How to Buy Weed Strains Online in Canada?
Cannabis is a fascinating plant genus best known for its mind-altering and medicinal properties. Its use and cultivation date back as far as written language itself, and its therapeutic and spiritual utility spans many cultures around the world throughout history. But despite its ubiquity, you may not fully understand what cannabis is or why there are thousands of different named strains flooding markets worldwide. Here, we’ll take a dive into how the plant is defined, how cannabis has been used, and why it’s taken on so many forms since its earliest uses in human society. So, how to buy weed strains online in Canada?
Getting to know the cannabis plant
Any grower worth their salt (or bud) should have a decent working knowledge of cannabis anatomy. Knowing the function of each plant part, its psychoactivity, and its relationship to the other parts of the plant is of utmost importance. Knowledge is power, and having a healthy relationship with this plant requires familiarity with its anatomy. Non-growers who smoke cannabis may find their experience enhanced by this knowledge as well.
When we look at a beautiful cannabis plant we think “I want to have it, I want to touch it, I want to smoke it, I want to make space cakes”, there’s no shame in that. But what are these small intriguing components? The female cannabis plant will be our main subject of investigation because it brings forth the buds which we have treasured for millennia, but we shall also mention males and hermaphrodites.
Male cannabis plants develop pollen sacks. The pollen fertilizes the female plants which start producing seeds. The male plants need to be detected quickly and removed before they pollinate the females and lower the quantity and quality of the buds.
The sex of the plant starts showing within the first 2 weeks of the flowering period. There are also hermaphrodite plants which are both male and female. The plant can become hermaphrodite due to genetics and environmental stress. These plants can pollinate themselves, which is not desired because of the destruction of perfectly potent buds.
Alright so let’s dip into the female plants. The cola is the topmost part of the plant, where the buds come together to form a mass. It’s the part that you smoke. The cola is also called the “terminal bud”. The side colas grow along the length of the plant, between the fan leaves. They are usually smaller than the terminal cola, although they can be enlarged by methods such as LST (Low-Stress-Training) and ScrOG (Screen Of Green). These techniques provide higher amounts of light for the buds, which makes them bigger. The number of “terminal” colas on a plant can be increased by various plant training techniques. These include: topping, where the topmost growth is cut off; screen of green (ScrOG), where the plant is grown through a mesh screen; low-stress training (LST), where branches are bent and tied. This means multiple colas will be located at roughly the same height.
What are the most popular strains of cannabis?
Each cannabis strain has a different concentration of the cannabinoids tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), as well as other compounds.
Producers grow the plants to have a certain look, taste, and effect on the user and brand them accordingly.
Currently, reports on the effects of different cannabis strains come predominantly from people’s experiences. Although researchers are studying the effects of a variety of cannabis strains on a range of medical conditions, there is still a long way to go in this area.
Keep reading to learn more about cannabis strains, and which are the most popular.
All strains of cannabis derive from the Cannabaceae family of plants. Some experts consider that Cannabis indica and Cannabis sativa are the two main subspecies, although some people think they are separate species.
To create a strain, cultivators select a variety of traits to produce the effects they want. This is a similar process to how breeders create particular characteristics in dogs.
People often describe cannabis strains as being indica, sativa, or hybrid. Hybrid refers to a strain created by combining both indica and sativa strains.
Here are some examples of cannabis strains and the plant they derive from:
| Strain name | Plant species |
| Kush | Pure Cannabis indica or Cannabis indica hybrid |
| Afghan Kush, Hindu Kush, Green Kush, Purple Kush | Pure Cannabis indica |
| Blueberry Kush, Golden Jamaican Kush | Cannabis indica hybrid |
| Diesel Haze | Pure Cannabis sativa or Cannabis sativa hybrid |
Many producers crossbreed cannabis plants to develop new strains with specific characteristics. Experts suggest that there are over 700 strains of cannabis.
One of the most important characteristics of a cannabis strain is the THC content. Some rules exist on naming each strain, but many producers do not name their products according to these rules.
Despite these classifications, hybridization and crossbreeding has meant that people cannot tell exactly how much THC is in a particular plant by simply looking at its physical features.
Experts suggest it is impossible to guess the composition of a cannabis plant by looking at its height, branching, or leaf appearance.
The only way to know the chemical composition of a cannabis-derived product is to analyze it in a biochemical assay.
Many of these landrace strains were collected from their native habitats and brought to the West, where they were crossbred with one another by horticulturists seeking to explore the plant’s potential. This process of hybridization—breeding different males with different females—has given rise to the thousands of named varieties we consume today.
You’ve probably also heard the terms “indica,” “sativa,” and “hybrid” when discussing cannabis strains. These three types primarily refer to the various plant shapes and structures, features that are important for growers. Consumers have long thought that indicas have sedating effects, sativas promote energy, and hybrid effects fall somewhere in between. However, research has largely debunked this effects-based classification.
Today, cannabis classification more or less operates in the following categories:
- High-THC, low-CBD (more euphoric)
- High-CBD, low-THC (more clear-headed)
- Balanced CBD and THC (mildly euphoric)
Each of these three “chemotypes” offer unique medical benefits and effect profiles. Learn more about how CBD and THC strains differ, and try experimenting with different strains and potencies to find what works best for you.
Where do different strains come from?
Despite the continued efforts to stifle knowledge of the cannabis plant, its rich history is well-documented. Humans have used cannabis for food, fiber, and medicine for thousands of years. Cannabis is believed to have evolved in Central Asia and spread to all reaches of the planet adapting to various climates. These location driven adaptations led us to what we now refer to as landrace strains. Many describe landrace strains as the forefathers of modern cannabis. They’re different phenotypes that are native to certain parts of the world. Landrace strains are named after their region of origin. The most well known landrace strain is most likley Hindu Kush that originated in the Hindu Kush Mountains. Other landrace strains include Durban Poison from the Durban region in South Africa, Panama Red from Panama, and Acapulco Gold from Mexico. These are the original indicas and sativas.
Cannabis cultivators have bred landrace strains to create new strains to either adapt to a new environment, change yield, or smoking experience. GreenCamp calls landrace strains the dinosaurs of the cannabis world. According to Alex Tropkovich, “They are old, super cool, and you just don’t get to see them in their original form anymore”. Modern cannabis strains are variations of these landrace strains. Don’t get us wrong, modern cannabis cross breeding has created some truly beautiful new genetics, but it would be cool to smoke a true, pure piece of history.
How do cannabis strains differ?
Now that we’ve discussed the origins of various cannabis strains, let’s go over the general differences between the different subcategories. As we talked about in the previous section, indicas and sativas came from the original landrace strains. There are modern indica and sativa strains that are mixtures of different landrace genetics. These different strains adapted to their native environments, so the way they grow and how much they yield will differ across the globe. Breeding different strains allows the cultivator to create specific flavor profiles, plant yields, potency, growing time, size, and cannabinoid profiles.
Some of the major differences between strains are the flavor profiles. Cannabis gets its flavor and aroma from oils called terpenes. Terpenes not only make our cannabis taste and smell amazing, but they’re responsible for the unique experience that each strain gives us. This is because terpenes change the way THC affects us when we inhale them. Indicas and sativas have vastly different terpene profiles.
Here are a few basic characteristics between the three categories.
Indica strains
- Are known for being relaxing and sedative. They’re great for pain relief, anxiety, and insomnia.
- Indica plants are usually short and stocky with large dense buds that are sticky from high resin content.
- The leaves on an indica plant are usually short, fat, and close together.
- Indica strains have tasting notes of earth, pine, pepper, berries, bananas,lavender, and hops.
Sativa strains
- Sativa strains are known for being energizing and creative. People commonly use sativas for depression, art, and other productive activities. These strains are good for daytime use.
- These plants evolved from being grown for their fibers, so they are usually quite tall with smaller and lighter buds.
- The leaves on sativa plants are usually long, slender, and far apart. This promotes light penetrating through the canopy to the lower levels of the plant.
- Sativa strains have tasting notes of citrus, tropical fruit, light florals, and cherry.
Hybrid strains
The beauty of hybrid strains is that they can land anywhere on the spectrum between indicas and sativas. Hybrids can be uplifting, mellow, or somewhere in the middle. They can taste fruity or earthy. Hybrid strains have become increasingly popular because of their versatility. People who can relax without being knocked out, or can have the energizing experience without any of the anxiety associated with pure sativas. Your friendly budtender can help you pick out the right strain for you.