m0useanswered grow question 2 months ago A lot of it is genetics like others have said. and its environment, Some weed just grows "better", However I find that type of weed with really dense nugs that has high bag appeal is not well suiting for growing outdoors and only does well in a controlled environment as it would just rot otherwise. I like not having to baby it indoors and can grow well outside, so this kinda thing is a no no for me. This is just my opinion and does not reflect others who may answer this question. Better is in quotes as it might be better for one person and not someone else or the plant itself.
However, density does not always mean it is using PGRs, I have seen some weed from users on the site who do no use PGRs and they have produced nice buds like that. so its hard to tell unless your getting it tested or know who and how they grew it.
But in the end, all weed without PGRs and will still get you high. If you don't care and your growing it for yourself, then it doesn't even matter so don't get hung up on it and focus on dumb things, just be happy. If you do care, get talking about getting some nice clone cuts and see what you can do. Once its processed into a joint I doubt any one can tell what it looked like before. Or if its processed into a concentrate it really does not matter. The more airy buds make better hash as they require less processing.
all PGRs IMO are bad and should not be used. I find people get hung up on the best of the best and expect to be able to replicate it. There is so much bad breeding practices with cannabis its unrealistic, not every strain/plant/seed can be that golden egg. Its also why most of the best weed out their is clone only. Its a very specific phenotype that produces that special kinda weed when treated well.
I have a friend who is a weed snob and does not like trying my shit when its free because it looks different then the illegal dispensary weed that is super dense like in your pic.
This same person has even tried my first ever run of bubble hash that looks fucked up and said it was better then the dispensary hash they purchased and looked better, but because it looks different they did not like it.
So moral of the story, you can't fix stupid. and grow your own :)