Long gone are the days of meeting up with the plug for whatever brick weed they had, or whatever they were calling ‘purps’. Today, cannabis consumers have the luxury of knowing how the flower is grown, where it’s grown, and the unique practices and values of each cultivator and facility, too.
But over the years, with this acquired new knowledge, many myths have come to light about different types of cannabis. Like, is indoor-grown flower really more potent? Or, does outdoor weed really taste better?
With the growing popularity of farm-to-table, sustainable, and organic lifestyles, it’s only natural that sun grown weed is becoming popular as well, which is no stranger to these types of weed myths. That’s why we took the time to explore the world of outdoor weed to find out the truth.
So, keep reading to learn the most common sun grown cannabis myths and find out what’s real and what’s cap.
Back in the day, outdoor weed was somewhat well-known for being of lesser quality due to the conditions in which it was grown. What do we mean? Since outdoor farms were harder to conceal from law enforcement, farms were often forced to harvest early, sacrificing the maturation of terpenes, cannabinoids, and size. Over the years, as Cali locals consumed illicit cannabis from these types of farms—yes, this myth may have once been true. But today, farmers are wild and free to grow for as long as they want, and however they want to reach just as high a level of quality as indoors.
By now, we all know the plant’s flavor and aroma come from its unique terpene profile. The big debate is which is better for enhancing terpene profiles—indoor or outdoor environments? The amount of terpenes produced by a cannabis plant is entirely determined by how well it performs photosynthesis. A process that’s affected by the plant’s environment, including temperature, medium or soil, humidity, and sources of energy, being either artificial light or the sun. While weed can be more or less flavorful depending on its strain and the way in which it’s grown—experts suspect outdoor conditions, and unique terroirs and agriculturally rich soils in California specifically, could be best at harnessing robust terpene profiles vs. indoors.
Again, the longtime myth that sun grown weed is less potent than indoors, has been perpetrated by the old wild west days of weed. Like we mentioned earlier, as early farmers sought ways to conceal their crops from helicopter DEA flyovers, this often included hiding the plants under trees. When plants were more shaded than usual, it’s no surprise they grew smaller, shorter, and contained less THC from the lack of sun. In fact, at one time, this type of weed was called ‘ditch weed’ by locals. Today, however, plants can soak up the strong Cali sun, year-round, without fear of flying narcs. In doing so, sungrown cannabis can be just as potent as indoor, if not more potent with certain strains or practices.
Technically, if you’re buying from a home grower or someone on the black market, sungrown flower could contain molds, pests, and mildew. But so could indoor weed, from the same sources. When you purchase weed legally, from a dispensary like Embarc, you’re guaranteed that any flower on the shelf has gone through rigorous testing as required by the state of California. This includes testing for molds, pests, and mildew, and even water activity and moisture content tests to ensure mold doesn’t have a chance to grow as it sits and awaits your purchase.
Now that you know the full deets on common sungrown flower myths, you be the judge. If you’re searching for local sun grown farms to try, here are some of our favs –
Sonoma Hills is the epitome of sun grown cannabis farms, nestled in the hills of wine country thirty miles north of San Francisco. The terroir, or natural environment in which plants grow, is highly favorable for not only fruits and veggies, but cannabis too. The brand’s intention is to interweave Sonoma’s highly acclaimed agricultural notoriety into the cannabis industry, with their offering of craft flower like White Runtz.
Humboldt’s own Talking Trees prioritizes sustainability in everything they do, from cultivation to packaging (with compostable bags!). They grow their crops 100% outdoors and organically too, even using a rain catchment water system to avoid draining the local streams, creeks, and rivers. Their premium craft cannabis highlights these natural benefits with flavorful, single-source sun-grown flowers. Try the brand’s pre-rolls in Mac and Geez – a first-place Emerald Cup winner-to experience the difference.
What they call ‘Sun grown and moon made’ Moon Made Farms has a passion for outdoor grown flower, like no other. The brand lists the myriad of reasons why sun grown cannabis reigns supreme on their website home page, and considers mother earth and sustainability with every decision and move they make. Their sungrown cannabis selection strives to blow the ‘outdoor weed doesn’t taste as good’ myth out of the water, with some of the most unique terpene-rich strains around. Like Team Cream, which is a cross of Cookies and Cream and Strawberries and Cream, that’s described as tasting like a warm vanilla cinnamon danish.
Considering, new data has determined indoor cultivation facilities produce 25 times the amount of carbon in comparison to outdoor grows… and use 70x more energy than commercial office buildings – it’s time we all do our part in protecting mother earth while enjoying sungrown flower.
Mix up your sesh routines, and shop these sun grown cannabis brands at Embarc today! Check out our special *Sun & Earth* and *Sustainable and Sungrown* categories while shopping online, or ask one of our friendly team members to help in person by finding a location near you.
Embark on a fresh way to cultivate your own wellness routines, with your friendly neighborhood cannabis bodega, Embarc.
