Choosing Seeds and Harvesting a Successful Crop

ISSUE 6

Glenn Curtis

There are three types of cannabis plants.
Cannabis indica, Cannabis sativa and Cannabis ruderalis.

Cannabis indica plants are generally known to be adapted to colder climates. They have broader leaves, thicker flowers or buds and are shorter, stout looking plants in comparison to their sister varieties, that generally complete their flowering cycle faster than Sativa strains.

Cannabis sativa’s originate from hotter climates. They have longer stems, thinner leaves and are slower to complete their flowering cycle. Sativa’s are used in hemp production as well as medicinal usage. They are associated with more cerebral, euphoric highs compared to the heavy- body sensation typical of the Indica plants. Both plants can be cross bread to produce amazing hybrid strains.

Cannabis ruderalis is an auto flowering plant. Auto-flowering means the plant will begin flowering automatically despite the photo (light) period changing. This is advantageous to growers wanting to produce a crop every three months whether they grow indoors or outdoors. Ruderalis plants have a 3-month cycle.

Understanding the Plant’s Natural Lifecycle and its Three Growing Stages

Cannabis is photo (light) sensitive. In its natural environment the plant will begin its lifecycle in Spring and finish in late Summer, which is typically a Six-month cycle.

When the photoperiod is above 12 hours per day the plant focusses its energy on producing large fan leaves and branching out. This stage of the plant’s life cycle is referred to as the vegetative growth stage.

When the photo period is reduced to 12 hours or less per day the plant will begin producing sexual reproductive parts (if grown from a regular seed). The plant will then become either a male or a female. This stage is referred to as the flowering stage.

Three Types of Cannabis seeds; Regular, Feminized and Auto-flowering

Regular

A regular seed will germinate, grow, and later become either a male or a female plant. Regular seeds are photo sensitive; they will begin flowering when the light period drops to 12 hours and lower.

Feminised

Feminised seeds will germinate and grow into female plants only. Feminised seeds are also photo sensitive. They are a huge benefit to both indoor and outdoor growers.

Auto-flowering

Auto-flowering seeds will germinate, grow, and begin flowering automatically regardless of the photoperiod. Most auto-flowering seeds are feminised which, gives novice growers fantastic benefits. The plant’s life cycle is 3 months. Therefore, you can expect a guaranteed harvest 3 months after planting.

A variety of top selling international seeds can be purchased locally and shipped within 3-5 days from www.f1seeds.co.za

What are Mother Plants and Clones?

Many growers keep mother plants. A mother plant is simply kept in a vegetative state of growth in order to produce identical clones.

These cuttings will be exact genetic copies of the mother plant. The benefit is to produce a uniform crop without having to start from seed each time. Many growers keep several mother plants of their favourite strains, producing hundreds of clones.

Mother plants are maintained under lights where the photo period is 14 hours or longer, preventing the plant from going into a flowering state.

The Magnaray Mother and Clone Station is ideal for beginners and experienced growers. It is a hydroponic system artificially lit that can be kept indoors. It takes up very little space with a low electricity cost. The system has room for two mother plants and 22 clones.

Available at www.growlights.co.za and www.f1seeds.co.za.

For any queries on lights and seeds you can email orders@f1seeds.co.za

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