Sativa vs Indica: Do You Know The Difference?
When it comes to talking marijuana, there’s only really two species that will be referred to. Those two species of cannabis are: Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica. Some will claim to know the difference, but do they really? We here at Weedly are here to help you with that. Indicas and sativas both have psychoactive reactions to them when ingested. We’ll get into which one is going to be the more dominate psychoactive of the two and how you can always remember with a little word play that was taken from Elementary school English, if you will. The experienced smoker will quickly tell you the difference in between the two, but we want to help you make your own decisions. This article is hopefully going to do just that.
Sativa
The way to tell the difference between indica and sativa the easiest, is with your eyes. Just take a look at the leaves. Sativa plants are tall in nature and are a bit scraggly looking with thin stalks, as well as thin leaves.
Sativas can be found typically in warm climates such as Mexico, Southeast Asia, Central America and maybe even Phoenix, who knows? The fact that these locations are near the equator allows the Sativa the habitat that it needs in order to not only survive, but flourish. These type of plants love the heat as well as the outdoors. The normal height of a Sativa plant is between 8 to 12 feet high. There’s been times that a Sativa plant can reach upwards of 18 feet in the right conditions, of course.
Sativa Effects
Ready for your English lesson that I referred to earlier? Here it is. The “S” in Sativa stands for “Stimulating” and that’s exactly what a good sativa is supposed to do. Like an energy drink so to speak. Most sativa use is done in the daytime and will energize you and increase creativity with amazing cerebral enhancements. If you’re looking for something that will leave you feeling like you’re skipping on the clouds, then sativa is for you!
As far as the aroma of sativa they tend to be a lighter, more fruity smell.
Sativa Growing
Obviously from what we told you about the environment one would need to produce a full and lively sativa plant, would indicate that almost all sativa growing is done outdoors. These are a product of their environment almost, to where they need longer to flower, as compared to indicas, so they mustn’t be disturbed and moved around. You can expect around 12 to 14 weeks for flowering time.
Notable Sativa Strains
Jack Herer
Sour Diesel
Acapulco Gold
Durban Poison
Indica
This plant is short and stocky, with full-figured leaves completing this dense foliage of the indica plant. But even though they may not grow to be as towering as their other sativa counterpart, don’t let their look fool you, as these bad girls are loaded up with the goodness of all that resin that is so highly coveted.
The indica plant is native to the kush mountain region on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Naturally this plant is is made to withstand colder conditions and an environment that is meant to turn on a dime. The reason that some prefer indica is because of the evolution of its DNA and how it’s harsh environment has lead to its ability to produce a thick cannabinoid filled resin to protect itself from these conditions.
Another reason why people like indicas is because they are often times very potent, with commonly occurring levels of THC.
Indica Effects
We’re going to help you to determine the difference of the indica plant with a little more wordplay. Since Sativa leaves you feeling stimulated, then that would mean that Indica will leave you feeling “in-da-couch” and believe us, it can and will do that at times. So if you suffer from insomnia, then indica is probably right for you because of the sedative effects. When you do an indica, the effects are that you feel sleepy and relaxed. Then the best part for some patients is when you get the munchies from indica.
Indica will produce a very distinct odor to that of a skunk.
Indica Growing
When you’re growing indica you’re more than likely going to want to do it indoors. They will grow fast, short and sweet. These are easy to produce a lot in a little amount of time, so if that’s the case, then indica is for you. They will typically grow between 3 to 6 feet tall. Their flowering time is much shorter than that of sativa. Indica can be expected to flower anywhere between 8 to 9 weeks.
Another distinction of the indica plant is that they have a deep purple color to their stalks.
Notable Indica Strains
Northern Lights
Sens-Star
Purple Kush
God’s Gift
Sativa/Indica Hybrids
A hybrid is when you crossbreed the two strains of indica and sativa together. But that was when things started, now we have hybrids that are bred with other hybrids. This is quite exciting for Weedly and hopefully for you too as this has allowed for some amazingly strong man-made strains. This allows for some of the hybrid strains to be upwards of 30% in THC! This has also made way for the breakthrough of “Moonrocks” which are a byproduct of crossbreeding indica with sativa.
We know that this is a lot to take in and we don’t want to overwhelm you. So do your research on these strains or just ask your budtender what their suggestion is and how it will effect you psychoactively.
Cannabis Ruderalis
This most beneficial type of plant is called cannabis ruderalis. Some will refer to this disrespectfully as “ditch weed” because you can’t smoke it. But this is the plant that produces hemp and is extremely valuable because of its sustainability. Everything in this plant can be used for anything from paper products, fuel, building materials, clothes, etc. It’s quite amazing that just one help stalk can potentially produce as much as 12 trees. It just makes sense that this would be better for everyone in the long run to have this be a staple of our industry.
This plant is native to Russia and Eastern Europe. So much so that they can be found growing along the roadsides in places like Ukraine and Poland. Another difference between that of cannabis ruderalis and cannabis sativa/indica are that cannabis ruderalis will flower as it ages. Unlike that of sativa and indica which flower with each light cycle.
We hope this was enough to get you acquainted with our beloved plant medicine. We hope this shows you that Weedly Phoenix wants much more for you than to get high. We want you to elevate your mind and awareness of all these benefits that lie before you when you unlock the full potential of the cannabis plant, as well as unlocking the full potential of Weedly!
