Discover expert tips from Maxence Majot of Royal Queen Seeds on indoor vs. outdoor cannabis growing, and avoiding mistakes.
Max Majot is a cannabis cultivation authority who excels at project and infrastructure development and management. His command of growing techniques and cultivation site idiosyncrasies ensures that Royal Queen Seeds (RQS) maintains a high level of quality and consistently delivers elite products across all of its markets.
Max also collaborates closely with the research and development team that drives the ever-expanding RQS seed and strain library and uses his knowledge of supply chain logistics to efficiently scale company expansion. A teacher at heart, Max enjoys visiting RQS farms to advise on best practices.
In the world of cannabis cultivation, knowledge and preparation are crucial, especially for those just starting their journey. In this interview, we sit down with Maxence Majot, Technical Manager and Grow Expert at Royal Queen Seeds, to explore the fundamental differences between indoor and outdoor cannabis growing, the essential equipment needed for beginners, and the common pitfalls to avoid.
With his extensive experience, Max offers practical advice on selecting the best strains, managing costs, and ensuring a successful harvest. Whether you’re a novice grower or looking to refine your techniques, this discussion provides valuable insights to help you cultivate high-quality cannabis with confidence.
Ganjly: What are the primary differences between growing cannabis indoors versus outdoors, and which do you recommend for beginners?
Max Majot: There are a few primary, but critical, differences between growing cannabis indoors versus outdoors. The first is climate control, which you have near total control over when growing indoors–there’s no rain or big swings in temperatures or humidity. Second, and arguably the most important, is power over the “sun” with a range of lighting options.
You get to pick and choose how long photoperiod plants are in their vegetative state when you want to begin their flowering phase, and how long you can keep them in that state. The ability to regulate light is important because some cannabis strains only need eight weeks to finish flowering, while others 10 weeks or more. Both climate and light control allow year-round growing. Though, all of this regulation/control comes at the cost of the equipment itself, its maintenance, and energy costs.
Outdoor growing (except green- or hoop-houses) has none of that control but has no energy costs for light and depending on the local climate, watering can be done more infrequently because of rain.
Outdoor growing for most people is seasonal–requiring that seeds or clones are started at the right time for maximum light and appropriate temperatures. But, the sun is free and most soil can be bought or mixed at low budgets making it a great beginner option.
If you are in the right season (late May to early June for those located in the Northern Hemisphere), I recommend beginning your growing journey outdoors. If you’re outside of the right season, I recommend beginning with a modest indoor grow setup.
Ganjly: Can you explain the basic setup needed for an indoor cannabis grow, including essential equipment and estimated costs?
Max Majot: A basic setup needed for indoor growing includes lights, a timer for scheduling lights to be on and off, a fan for circulation and strengthening stalks and stems, pots, soil and of course, the seeds and water.
Costs for a basic indoor setup depend on how high-end or luxury you want to go, but the cheapest options are ~$100 for lights, ~$10 for the timer, ~$20 for the fan, ~$15 for the pots, ~$20 for the soil and ~$20 for seeds–totaling to around ~$185.
Ganjly: What are the best cannabis strains for beginners, and what should new growers look for when selecting seeds?
Max Majot: Some of the best cannabis strains for beginners are Critical, Special Queen, and Special Kush–all as feminized seeds (photoperiod). Feminized seeds generally handle more mistakes, which is common for beginners. While auto-flowering or F1 hybrids are faster to grow, the common mistakes made while growing these seeds tend to be more irreversible, so they require more experience and knowledge.
Ganjly: How does the cost of homegrown cannabis compare to buying from dispensaries, and what are the potential savings for home growers?
Max Majot: Let’s look at it from a distance. For ~$200, you can get a total home-grow setup, which could result in ~100 grams of flower, so about $2/gram. When comparing that to the $8-$10/gram or more from a dispensary, the difference in cost is pretty remarkable. Same goes for the quality of the product, which tends to be better when it comes straight from the source.
It’s also important to note that the cost of equipment (~$200) is almost fully eliminated following the first harvest, as most of the setup can be used for future harvests as well.
Ganjly: What are the common mistakes beginners make when starting their cannabis grow, and how can they be avoided?
Max Majot: There are a couple of different mistakes that tend to be common for beginners. The first is overwatering. You can avoid this by making sure you check the weight of the pot, and touch / scratch the top layer of the soil to see if it needs water. Next is overfeeding. Your plants don’t need food until the third week, so make sure you respect the feeding schedule. Last but not least is the lack of light exposure, specifically for growing outdoors. Your plants need direct exposure to sunlight.
Ganjly: How important is the quality of soil and nutrients in cannabis cultivation, and what do you recommend for optimal growth?
Max Majot: The quality of soil and nutrients is very important for cannabis cultivation. It’s easy, unfortunately, to buy soil with poor quality and nutrients as most options from big box stores tend to have bad water retention, insects, etc. You are what you eat and the same goes for your plants. If you use low-quality soil with bad nutrients, the plants will reflect it.
Ganjly: Can you share some tips on how to properly water and care for cannabis plants to ensure a healthy yield?
Max Majot: One of the biggest tips I tell everyone who asks about properly watering their plants is to get a soil moisture sensor, which will tell you how wet your soil is. Additionally, keeping the pH of the water around 6.3 will ensure the best assimilation of all nutrients in the soil. If you do a good job at keeping your pH steady and avoid over-watering, your plant will be in good shape.
Ganjly: How can growers identify and address common issues like pests, mold, and nutrient deficiencies in their plants?
Max Majot: Growers can best identify and address common issues like pests, mold, nutrient deficiencies, and more by doing their research and consistently scouting for those issues while checking on their plants daily. If you find something that may look concerning, head straight to our library of knowledge, and you’ll be able to find the answer you need.
Ganjly: What are the legal considerations for home-growing cannabis, and how can growers ensure they stay compliant with local laws?
Max Majot: The legal considerations for home-growing cannabis depend on your local and state laws. Make sure you are doing your research and are informed of those laws such as growing over the amount of the legal limit.
Ganjly: How does Royal Queen Seeds support new growers, and what resources or products do you offer to help them succeed?
Max Majot: At Royal Queen Seeds, we pride ourselves on the level of support we give to all customers, whether they are new growers, new customers, or master hobbyists. Our support extends from providing affordable, quality seeds to consistently publishing educational materials on our extensive blog, to always being willing and excited to interact with our customers directly, and providing guidance in real-time, on a more intimate level.
Thank you, Max, for taking the time to do the interview. We appreciate it. To know more about Max, head on over to RoyalQueenSeeds.com.
