Many people do not know that there are actually three varieties of the cannabis plant. Cannabis Indica - A short bushy plant with broad leaves. THis is a popular choice for indoor growers. Cannabis Sativa - A tall late flowering plant grown grown in equatorial regions where the growing season is hotter. It can be grown indoors but requires a lot of tying because of the height. Cannabis Ruderalis - This plant is characterized by its early flowering, with some plants starting irrespective of the photo-period. The biggest issue for the home grower is the photoperiod i.e the number of daylight hours the plant receives. Sativa and Indica varieties require around 18 hours of light during their vegitative stages and are usually forced into flower by switching the photo period to 12hrs of light only. This tricks the plant into thinking Autumn is coming and so it starts putting out its flowers in the hope of propagating before it dies. Ruderalis varieties are rare and are not known for their thc content particulary but they do not need tricky photoperiods to induce flowering because the majority of them autoflower irrespective of photoperiod. Some clever breeders have finally managed to get a stable cross of 2 indicas and a ruderalis, something which can take many years. The result is an autoflowering stable Indica which only grows to about a foot in height. From the moment it sprouts it can be said to be on its flowering cycle. This has turned out to be a real boon for cultivators who do not have room to have seperate vegitative and flowering rooms. Very often you may want to have plants in differing stages of their cycle but one stage may require 18 hrs of light and another just 12. If light leaks into a flowering room during the dark cycle the plants very often turn hermaphrodite ( develop male and female flowers) and self seed, ruining the harvest. Male plants must always be removed the moment they are identified. This new cross, named Lowryder means that plants can be started at any time under a light regime of 12/12. A real big advancement in Cannabis genetics Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! I wonder if there are any other crops that this sort of selective breeding applies to with regards to photoperiod? peace c20 :m:
