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How to choose a cannabis strain to grow
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A guide to help you choose your marijuana strain
Want to start growing ? Choosing a strain is the first step of the exciting journey you’re embarking on!
There are multiple aspects to take into account when considering how to select the best marijuana strains for growing weed, including the effects you’re looking for but also botanical aspects such as how long is the flowering period and how tall will it grow. We decided to compile all the information we could in this article to help you out!
How to choose a strain - Table of content
Height and Space
If you’re limited in height and space it’s no surprise that you’re going to want to pay special attention to how tall your plant is going to grow. There are very tall strains and other more short growing strains that are more convenient for closet or small-space growing.
This is more a preoccupation for people growing indoors that might have a very limited space. Some plants can grow up to 3m and are definitely not suitable for closet grow. However your growing techniques can also have a an impact on that. If you’re looking to grow in a Sea of Green (SOG) that’s can be a good way to grow tall sativas indoors. Sativas tend to be much taller plants than indicas however most strains today are hybrid and thus it’s hard to make such a generalization.
Whether it’s indoor or outdoor, if your grow needs to be discreet you definitely want to make sure you don’t get a plant that gets too tall. Seed shops and banks don’t necessarily indicate how tall specific strains are going to grow so if you’re especially concerned about height then it’s good to go for strains that are known to be short.
Flowering length & yield
Speed and yield are two other important grow characteristics you want to take into account before choosing the right strain to grow. A plant’s flowering length can vary from 7 weeks to 12 weeks, that’s almost a whole month so if you’re tight on time this is definitely something you want to think about.
Historically black market growers have always had a need for fast growing strains so many have been developed over the years. Certain seed banks have catered to this need by developing quick cannabis seeds, also known as fast seeds, that are basically the fast version of classic feminized genetics. If you’re an impatient grower, check out our top 10 fastest flowering strains below.
In terms of yield, many factors are going to impact how many grams of flowers your plant actually produces.
Your growing technique, the light intensity, the amount of nutrients you provide, how well you control the environment and many other variables are going to impact your final yield. However some plants are also genetically designed to mass produce.
Aroma and Taste
Growing a strain whose taste and aroma you enjoy is an important criteria, if you’re going to spend all that time tending to your plant it better be something you enjoy smoking later. There are many grow tips on how to increase the taste and smell of your plant but before you look into those you need to consider what type of taste you’re looking for.
Ever tasted some sweeeet bud and you want to grow yourself some similar tasting weed ? If you don’t know the name of the strain whose taste you enjoy you can try singling out the characteristics you like and search for those instead. For example some strains are going to have a very citrus taste and others a much more earthy tone, some strains will have a very sweet finish while others have more a fruity / tropical vibe to them.
Some strains have even been genetically modified to resemble dishes and treats.
Effects and High
Last but not least, there are so many strains out there and as we all know they can have very different effects so it’s important to take that into account.
The two main families, indica and sativa, separate the strains into two main types of experience. Sativa strains tend to have a more energetic effect whereas indica strains have a more calming effect.
However this is very general and every strain will have its own range of effects on the body and mind. In terms of medicinal effects some strains help treat specific illnesses and conditions so it’s important to do more research into your specific medical need if that’s what you’re looking for.
Comparing Cannabis Strains
So now I bet you’re thinking “boy that’s a lot to take into account, how am I ever going to find the right strain with all the characteristics I’m looking for ??”
Free the Tree’s seed comparison tool allows you to compare all the previous mentioned characteristics and even more of up to 5 strains at the same time!
No more having to open ten different pages on your browser! Once you’ve selected the strain the comparison tool shows you which vendors sell this strain and at what price 🙂
Try it out with the strains below !
Free the Tree's Top 10's strain articles
Before we get into the tips on how to choose your marijuana strain, here’s some more specific articles we have on th subject:
What are the Best Strains for Pain ?
Top 10 Regular Cannabis Strains in 2022
Top 10 highest yielding strains
Easiest cannabis strains to grow indoors
Free the Tree’s Top 10 Best Tasting Weed Strains for 2022
Top 10 Strongest Marijuana Strains to try in 2022
Fastest Growing Strains for all the impatient growers
Top 10 Low THC strains
Best cannabis strains for a closet grow
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About the author
Flojo Jojo
Passionate about bringing more information to the consumer and generally more transparency to the cannabis market, Flojo Jojo is an advocate of the numerous benefits of this plant. She's been writing about medical marijuana and the advantages of various strains for Free the Tree since 2019.
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