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The cannabis plant species covers a wide range of different types and strains. The two most common types of cannabis consumers will encounter are indica and sativa cannabis. While indica cannabis is easier to grow, quicker to harvest and produces more relaxing effects, many users prefer cannabis sativa.
Cannabis sativa is a type of cannabis plant that grows to incredibly tall heights. It’s well suited to hot climates and can produce impressive yields due to its size, although growing it can take a while. Sativa strains are generally rarer than indica strains, but many users enjoy them due to the stimulating head high they produce.
So how does cannabis sativa grow, what effects should you expect from it, and where can you get it? Here’s everything you need to know about cannabis sativa.
What Is Cannabis Sativa?
Cannabis sativa is one of the three main types of cannabis plants, with the other two being cannabis indica and cannabis ruderalis. While cannabis ruderalis is a fast-acting type of cannabis that doesn’t produce psychoactive effects, indica and sativa plants are widely known for producing marijuana.
Indica and sativa plants have many different attributes, both when it comes to the appearance of the plants and the effects they produce when consumed. In comparison to cannabis indica plants, cannabis sativa plants are much taller and narrower. They thrive in warmer temperatures and, although they take longer to grow, they can end up producing great amounts of marijuana.
There’s now a wide variety of cannabis sativa strains out there, and people usually use them for their stimulating effects. They’re known to boost your energy both physically and mentally, making them great for recreational use as well as for dealing with mental health ailments. Sativa strains can also produce extra-high levels of CBD, making them great for medical use.
Growing Cannabis Sativa
Growing cannabis sativa can be tough for home growers, especially as you need a lot of space and warm temperatures. On top of that, sativa strains can take much longer to grow than indica strains so you may have to wait a while to reap the rewards.
While indica plants generally grow to around 3-6 feet high, sativa plants can grow as tall as 20 feet high. This makes them tough to grow for indoor growers as you’ll need plenty of space for your sativa plants to thrive. With that said, outdoor growing can be great for sativa plants. In warm weather, they can produce impressive yields without too much effort.
In general, sativa plants take longer to grow than indica plants. Indica plants take around 7-9 weeks to flower on average whereas sativa plants take 10-16 weeks. You can get faster-growing plants by using autoflowering seeds or opting for sativa-dominant hybrid strains, but you’ll still have to be ready to invest a few months into growing them.
When they’re fully grown, sativa plants look tall and narrow with many thin leaves. The buds often grow in narrow pine cone-like formations, known as foxtails. Although they take some time and effort to grow fully, many growers find that it’s worth it for the effects they produce.
Effects Of Cannabis Sativa
Although each sativa strain is different, they’re generally known for producing a stimulating and uplifting high. While indica strains are renowned for producing deep physical relaxation, sativa strains are much more energizing.
Most sativa strains will swiftly increase your mood, making you feel more happy, alert, and focused. They can also boost your creativity and heighten your senses, making them fantastic for taking part in creative pursuits.
Sativa strains are also perfect for social situations- they’ll often give you more mental energy and make you feel chatty, giggly, and social. They can also be great to use as wake-and-bake strains for perking yourself up first thing in the morning.
Medical Benefit Of Cannabis Sativa
The uplifting effects of cannabis sativa strains aren’t just good for recreational users. Medical users often turn to sativa strains for a variety of purposes- especially when they need to relieve mental health issues.
Sativa strains are particularly helpful when it comes to mood disorders. Research shows that just a couple of puffs of cannabis can instantly help reduce symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression. Sativa strains are ideal for these situations as they can induce positive feelings and make you more optimistic and motivated.
While indica strains are usually preferred for dealing with physical ailments, sativa strains can still soothe your body. Users who want to relieve pains, aches, and strains without feeling tired and hazy often prefer sativa strains to indica strains. Some sativa strains are also known for high levels of CBD, making them great for tackling pain and inflammation.
What About Hemp?
While many users associate cannabis sativa with marijuana, you can also find non-psychoactive sativa strains. Interestingly, hemp is a strain of cannabis sativa. Hemp doesn’t produce high levels of THC and, as such, won’t get you high like other cannabis strains. However, it does have a variety of interesting uses.
Hemp is often harvested for use in things like clothing, jewelry, and even building materials. It’s a highly versatile plant that has a wide variety of practical applications. Hemp seeds are also used for cooking oil and superfoods as they contain a wealth of protein, vitamins, amino acids, and other healthy components.
One of the most popular uses for hemp nowadays is to make CBD products. CBD is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid that can be extracted in high amounts from hemp plants. Many users use CBD Oils, Edibles, Topicals, and other products as a way to reap the benefits of cannabinoids without getting high.
Conclusion
Cannabis sativa is one of the main types of plants in the cannabis family, known for producing tall plants laden with narrow leaves and foxtail buds. Sativa strains are ideal for users who want an uplifting, stimulating high, especially as they can enhance your mood and your senses in an instant. You can find a range of sativa strains online along with various other cannabis and CBD products at GreenSociety.io.