Thought:
Mother nature has short days in spring, long days summer, short days in fall. That is plant full cycle.
Now think of our light cycles. Would plants behave different if we followed what has been going on for millions of years?
Yes, they would look different! They'd be friggin huge for one thing.
I think the best way to grow is in calcium rich, mineral rich, living soil, outdoors in a perfect climate, with perfect weather throughout the grow. The sun, timely rain showers and rich soil will bring out the very best in the plant. Heavenly.
If you can't count on the weather, or you live in Arizona or Nevada....you've got to grow indoors. Either in a fully climate controlled greenhouse, or with lights and timers, etc.
We indoor growers can CULTIVATE the plant with tools not available to outdoor growers...namely we control sunrise and sunset, temperature and environment. This is our only advantage and is why indoor buds are so damned pretty and the plants are often more potent.
But outdoor weed has that special "something" and I personally prefer it, everything else being equal. The sun, moon and stars are the advantage to being outdoors.
So, back to your question, the plants were created to adapt to a variety of environmental factors. These adaptations are all "natural" and part of being a plant....but some of them produce better flowers than others. Indoors, we can emphasize the epigenetic adaptations in ways that enhance the quality and/or quantity of flowers.
Humankind is also part of nature.....we are the cultivators!
At least we should be. We're supposed to care for the soil and all living creatures. We've done a very poor job of that the last 200 years, but the tide is changing.
Letting plants grow wild and natural is great....but cultivating them with wisdom is better.
That's the natural way:
cultivation. That's how we're supposed to play our role. Cultivation puts us in the web of life, not as spectators but as servants and guardians.
One thing I've definitely noticed is that due to the corporate farming and rape of our soils and sick hybridization of our food crops, the emotional pendulum has begun to swing in the other direction. While this is a welcome thing, people should not forget that humans also have the power to do good and necessary things to our environment, not just destructive ones.
Cultivation is our gift to all living creatures. So, basically my grow style is based on that. Plants adapt and survive...and at times thrive...in the wild. But wise cultivation achieves far better results than "nature" alone. Man is part of nature, after all.
Better weed than usual tonite.