Which seeds to choose?

Before you start growing something, it will be useful to understand the types of seed. A lot depends on this, starting from understanding the timing of cultivation and ending with the yield.

The fact is that modern cannabis has many varieties that even the most novice grower should know about. Consider the main gradations of cannabis.

Cannabis Ruderalis

Translated from Latin as “wild hemp”. A weed variety of cannabis that is found everywhere. Do you see a scattering of low and skinny bushes somewhere under a village fence? With a high probability, this is a wild game, as the growers call it. Ruderalis is not used for growing at all, due to its extremely poor cannabinoid-terpene profile and low yield. However, it has the ability to bloom regardless of the light cycle, it was the genes of this species that helped the breeders develop autoflowering varieties, which we will talk about in more detail on the pages of our book.

Landrace

A type of cannabis that is found only in a certain geographic area and nowhere else naturally. Landraces are used as a kind of raw material for the creation of cultivars. With the help of selection and crossing, they are given certain qualities that the breeder (breeder-breeder) wants to see. The selection is based on yield, cannabinoid content and other parameters, such as resistance to diseases or environmental conditions.

Heirlum

This is a landrace that has been taken from a pure population and grown elsewhere over the years, changing and strengthening its characteristics. For example, you took the seeds of some landrace from the Himalayas, planted and selected it in Europe for many years - this is already a heirlum. Since its original characteristics have been improved elsewhere by generations of breeders.

Technical hemp

Used for the production of fabrics, building materials, oils and other industrial needs. For growing purposes, such hemp is not used at all, due to the low level of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and other important cannabinoids and terpenes.

It is very easy to identify industrial hemp, for sure, many have seen such fields - the plants are planted tightly, practically do not bush and, in fact, represent a tall, skinny “stick” sticking out of the ground.

In mass growing, the varieties of cannabis listed above are practically not used. Weed hemp - for obvious reasons. Technics are raised by agro-industrial enterprises. Landraces and Heyrlums are the lot of breeders. And in growboxes and vegetable gardens, you can often find the types of hemp listed below.

Cannabis sativa

This word is translated from Latin as "hemp". However, one should not think that such cannabis is suitable only for ropes, as an industrial variety. The cannabinoid and terpene profiles in sativa are significantly different from industrial hemp for the better. What makes her a welcome guest of growboxes around the world and plots in the south, where the autumn is long and warm, because only in such conditions can sativa ripen.

Sativa has thin, light green leaves, open plant structure, long internodes, fruits (buds) are elongated and not very thick, which makes this type of cannabis more resistant to mold, for example. This is important when growing in conditions of high humidity and temperature. The sativa tolerates such environmental factors easily.

Another feature of sativa is that it blooms much longer than other varieties of cannabis. In some cases, the entire Sativa growing cycle (from sprout to harvest) can take up to six months. Tropical Sativa varieties are the most long-flowering. For example, sativas from Thailand take a very long time to ripen (4 months or more).

As a rule, sativa differs from other types of cannabis and the effect of use. Often the use of sativa gives lightness and airiness, a surge of energy and euphoria. In growers' slang, this effect is called "high" (high).

Due to the long cycle and high growth habit of sativas, they are not very suitable for beginners, although, in fact, there is nothing difficult in their cultivation, if you learn the basics of growing and master the techniques of the so-called “training” of the plant (folding, cropping, etc.).

Indica Cannabis

It is translated from Latin as “Indian hemp”. As you might guess, such cannabis comes from India and its immediate environs (Pakistan, Afghanistan). The level of THC and other cannabinoids in the indica is quite high, which has won the love of many growers.

Indica bushes have large and thick dark green leaves, stocky plants with short internodes. Indica buds are thicker and not as elongated as compared to Sativa.

Indica blooms quickly. On average, it takes two or a little more months for the cones to ripen to full readiness. During this time, she manages to gain impressive levels of THC and other cannabinoids.

The effect of the indica is more pronounced narcotic in nature. Such cannabis is a great relaxant, unlike sativa. Under the indica one wants to be lazy and lie on the couch, thinking about the fate of the world or other global issues. The effect of indica is called “stone” or “stone” in grower slang.

In principle, even a beginner armed with a minimum of knowledge about growing can cope with indica, because it grows and blooms quickly and well, without any problems.

Hybrids

This is a mixture of sativa and indica in varying proportions. There are sativa-dominant hybrids, that is, with a predominance of sativa genes. There are indica-dominant ones, where indica genes are more pronounced. And there are also varieties where the genes are approximately equal.

Depending on the predominance of certain genes, the bush itself develops. If there is more sativa, the plant is more similar in structure to it. It's the same with indica-dominant varieties.

This is also true for the effect of use, it depends on the predominance of certain genes.

Hybrids tend to be quite resistant to environmental factors. Also, due to hybridization, they have very interesting cannabinoid-terpene profiles.