a relative newcomer to growing and appreciates the low maintenance offered by Royal Queen Seeds’ autoflowers.
Where do you plan to grow?
Image courtesy of Royal Queen Seeds.
The nifty Seedfinder tool next asked our writer about his living situation, and whether he grew his weed indoors, outdoors, in a greenhouse, or on a balcony. Our writer lives in an apartment in a city in the Pacific Northwest, where sunlight is a precious commodity in short supply. He had a dedicated corner of his apartment given over to his growing supplies, but his windows face north and only catch sunlight at rare hours.
These types of limiting factors present the sort of situation that the RQS Seedfinder excels at solving; with just the addition of a humble, commercially available grow light and the right strain, our writer is well set up to grow and harvest his cannabis, even in the bleak, long darkness of the PNW winter.
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How much space are you working with?
The next question asks how much space you have in your growing area, and if you would prefer tall, large plants or cannabis of a more manageable size. Expert growers know that cannabis plants can look wildly different from each other once grown, with as much as a 100 cm difference in height between strains. This is due to the different phenotypic expressions of indicas, sativas, and the myriad of hybrids.
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While tall and large plants can yield more smokable cannabis per harvest, our writer chose instead to make the most out of his apartment’s limited space with short and compact strains. Taller plants also require a bit more resources to remain healthy, and our writer has limited funds for potting soil. No preference for your grow? No worries. You don’t need to answer this question if you’re open to either tall or short plants.
Ideal grow timeframe
Another important factor in finding your ideal seed strain is how much time you have once your plants begin to flower. It’s largely up to a grower’s personal preference if they like to harvest their cannabis as swiftly as possible, or if they have time to burn. Our writer isn’t going anywhere and isn’t in any hurry; he opted to limit his search to strains with an extended flowering period and settle in for the long haul.
Potency particulars
At this point, things start getting even more fun, as the test shifts from focusing on limiting factors of your cannabis seed options to the exciting details that growers dream about. To signify this change, Royal Queen Seeds’ next question is simple; how potent would you like your weed?
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The stronger stuff is better for making edibles and concentrates, while lower-THC content cannabis is the preference of many growers who prefer a more mellow high. As you might expect from a writer at a cannabis publication, our writer has a formidable tolerance to THC, so he selected the high-THC strains for his grow.
Multiple Choice
Image courtesy of Royal Queen Seeds
These next two questions are an important and unique part of the test; it’s the only section where you can select multiple different answers. We’re about to get into the psychoactive parts of cannabis consumption, so it’s important to note that everyone experiences cannabis a bit differently. While a strain may induce a certain effect like euphoria or hunger in the majority of cannabis consumers, your individual mileage may vary.
Desired effects
The sixth question on the Seedfinder docket regards the effects that you want to experience when you finally get to consume your cannabis. RQS has split the massive field of cannabis effects into four broad categories; Physically Relaxed, Uplifted, Focused, and Psychedelic, which Royal Queen Seeds uses as their category for their intense strains meant for experienced consumers.
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As a note, the strains under the Psychedelic tag will not give you any sort of hallucinogenic effects akin to those of LSD or magic mushrooms, although they will most certainly get you quite stoned. Our writer opted for options B and D, Uplifted and Psychedelic effects, following his personal preference for sativa-like strains that don’t hold anything back.
What’s your flavor?
The final question before the big reveal is another pleasure to answer; this time, Royal Queen Seeds wants to know how you like your weed to taste. This is the biggest preference that you’ll be selecting, and just like the question before, this one is multiple choice.
Our writer had his choice of Sweet, Earthy, Sour, and Dank options, an excellent breakdown of the four big categories of cannabis flavor. As an open-minded cannabis consumer, our writer initially considered selecting all four options. However, a quick inventory of his favorite strains revealed a predominance of Haze family picks, so he decided to stick with what he knew and only opted for the Sour tag.
And the winner is…
Image courtesy of Royal Queen Seeds.
After less than five minutes with the Royal Queen Seeds online Seedfinder tool, our writer had the ideal strain for his growing conditions, Royal Haze Auto. Although it’s the progeny of famous parents Amnesia Haze and Skunk, Royal Haze is no nepo-baby, and some would argue the strain even rises above its well-known pedigree.
Royal Haze Auto will grow to around two to three feet tall and doesn’t mind a low-light environment, an eminently manageable combo for our writer’s PNW pad. While Royal Haze isn’t the strongest strain around, it has a respectable THC content that will be more than enough to help our writer feel energized and focused once his plants are ready to harvest.
That isn’t all that Royal Queen Seeds’ Seedfinder has for our writer. It suggested four other knockout strains that all met his selection criteria. If Royal Haze Auto didn’t strike our writer’s fancy for any reason, the Seedfinder also suggested autoflowering varieties of Pink Runtz, Royal Cheese, Amnesia Haze, and Royal Jack. While all of these strains would excel in our writer’s grow area, they are all very different strains from one another, giving him the ability to make an informed decision as to which strain (or strains) to purchase.
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And that is the real value of the Royal Queen Seeds online Seedfinder; not only does it give you a quick way to narrow down the many strain options, but it also teaches you how to think like one of Royal Queen Seeds’ expert breeders. The Seedfinder helps new growers learn what factors are important when it comes to selecting their strains, and what is just noise. The Seedfinder is also an invaluable tool for experienced growers looking to discover new favorites. Thanks to Royal Queen Seeds, all it takes to find the new superstar strain of your grow is five minutes and an internet connection. Take the quiz and uncover your ideal strains today.
The online Seedfinder is just one of many reasons to check out the Royal Queen Seeds website. Not only can you browse their library of over 200 strains, but you can also peruse their online headshop and buy Royal Queen Seeds merch as well. They’ve also got heaps of online resources to help you take your grow to the next level. While you’re there, make sure to follow Royal Queen Seeds on social media (Instagram, X, Facebook) to keep up with all their new updates, like their collaboration with Mike Tyson and Tyson 2.0.
