Indica is a short plant, usually under 6ft tall, rarely over 8ft tall. Its marijuana leaves have short, wide fingers and are deep green, often tinged with purple.At maturity, the marijuana leaves start to turn even darker purple. It has short branches laden with thick, dense marijuana buds, which mature early, usually about the beginning of September.
The marijuana buds vary in colour from dark green to purple, just like their marijuana leaves. Under cooler conditions, the coloration becomesmore intense. The marijuana buds have little trouble maturing under the cool conditions of our northern climate. Indica marijuana buds smell stinky, you know the type that smell like bad B.O often pungent and their smoke is thick even a small toke will often induce fits of coughing. The best Indicas have a relaxing social high, which allows the person to sense and feel the environment, but does not lead to thinking or analysing the experience.
Other Indicas get you, well shit faced, heavy neck experience I like to call it, to total sleepouts, one spliff and its goodnight! Aside from recent colonisation, Indica is found in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and other surrounding areas. All of these fall between the 25th and 35th parallels, and have extremely variable weather - rainy one year hot the next, and so on. For that reason, each plant population's gene pool is heterogeneous. Plant characteristics vary regarding all phases of their growth including maturation time and climate preferences. In any season, no matter what the weather, some marijuana plants do well.
In the UK, the vast majority of marijuana plants grown come from a mainly Indica background due to the early flowering times and our bad weather. THE THC/cbd ration also varies. Poor quality Indica marijuana and hashish contain high quantities of CBD. This is where the toker becomes lead-headed and sleepy.
Sativa marijuana plants vary from about 6ft to over 25ft in height.Most varieties grow in the 8ft to I2ft range. The marijuana leaves are long and thin fingered and are light green , especially equatorial varieties, which have less chlorophyll and more yellow pigments in order to protect the plant from intense light. Temperate varieties are darker green.The marijuana leaves of some varieties yellow and fall off during maturity. The marijuana plants have long branches. The bottom ones may spread 4ft or more from the central stalk, rather like a conical Xmas tree shape.
The marijuana buds are long and thin, far less densely populated than the Indica, although longer in length, sometimes stretching 3ft in or more along the branch. The stomas of the flowering bud may be tinged slightly purple in a cool climate but in a warmer environment will turn dark orange or even red. Maturation time varies considerably.
Low THC midwestern varieties mature in August and September, while Equatorial varieties mature from November through to January. The marijuana buds require intense light to thicken and swell. Under the low light conditions found in the UK the marijuana buds are very skimpy and thin but are often very potent. Sativa marijuana buds smell sweet, fruity (Apple Pie comes to mind) and perfumed, and their smoke is usually smooth and easily inhaled. Sativas are found all over the world and include most of the commercial equatorial varieties such as Colombian,Mexican, Nigerian and South African where marijuana plants can be very potent.When smoking a sativa the high is very Cerebral, you have a rush of energy, a buzz in the body and a great way of getting the housework done without vegging out.
Native sativa marijuana plants above the 30th parallel are considered industrial hemp. Under artificial light an Indica plant will mature faster than a sativa, over 4 weeks of extra light is required to bring a sativa plant to maturity, even then its weight is often much lower. Hence, more indica strains are grown for sale, making the dealer / grower richer. So, with all these different growth patterns, highs, THC content and maturation times, marijuana plants of today are almost tailored to the individual grower.
Twenty years ago it was difficult to get a prime crop of bud, as the seeds were from a country that produced more light and heat, therefore making growing in this country a little painful for the poor marijuana plants. However today it is possible to buy strains that will flower in the autumn month that best suits you. Indoor growing is fast becoming big business in this country and growers are free to grow whatever strain they desire, no limit is put on light and heat, making all strains possible to grow. Seed companies would not exist without a crossbreeding pattern and there would be no cannabis Cup!!
So when you go out to Holland and purchase a strain of weed, purchase three kinds, Pure indica, Pure sativa and a 50/50 crossbreed, and see if you can see the difference in the high, you will be pleasantly surprised, if not a little trashed.
The Sativa High :
The sativa high is often characterized as uplifting and energetic . The effects of a sativa marijuana are mostly cerebral. They give a feeling of optimism and well - being, as well as providing a good measure of pain relief for certain symptoms. A few pure sativas are also very high in THC content. They are known to have a quite spacey, or hallucinogenic, effect. Sativas are a good choice for daytime smoking.
The Indica High :
The indica highs are most often described as a pleasant body buzz. Indicas are great for relaxation, stress relief, and for an overall sense of calm and serenity. Marijuana indicas are also very effective for overall body pain relief, and often used in the treatment of insomnia. They are the late - evening choice of many smokers as an all - night sleep aid. A few pure indica strains are very potent in THC, and will cause the "couchlock" effect, enabling the smoker to simply sit still and enjoy the experience of the smoke.