Cannabis use dates back thousands of years across a wide range of cultures and demographics. While most marijuana used today is grown in greenhouses under human care, the plant does occur naturally in some parts of the world. Many scholars believe marijuana spread from its original home in South and Central Asia to the rest of the world over many centuries.
The natural ability to grow without human assistance can be drastically altered because various strains are designed to grow in various regions. Although marijuana can be grown naturally in a variety of climates and locales, most of the marijuana used today is developed in a controlled environment to produce the desired effects. Producers of marijuana worldwide try to make the most of the wide range of suitable growing conditions to deliver a consistent and high-quality crop.
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FAVOURABLE NATURE FOR THE CULTIVATION OF MARIJUANA
Let us have a look at the conditions and locales where marijuana can flourish in its natural state.
Arid Areas
Some varieties of marijuana can grow in exceedingly dry places, such as the Middle East and Northern Africa. The high winds in these areas are ideal for dispersing marijuana seeds throughout the desert. The day-night temperature swings in these arid locales present a unique challenge to the strains that thrive there.
Strains that Do Well in Arid Climates
- Sinai
- Afghani
Regions with mild winters and warm summers
Also, the subtropical environment is ideal for the cultivation of several varieties of marijuana. This group of plants requires a temperate climate in order to thrive; they will not do well in a region that is abnormally hot, cold, dry, or wet. These marijuana strains require a warm, but not too hot, climate with moderate moisture.
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Strains That Do Well in the Colder Months
- Lebanese Red
- Swazi Gold
CONTINENTAL AREAS
Marijuana can also flourish naturally and freely in the wild in continental climates. Continental climates are characterized by high temperatures all year long and frequent, often intense, summer rainfall. Continental winters are notoriously chilly and dry. Adaptation to seasonal changes is essential for the survival of any strain that may thrive in continental climates.
Selected Strains for the Continent
- Swiss Sativa
- Nepalese
TROPICAL AREAS
In these areas, summers can be extremely hot, and the humidity and precipitation are constant. Since many marijuana strains do best in tropical environments, many major cannabis farms are headquartered in these areas. Plants that thrive in direct sunlight do well in tropical climates because of the abundant sunlight they receive all year. Generally speaking, tropical strains are poorly suited to temperate climates.
Strains Favored in the tropics
- Lamb’s Bread
- Malawi
Marijuana is a true one-of-a-kind plant, and thanks to its versatility, it can be cultivated in a wide variety of environments around the world.
Frequently Asked Questions About Growing Marijuana
1.What exactly is the distinction between cannabis, hemp, and marijuana?
Hemp and marijuana are two Cannabis species closely related and are typically referred to as high and low THC cannabis. The distinction between them is comparable to that between sweet corn and field corn. Sweet corn produces high-sugar kernels, and field corn produces starch-filled kernels. Only a few genes distinguish sweet corn from field corn. Similarly, only a few genes distinguish hemp from marijuana.
2. Why is plant gender important?
Hemp is distinct from many other crops in that it is typically dioecious, with separate male and female plants. Hermaphroditic plants, which have both male and female reproductive structures, are also found. Because CBD is mainly concentrated in unpollinated female flowers, this presents distinct challenges for producers trying to generate a high CBD yield.
3. When and how may the plant’s gender be determined?
At the pre-flowering stage, both male and female plants can be distinguished. Female flowers have two white fuzzy hair-like appendages projecting from their petals, distinguishing them from men early on. Male flowers are spherical, lack white hairs, and grow in thick clusters (Figure 2). Cannabis is a short-day plant (it requires more darkness than sunshine to blossom). Thus it will begin to flower when the day and night durations are roughly equal.
4. What effect does frost have on CBD and THC levels?
Hemp is a relatively resistant plant that can withstand frost well once it matures. In 2018, researchers at the University of Vermont compared the temperatures and CBD levels of hemp plants grown using fabric row covers to those grown uncovered. They discovered that even though the unprotected hemp plants were subjected to temperatures below freezing multiple times during the trial, the overall CBD concentration was unchanged. They also discovered that frost and cold weather could cause plant colour to alter, but this has little to no effect on CBD or THC levels.
